ERROR: "No license currently available for this activity" when you try to run a lesson

Details

Resolution

PERMANENT SOLUTION

Upgrade to PLATO Pathways 4.3, which has the ability to automatically clear license files that have become locked.

PLATO Pathways 4.3 does not require running the Unlock License Utility. Version 4.3 automatically checks for and deletes license files that are still in use if PLATO Pathways could not be shut down properly.

TEMPORARY SOLUTION

To temporarily solve the problem, you'll need to delete the license files that are still in use. You can do this by running the Unlock License Utility, or by following one of the other workarounds below.

Run the Unlock License Utility (For PLATO Pathways 3.9.3, 4.0, and 4.1 systems)

1. At a workstation that is set up to run PLATO Pathways, download the Unlock License Utility (UnlockLIC.ZIP) from the support web site.

   1. If a box with options to open or save the file to disk appears, choose Save to Disk.
   2. Save the file to a location or folder, such as My Documents or the Desktop.

      Opening the UnlockLIC.ZIP file requires a ZIP compression utility, such as WinZip. If you do not have a ZIP compression utility installed, you can download an evaluation copy of WinZip.

   3. Use a ZIP compression utility to unzip the UnlockLIC.ZIP file.
2. Double-click the UnlockLICsetup.exe file.
3. Follow the prompts to install the Unlock License Utility.
4. Click OK when the installation is finished.
5. During the installation, the Unlock License Utility (UnlockLIC.exe) was copied into your system's \PWAY\BIN folder. The utility was also added to your Start > Programs menu.
6. To run the utility, click Start > Programs > PLATO Pathways Utilities > PLATO Pathways Free License Utility.
7. Read the Instructions that display on your screen.
8. Click the Free Inactive Courseware Licenses button.

   The utility runs, displaying a blank utility window. Please wait for the utility to finish running and display its results. This may take a few minutes or more.

9. View the utility results that display, and then click the Exit button.

   Your students should now be able to sign on to PLATO Pathways successfully.

RELATED INFO

If your file server is still holding connections to the workstations open, the Unlock License Utility will be unable to delete the license files that are still in use by those workstation users.

Most of the time, this should not affect your PLATO Pathways lab. However, if your entire lab goes down at once, then you immediately bring your workstations back up, and students try to run PLATO Pathways, the Unlock License Utility may be unable to delete the license files that are still in use. The files cannot be deleted until your server releases the workstations from the network.

The time it takes your server to release workstations from the network varies, depending on your network's operating system. Microsoft's article How Autodisconnect Works in Windows 2000 explains how to reset the server's autodisconnect time so that sessions are disconnected after a set number of minutes.

WORKAROUNDS

(For PLATO Pathways 3.9.3, 4.0, and 4.1 systems)

Try one of these workarounds if you are unable to use the Unlock License Utility or prefer not to run the utility:

Temporary Workaround A:

Follow these steps if you want to clear the license file, but don't know which student exited improperly or which workstation the student was at:

1. Exit PLATO Pathways at all ALL workstations.

   It's critical to exit ALL workstations that are set up to run PLATO Pathways, not just those that currently have users on, because the problem may have been caused by a workstation that is not currently in PLATO Pathways.

2. At the Windows desktop, click Start > Find > Files or Folders.
3. In the Named box, enter *.LIC. Set the Look in: box to Q:\PWAY\LICENSE.

   CAUTION: Do not set the "Look in" box to Q:\PWAY. Make sure you set it to Q:\PWAY\LICENSE, so that you only delete *.LIC files in the LICENSE folder. Use the appropriate drive letter for your PLATO Pathways system if it is not Q:.

4. Press Ctrl + A to highlight all *.LIC files found, then press the Delete key.

Temporary Workaround B:

If the workstations are in multiple locations and it's not feasible or practical to have everyone log out, you can follow these steps to try to remove all *.LIC files that have a date older than today:

1. At the Windows desktop, click Start > Find > Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, enter *.LIC. In the Look in: box, enter Q:\PWAY\LICENSE. (Substitute your drive letter for Q: if it's different.)
3. When the list appears, maximize the window and click on the Modified column. This will sort the files by date.
4. Delete all the files earlier than today. If that doesn't solve the problem, you should have all workstations get to the PLATO Pathways signon screen.

"File access denied" when trying to clear license files

In rare cases where one or more files have become corrupt on the server, the following message may display when you run the Unlock License Utility or try to delete .LIC files manually:

Cannot delete (filename). Access is denied; the source file may be in use.

Follow the steps below to solve the problem.

1. Log all network users out.
2. At the file server, navigate to the share containing the \PWAY folder and give ownership to the Administrator user.
3. Click Start > Programs > Command Prompt and enter chkdsk e: /x (or other drive letter in place of e:).
4. Restart the server.

Learn more about PLE! Use our Training Tutorials and User Guides to learn about the new features available to you in PLE.