DVRS prompts for Activation Key then fails!

Hello
I wonder what might be the source of this peculiar problem. After 2 years of using my licensed copy today I suddenly see a prompt on the splash screen to enter the Activation key - which then fails. Looks like something got wiped out and DVRS is no longer able to access the activation key already stored in the system? But then I also don't understand why my new Activation Key input is not validated successfully.

Coincidentally I got my last Win10 update a few days back - no further security or feature updates unless I upgrade to Win11 - and todays Win10 'Updates & Security' prompt is for Win11 upgrade not the routine patches. I wonder if something got wiped out in this process in the boot partition where keys might be stored (was a common practice earlier IIRC ) or whether it is something else?

Thanks

I finished upgrading to Win11 and the problem still exists.

Can someone from BMD help with the activation key please?

Thanks

You should be able to get phone support for that.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/

I had some email exchanges with BMD support in Singapore, They even cleared my activation keys from the BMDs licensing backend DB but unfortunately that isnt fixing it. I still get an error during activation. Unfortunately its past 5pm in SG and I have to wait till Monday now for the developer to review which is a pain.

I see this in the HTTP trace on a packet capture:

POST /cgi-bin/blackmagic_mklic HTTP/1.0
Host: gic.hostedactivation.com
User-Agent: RLM_ACTIVATION/1.1
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 692

E:XXXXX=--snipped--
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Fri, 20 May 2022 08:58:12 GMT
Server: Apache/2.4.18 (Ubuntu)
X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block
x-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self' accounts.google.com; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' fonts.googleapis.com; font-src *;img-src * data:; script-src * http://www.google-analytics.com ajax.googleapis.com 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval';
Referrer-Policy: strict-origin
Content-Length: 40
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

status=-1015
actver=14.2BL3

license_end

Not sure what the status=-1015 means? Looks like an error code.

Also on my PC I happened to remove some 3rd party DRM software which I thought is not needed, but now I am doubtful if that app is also used by BMD/DVRS to authenticate? I am unable to trace a history of which app was uninstalled but I see a service in event viewer that shutdown and then never started after the 19th when the problem cropped up namely "Protexis Licensing Service"

The program is PSIService.exe by Protexis, which installs a Protexis Licensing service or Protexis Licensing V2 service in Windows operating system. PSIService is part of Protexis copy protection DRM (digital rights management) and license management software, which intends to protect a software or application from piracy and illegal copying. Thus PSI service is normally installed by another program, such as Corel...

Yet another app that came up in a search of installers on my disk is "Sentinel Protection Installer" by SafeNet, Inc. Looks like another DRM software and I do not remember why the msi installer exists on my disk.

However an important point to note is that uninstalling and re-installing DVRS does not install any of these 3rd party apps if required for DRM or authentication of keys, so I am not sure I need these programs to ensure a successful activation.

Can somebody from BMD USA confirm?

Thanks

Good news! Activation succeeded over Airtel ISP mobile 4G.

POST /cgi-bin/blackmagic_mklic HTTP/1.0
Host: gic.hostedactivation.com
User-Agent: RLM_ACTIVATION/1.1
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 656

E:--snip--
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, ?? May 2022 ??:??:?? GMT
Server: Apache/2.4.18 (Ubuntu)
X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block
x-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self' accounts.google.com; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' fonts.googleapis.com; font-src *;img-src * data:; script-src * http://www.google-analytics.com ajax.googleapis.com 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval';
Referrer-Policy: strict-origin
Content-Length: 56
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

status=0
actver=XXXXX
davinciresolvestudio
license_end

However it is certain that my Firewall had no role to play in it because
• Same Firewall was active on Wifi Hotspot with Mobile 4G !!!!!!!!!!!

From the packet capture it was clear that the HTTP POST request with Activation key reached the server at 104.245.35.68 even when it was failing. But there was an error code with HTTP 200OK but Activation status=-1015 returned.

Learnings:

BMD should strongly recommend hostedactivation Licensing vendor that this transaction be done on TLS/HTTPS. It is possible that the communication is intercepted by an ISP filtering proxy and it may be messing with it in such a way that the key seen on the server end is invalid. An encrypted communication will prevent that possibility and suffering for customers.