What Is A Machine ID

The AccountEdge software license is designed so that each machine that you install and register the software on requires one license.

The Machine ID that AccountEdge uses is built off of information from the Hard Drive. This is intended to prevent issues of the Machine ID changing when network information for the computer changes. 

The registration process should resolve this without the end user having to do anything.

What Can Cause A Machine ID To Change

The following situations can result in a changed Machine ID:

• The network adapter changed.
• The motherboard has been replaced.
• The network card has been replaced.
• The way you connect to the network is a USB modem or express card. If you connect this way your Machine ID may only remain the same forthat particular connection instance.
• The computer is running MAC address cloning software. This is software that runs between our application and the Operating System and it allowsthe machine to report a different MAC address then the network adapter actually has.
• Any software that adds a virtual network adapter:
  • VPN Software
  • Blackberry Link Software
• Running AccountEdge in a Virtual Machine (such as Virtualbox or VMWare)
• On Windows some network adapters allow MAC address changing as one of the properties in the adapter's advanced settings. You can findthese settings in the Device Manager.
• On Macintosh the MAC address can be changed using the terminal. This change will exist until the machine is rebooted.

Resolving the Issue

Removing the offending software (VPN software, MAC Cloning software) or hardware (not using a USB modem or express card) is the simplest solutionto keep your Machine ID from changing. In situations where this just isn't possible you do have the option of de-registering your software after use - this way youhave a free license to register the next time you open the software. To do this:

On Mac 
After you are done using AccountEdge for the day:

1. Go to the AccountEdge menu from the upper left corner of your screen
2. Choose "Registration" from the drop down menu
3. Click the deactivate button

On Windows 
After you are done using AccountEdge for the day:

1. Go to Help from the menu at the top of the screen
2. Choose "Registration" from the drop down menu
3. Click the deactivate button

This solution isn't ideal, but it will make it possible to continue using your AccountEdge software when you need to.