How to force the program to Activate again

How to force Sage 50 Accounting to bring up the activation screen again.

1. Ensure all users have exited Sage 50.
2. Browse to the data path on the computer where the data resides. If you're unsure where that is, see How to find the data path and program path.
3. Rename the following files by adding the word "OLD" in front of the file name.
   • ClientInfo.xml
   • Entitlements.xml
   • SERIAL.DAT.BAK
   • SERIAL.DAT
   • SoftwareInstallations.xml
   • Any *.PTL files
   • Any *.LCK files
   • Hidden files won't show. For instructions on showing hidden files, see How to show file extensions and hidden files, folders, and drives. If the files still don’t appear, it’s acceptable to skip to the next file
4. Open Sage and select Activate Online Now.
5. Verify the application is activated by clicking Help, About Sage 50 Accounting. Make sure that your serial number and Customer ID appear there.
6. If online activation fails, manually activate. See How do I manually activate the program or manually register the payroll service.
   • If you don’t see the option to manually activate, see Cannot start the Actian service after a fresh install
7. Verify the Sage 50 activation by following step 5 above. You can receive the following errors even if activation was successful.
   • When opening the program, you can receive the Error: "Assertion Failed, Abort, Retry, Ignore Connection information isn’t available for GLOBAL." Click Ignore to continue and the program will attempt to create a new Options.dat file
   • When opening the data folder, you can receive the error: "The company could not be opened because the file '[directory\OPTIONS.DAT' is missing or damaged. You can try restoring the backup into a new company or try restoring a different backup." Click OK to continue and the program will create a new Options.dat file