Activating BurnSim
BurnSim runs without activation as a trial. Activating it with a license removes the trial limit. This page walks through activating BurnSim 4 from start to finish - online, or offline for a computer with no internet access - and explains every message you can see along the way.
Before You Start
- The trial. Until it is activated, BurnSim allows 25 simulations per session. The count starts again every time you relaunch BurnSim, and there is no time limit. The window title shows how many are left - for example [Unregistered - 18 simulation(s) remaining] BurnSim v4.0.0.19 (Windows). When they run out, BurnSim says so and stops simulating until you restart it or activate.
- A license. Activation looks up a license by the email address it was bought with. Licenses are available from burnsim.com/purchase.aspx. A new purchase can take up to one business day to become active on our end.
- Free educational licenses. Anyone with a .edu email address can activate for free - no purchase needed. See Educational licenses below.
- An internet connection, once. Online activation needs to reach the BurnSim license server. After that BurnSim never needs the internet to stay activated. If the computer you are activating is never online, use offline activation.
The license types and what each one permits are described on the License page.
Activating Online
- Open Help → Activate... The Activate BurnSim window opens on its Online tab.
- Enter the email address you purchased with, or your school email for an educational license.
- Leave License key blank. It is only for licenses bought through a reseller who gave you a key. A purchase from burnsim.com does not use one. Even with a key, the email address is still required - every license is tied to one.
- Click Activate. The first time you activate a computer, the result reads Activation request received. Please check your email...
- Check your email for a message titled Email confirmation for BurnSim 4 Activation, and click the link in it. A page opens saying Thank you - your email address has been validated.
- Go back to BurnSim and click Activate again. (Restarting BurnSim works too: it finishes a pending activation by itself each time it starts.)
- The result reads Activation successful! Thank you for registering BurnSim. The [Unregistered...] prefix disappears from the window title.
The email step only happens once per computer and email address. Activating the same computer again later - after reinstalling BurnSim, for example - goes straight to Activation successful.
BurnSim remembers the email you entered, so if you close the window while waiting for the email, it is filled in for you when you come back.
What the Messages Mean
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Activation successful! | This computer is activated. | Nothing - you're done. |
| Activation request received. Please check your email... | The request was recorded, and a validation link was emailed to you. It has not been clicked yet. | Click the link in the email, then click Activate again. See No validation email if nothing arrives. |
| Your email is validated, but no license was found for it yet | Your email address is confirmed, but there is no license under it. | If you just bought BurnSim, try again later - it can take up to one business day. Check that you typed the same address you purchased with. If it's been longer, contact burnsim@burnsim.com. |
| Your license's allowed installs have been used up | Every install your license allows is already in use on other computers. | See Installing on more than one computer. |
| That email address doesn't look valid / Enter a valid email address | The address isn't in a form BurnSim or the server accepts. | Check it for typos. |
| Too many attempts - please wait a few minutes and try again | The license server limits how often one network can ask. | Wait a few minutes, then click Activate once. |
| Could not reach... or another error | BurnSim couldn't talk to the license server. | Check your internet connection. A firewall or proxy must allow BurnSim to make HTTPS connections. Or use offline activation. |
Checking Your Status
- The window title. An activated BurnSim shows just its version and the open file. An unactivated one starts with [Unregistered - N simulation(s) remaining].
- Help → Activate... The first line of the window is your status:
- Not activated
- Activation pending email validation - the validation link hasn't been clicked yet, or BurnSim hasn't checked again since it was
- Activated (standard, expires 2036-09-16) - activated, with the license type (standard, edu or commercial) and expiry date
- License expired - see When a license expires
- Help → About... shows the same status, plus the terms your license carries: For personal non-commercial use only, Educational use only, For commercial use, or Unregistered - evaluation use only. The splash screen shows the same line.
Educational Licenses
Activating with a .edu email address creates a free educational license automatically - there's nothing to buy and no one to ask. The steps are exactly those in Activating Online, including the validation email.
An educational license:
- is for non-commercial teaching, coursework and academic research (see the License page)
- covers 3 installs
- lasts one year, and activating again with the same address renews it for another year
Activating Offline
Use this only for a computer that cannot reach the internet at all. You'll need a second computer that can, to send one email and receive the reply. Offline requests are handled by hand, so allow some time for the reply.
Step 1 - send a request
- On the offline computer, open Help → Activate... and fill in your email address (and license key, only if you have one).
- Select the Offline tab and click Create Request. A request code starting with
BSREQ1-appears in the box. - Get the code to a computer with internet access. Copy puts it on the clipboard. Save to File... writes it to a
.bsreqfile you can carry over on a USB stick. - Email the whole code, or attach the file, to burnsim@burnsim.com - ideally from the email address you entered, which makes it quicker to match to your license.
Step 2 - import the license
- The reply contains a license code starting with
BSLIC1-, or a.bsliclicense file. - Back on the offline computer, open Help → Activate... → Offline again. Paste the code into the lower box, or click Load File... to load the file.
- Click Import. The result reads Activation successful!
The request is tied to the computer it was created on. Always import the license on that same computer. The window's This machine: line shows the computer name and ID the request was made for. Support may ask you to read that line out.
| Import message | What to do |
|---|---|
| That license was issued for a different computer | The request was created on another computer. Create a new request on this one and send that in. |
| That license didn't pass verification | The code was changed or cut off on the way - email clients sometimes wrap or trim long lines. Copy the whole code again, use the .bslic file, or ask for a fresh one.
|
| That doesn't look like a BurnSim license code | Make sure you pasted the entire code, starting with BSLIC1-.
|
| That license has expired | Contact burnsim@burnsim.com for a renewal. |
Installing on More Than One Computer
Each computer you activate uses one of your license's installs. A license bought from burnsim.com currently covers 5 installs; an educational license covers 3. Under the License terms, a personal or educational license may be installed on more than one computer, but only the licensed person may use it.
- Updating BurnSim, or reinstalling it on the same computer, keeps the activation. There's nothing to redo.
- Moving to a new computer: activate the new computer normally. If that reports allowed installs have been used up, email burnsim@burnsim.com with your license email and the computer you're replacing, and the old install will be released. Installs can't be released from inside BurnSim.
- Reinstalling the operating system, or replacing major parts of a computer, can make it look like a new computer. Activate again. If you run out of installs, contact burnsim@burnsim.com.
- The activation is stored per user account. A second user account on the same computer activates separately.
When a License Expires
Every license has an expiry date, shown in the status line (see Checking Your Status). After that date BurnSim reports License expired and goes back to the trial limit. For an educational license, activate again with the same .edu address to renew it. For other licenses, contact burnsim@burnsim.com.
Troubleshooting
No validation email
- Check your spam or junk folder for Email confirmation for BurnSim 4 Activation.
- Make sure the address in the Activate window is the one you meant - BurnSim remembers the last one entered.
- Clicking Activate again does not send another email. If the email never arrived, contact burnsim@burnsim.com.
The link says it was not recognized
This validation link was not recognized. It may have already been used... - usually the link was already clicked. Go back to BurnSim and click Activate. If that still says to check your email, contact burnsim@burnsim.com.
Still stuck
Contact burnsim@burnsim.com. Include your license email address and the This machine: line from the Offline tab of the Activate window.