Trouble activating

Hi Lyn! Welcome to E-Learning Heroes!

For PowerPoint, you can quickly check to ensure it is the 32-bit version.

To do so, open PowerPoint and click on "File". Then, select "Help". On the right side, there's a section that says "About Microsoft PowerPoint". Right below that section, you can see what version you're using.

For the Studio '09 activation information, navigate to the Articulate ribbon in PowerPoint. In the "Tools" section, there will be an area for "Help and Support". Click on this and a menu will open. You'll be able to see a menu option for activation, as well as an "About Articulate Presenter", which will provide your serial number if the product has been activated.

If you can confirm that the product is not registered and are unable to do so through the software, please let me know!

Thanks!

Christine

Hello Christine,

Thanks for your reply. I am indeed running 32-bit. 

When I go to the Help and Support menu in Tools, there is no activation option. When I select About Articulate Presenter, it is telling me that I am using an Evaluation copy. So, still stuck.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Lyn

Hi Lyn!

Thanks for the additional information. Are you currently logged in as an administrator? That may be one of the causes. You can try to launch the program as an administrator and see if it prompts for activation, or if the "About" details change.

Please perform the following steps:

1)  Close PowerPoint if it is running.

2)  Based on your version of PowerPoint, navigate to the following directory:

     POWERPOINT 2010:

        32-bit Windows:

        C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14

3)  Based on your version of Microsoft Windows, do the following:

     Windows 7 / Vista:

        Right-click the POWERPNT.EXE file, and select "Run as administrator".

After the program launches, check the "Help" section in Tools and let me know if you're able to view the activation information.

Thanks and stay safe during the storm!

Christine

Hi Christine,

Tried it, but still no Activate on the menu. I have also written to a colleague to see if anyone else in the group has had the same experience. Maybe something is different in the way our IT set up our systems.

I did not reboot my machine after installing. Would that contribute to this?

Thanks,

Lyn

Hi Lyn,

Rebooting is one of the most popular fixes for many problems. If you haven't already restarted the machine, please do.

If rebooting doesn't change, let me know. We'll see if there are any other steps we can take to activate the program for you.

Thanks!

Christine

Hi Christine,

Will do - won't be able to do that for a bit and so won't know if we have  a fix until tomorrow. Stay tuned and thank you.

Best,

Lyn

Hi Lyn,

Not a problem. There are other steps we can take to troubleshoot the problem, if restarting doesn't resolve it. The information can be found in this article.

Trigger the activation wizard in Presenter

If you can see the Articulate menu but you were never prompted to activate the software, please do the following:

1. Select the Articulate menu in PowerPoint.
2. From the Articulate menu, click any Articulate option such as Slide Properties. This should bring up the activation wizard and allow you to activate your software.
3. If you still don't see the activation wizard, please continue to the steps below until your issue is resolved.

Enable any disabled items

Follow the instructions below for your version of PowerPoint to enable any disabled Articulate add-ins. You'll need to be logged in as an administrator on your computer (consult with your IT department if you don’t have administrative privileges). After enabling any disabled items as an administrator, log in as the intended user to activate and test the software.

PowerPoint 2010

Be sure you have the 32-bit version of PowerPoint 2010 installed. Articulate Presenter '09 is not supported in the 64-bit version of PowerPoint 2010. For more information, see "Which version of Office 2010 should I install, 32-bit or 64-bit?"

1. Click the File tab in the upper left corner.
2. Click Options.
3. Select the Add-Ins tab on the left side of the window that opens.
4. From the Manage drop-down list at the bottom of the screen, select Disabled Items and click the Gobutton.
5. If anything is listed as being disabled, select it and click the Enable button. (Repeat for all items that are disabled.)
6. From the Manage drop-down list at the bottom of the screen, select COM Add-ins and click the Gobutton.
7. Ensure that Articulate Presenter Communicator and Articulate Presenter Ribbon are checked (selected).
8. Click the OK button.
9. Restart PowerPoint.

Here is a video screencast of this process.

Trust Center Settings

If your Articulate menu still is not visible or is not functioning after performing the steps above, you may need to verify your Trust Center Settings in PowerPoint 2010. Here's how:

1. Select the File tab.
2. Click Options.
3. Select the Trust Center tab.
4. Click the Trust Center Settings button.
5. Select the Add-ins tab.
6. Ensure that the following check boxes are not checked:
   • "Require Application Add-ins to be signed by Trusted Publisher"
   • "Disable all Application Add-ins"
7. Click the OK button to close the Trust Center.
8. Click the OK button to close PowerPoint Options.
9. Close PowerPoint altogether.
10. Open PowerPoint again, and verify that your Articulate menu is visible and active.

Here is a video tutorial of the steps above.

Install Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Office

If you're not using a default installation of Microsoft Office, it's possible that the Visual Basic for Applications component did not get installed on your computer. This will prevent your add-ins, such as Articulate Presenter, from working properly. You can correct this. Here's how:

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Programs in Windows Vista / 7. In Windows XP, go to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.
2. Select Microsoft Office from the list of programs, and click the Change button.
3. When the installer launches, select the option to Add or Remove Features.
4. Click the Continue button.
5. Expand Office Shared Features by clicking the plus (+) sign.
6. Click the drop-down arrow beside Visual Basic for Applications, and select Run from My Computer.
7. Click the Continue button.
8. Click the Close button.

Here is a video screencast of this process.

Repair your software

If your Articulate menu is still not active after following the procedures above, you'll need to repair your software as described here.

Add-ins that may conflict with Articulate Presenter

The following third-party add-ins for PowerPoint are known to conflict with Articulate Presenter. If you have any of these add-ins installed, click their links below for more information:

• george!
• PowerCom
• SMART Aware
• Swiff Point Player

There may be other add-ins that also prevent Articulate Presenter from activating or working as expected. If your Articulate software is still unresponsive, it is recommended that you temporarily disable your other PowerPoint add-ins, and test Articulate Presenter again.

I know it's a lot of information, but hopefully one of these steps will resolve the issue. I will check back tomorrow to see if you're still experiencing the problem.

Have a great evening!

Christine

Hi Christine,

I have removed Articulate, reinstalled, run through your suggestions (minus the very last one requiring me to uninstall and install MS Office, which brings with it another set of interesting challenges). I have one or two more things to check and will try those and let you know.

Thank you for your persistent support!

Lyn

Hi Lyn,

You've made a lot of progress, thanks for the update!

Let me know how it turns out, when you get a chance.

Thanks!

Christine

Hi Christine,

I am getting closer. The serial number I inherited was owned by someone else who left the group and didn't uninstall Articulate before handing in his laptop to IT. The laptop's hard drive would be scrubbed by now. I am now working with Articulate support. Fingers crossed that this will solve the problem.

Thanks again for all the tips - they have come in handy and may come in handy in the future, also.

Lyn