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Urgent!! Sharkcad pro V14 deactivated, and reactivation failure - Failure on reactivation license
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lgrijalva  
#1 Posted : Friday, June 5, 2026 5:57:53 PM(UTC)
lgrijalva

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Hello @Tim Olson

My Sharkcad is for some reason asking me again to be activated, but the process for it is not working, when I click “Activate” button it is doing nothing (not error, not alert, no warnings, just stay at the same screen doing nothing)

Can some one please help me with this?

Also try offline activation send an email (no answer yet) and the offline links for activation bring me to an “401 Unauthorized” blank page

Email for activation is not answering

Phone activación is only calls from within USA, I am outside of USA

Please some help!

Thanks in advance

Luis Grijalva

Edited by user Friday, June 5, 2026 7:16:13 PM(UTC)  | Reason: misspellings

Luis G
Industrial Designer
MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
User since Concepts Unlimited
SharkCad 14
www.miditec.com.mx
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thanks 1 user thanked lgrijalva for this useful post.
GARLIC on 6/9/2026(UTC)
lgrijalva  
#2 Posted : Monday, June 8, 2026 10:57:38 AM(UTC)
lgrijalva

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I got this answer from punchcad, and I can't believe this is actually OK. since that for the date I purchase Sharkcad14 (about 1 an a half year ago), they can not help me to reactivate my license cause the support period expired, so I need to either buy a new upgrade or pay for a renew a support and maintenance plan if O dont want to upgrade, I have to Pay 499 USD for it

seriously?

This policy seems very unfair, my question is why suddenly my activated software become unactivated? is this an strategy to force customers to pay for upgrade or maintenance plan

This is very frustrating,

I been recommending this software for years, this kind of abuse policies just turn me to rethink about this, sad, is software I really like but this is not a fair policy

Hope can have another response form support so I can be able to keep using the software I bought or if Tim Olson or Another punchcad Member Directive here can help me with this, I am not asking for support, I Buy a perpetual lincense, activation systems should work as is

Please, if you can help me will be great, since official support channels are confusing the support terms and I done have what I promised for

Thanks in advance

Luis G






Luis G
Industrial Designer
MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
User since Concepts Unlimited
SharkCad 14
www.miditec.com.mx
www.diferro.com
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WWW
thanks 1 user thanked lgrijalva for this useful post.
MPSchmied on 6/9/2026(UTC)
lgrijalva  
#3 Posted : Monday, June 8, 2026 12:44:04 PM(UTC)
lgrijalva

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Any help on this please?

I have work to be don and I been stuck on this situation since last Friday

Thanks in advance

Luis Grijalva


Originally Posted by: lgrijalva Go to Quoted Post
I got this answer from punchcad, and I can't believe this is actually OK. since that for the date I purchase Sharkcad14 (about 1 an a half year ago), they can not help me to reactivate my license cause the support period expired, so I need to either buy a new upgrade or pay for a renew a support and maintenance plan if O dont want to upgrade, I have to Pay 499 USD for it

seriously?

This policy seems very unfair, my question is why suddenly my activated software become unactivated? is this an strategy to force customers to pay for upgrade or maintenance plan

This is very frustrating,

I been recommending this software for years, this kind of abuse policies just turn me to rethink about this, sad, is software I really like but this is not a fair policy

Hope can have another response form support so I can be able to keep using the software I bought or if Tim Olson or Another punchcad Member Directive here can help me with this, I am not asking for support, I Buy a perpetual lincense, activation systems should work as is

Please, if you can help me will be great, since official support channels are confusing the support terms and I done have what I promised for

Thanks in advance

Luis G






Edited by user Monday, June 8, 2026 2:23:03 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Luis G
Industrial Designer
MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
User since Concepts Unlimited
SharkCad 14
www.miditec.com.mx
www.diferro.com
Back to top
WWW
L. Banasky  
#4 Posted : Monday, June 8, 2026 3:50:59 PM(UTC)
L. Banasky

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Did you try Todd, he usually helps.
todd.quinlan@encore.com
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lgrijalva  
#5 Posted : Monday, June 8, 2026 4:35:31 PM(UTC)
lgrijalva

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Originally Posted by: L. Banasky Go to Quoted Post
Did you try Todd, he usually helps.
todd.quinlan@encore.com



Hi L. Banasky,

Thank you for your response.

I received an email reply from the Support Sales Manager at support@punchsoftware.com, signed simply as "Todd" (no last name was provided, so I am not sure if it is the same person). He is the one telling me that I must purchase a $499 support policy or upgrade to v16 for $699.

I tried to explain to him that this is not a technical support issue, but rather a system failure preventing the activation of my current, legitimate license on the exact same computer. However, here is his latest answer:

"Hi Luis Grijalva,

As a company we can not deactivate a program once its activated on a computer, nor can the program itself do so. If you are being asked to register the product on the same computer, after it being activated already then there must have been a change to that computer, be it a security or Windows update or a change to the hardware. These are the only things that could cause one of our programs to become deactivated.

Because of this you need assistance in registering your older version. We have policies in place to be able to assist which include either upgrading or renewing your Maintenance and Support.

If you have questions on our policies that are in place, you can email Legal@imsidesign.com

Todd - Sales Manager
Punch Software | Customer Service
www.punchcad.com | www.punchsoftware.com"

I honestly do not know what is happening with Punch! Software lately. They used to have excellent customer support in the past. Now, the Sales Manager is claiming that they cannot support perpetual licensing due to company policies, telling me I must either pay up or contact their legal department.

These are the facts:

• I purchased a legitimate upgrade to a SharkCAD Pro license in August 2024, installed it on my laptop, and successfully activated it.
• One year and ten months later, following a routine system reboot, I started SharkCAD. It is the exact same computer where it was originally installed and activated—no hardware changes, no computer migration, and no software reinstallation.
• I should be legally and technically able to use my perpetual license. However, your automated online activation systems are completely unresponsive.
• Because your infrastructure failed to process the activation, I was forced to contact support, only for the Sales Manager to tell me that I am forced to pay hundreds of dollars because my 1.8-year-old license is considered "too old."

Do you believe this is a correct or fair business practice? Also, could you confirm if this person is the same Todd Quinlan?

Please let me know your thoughts on this matter.

Thanks

Luis Grijalva

Edited by user Monday, June 8, 2026 6:48:40 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Misspellings

Luis G
Industrial Designer
MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
User since Concepts Unlimited
SharkCad 14
www.miditec.com.mx
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UGMENTALCASE  
#6 Posted : Tuesday, June 9, 2026 12:37:20 AM(UTC)
UGMENTALCASE

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What does the license agreement say? That should be in the install files somewhere.
For me, I've never heard anything like it that a windows update can get a piece of software to ask for registration again? I mean come on?! If that is the case you should be able to uninstall latest updates (or prove there hasn't been any) and the product work again? That's logical right?
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MPSchmied  
#7 Posted : Tuesday, June 9, 2026 2:30:51 AM(UTC)
MPSchmied

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You should simply try to activate the software again. Network or accessibility issues may be preventing the activation, or you may have done something wrong in the process. As I recall, the procedure is not particularly intuitive. Maybe help you the research which is made by CHatGPT Pro with my CAD GPT:
Quote:
How to unlock / reactivate SharkCAD 14

I found the non-intuitive part: in SharkCAD 14, a stuck, expired, or wrong license can apparently be cleared from the local registration settings by entering exactly CLEAR into the serial number field.

According to Tim Olson in the PunchCAD forum, the procedure for version 14 is:


  1. Start SharkCAD 14.
  2. Open Preferences.
    On Windows this is typically under File → Preferences.
    On macOS it may be under SharkCAD → Preferences or in the application menu, depending on the build.
  3. Select the Registration category.
  4. In the Serial Number field, replace the existing entry with:

    Code:
    CLEAR


  5. Confirm with OK.
  6. Quit SharkCAD completely.
  7. Restart SharkCAD.


After restarting, SharkCAD should show the registration / activation dialog again. The user can then enter the new permanent license key.

Source:
PunchCAD forum thread about clearing a SharkCAD 14 registration

Important:
This is not a crack or a way to bypass activation. It is the official forum procedure described by Tim Olson for deleting a locally stored SharkCAD 14 license, for example if the program is still using an old beta, subscription, or otherwise incorrect key.

Normal reactivation after clearing the license

After restarting SharkCAD, enter the required registration information, usually:


  • Name
  • Email address
  • License Key / Product Key


For current SharkCAD / ViaCAD versions, the old legacy workflow using a separate Authorization Code is apparently no longer the main activation method. That older procedure applied to older Shark FX/LT versions, such as version 9, where the registration process used a serial number, registration key, node ID, and authorization code.

Source:
PunchCAD forum discussion about newer activation workflow

If online activation fails

If online activation fails with a message such as “The server could not recognize the registration data”, use offline activation.

A commonly documented offline activation procedure for IMSI / PunchCAD products is:


  1. Disconnect the computer from the internet.
  2. Start SharkCAD.
  3. When the program reports that there is no internet connection, choose Yes, proceed to continue with offline activation.
  4. Enter:

    • Name
    • Email
    • License Key

  • Click Proceed.
  • Copy or write down the displayed Installation Code.
  • On a different computer with internet access, open the DRM offline activation portal.
  • Enter:

    • Email
    • License Key
    • Installation Code

  • Generate the Confirmation Code.
  • Enter the confirmation code into SharkCAD, usually into fields A–E.
  • Click Activate.
  • After activation, the internet connection can be restored.


    Source:
    Offline activation instructions for CAD Architect / TurboCAD / ViaCAD / PunchCAD

    If activation still does not work

    If the error message says something like:

    Code:
    License activation limit has been reached


    then this is probably no longer a local problem. The activation count may need to be reset by support.

    A PunchCAD forum example shows that simply removing a key from an old computer does not always automatically free the activation on the server side.

    Source:
    PunchCAD forum example: activation limit reached

    For SharkCAD 14 / SharkCAD Pro 14, Tim Olson also stated that version 14 uses a flexible license again. Installation on multiple personally used computers, such as home, office, and laptop, is allowed, but simultaneous use is not. ViaCAD, by contrast, remains single-install.

    Source:
    PunchCAD forum note about SharkCAD 14 flexible licensing

    Information to send to support

    If support has to reset the activation, send them the following information:


    • License Key / Product Key
    • Purchase email address
    • Exact error message
    • Screenshot of the activation dialog
    • Installation Code, if offline activation was attempted
    • Node ID from the Registration section, if visible
    • Operating system and computer details


    The German SharkCAD support page refers users with registration, serial number, and software problems to technical support and lists the contact address:

    Code:
    support@punchsoftware.com


    Source:
    SharkCAD German support page
    • OS: Windows 10 | CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 | RAM: 32 GB | Graphic: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT | SharkCAD 17 Pro | Unit: mm
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    lgrijalva  
    #8 Posted : Tuesday, June 9, 2026 10:40:48 AM(UTC)
    lgrijalva

    Rank: Senior Member

    Joined: 6/15/2007(UTC)
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    Originally Posted by: UGMENTALCASE Go to Quoted Post
    What does the license agreement say? That should be in the install files somewhere.
    For me, I've never heard anything like it that a windows update can get a piece of software to ask for registration again? I mean come on?! If that is the case you should be able to uninstall latest updates (or prove there hasn't been any) and the product work again? That's logical right?



    I am on Mac

    That used to happen on Shark FX with some OS update or reseting NVRAM parameters (very common on mac to optimize your memory computer some times), I dont really know the reason but some times that become in result of registration loose, but you simply put again your serial and the activation code and all becomes ok or if you have some other issue contact punchcad support and they used to be helpful to resolve it (some time they need to send a new activation code)

    Well, that happened me last friday, after rebooting my computer (Shark was working ok before I do that), at launching Shark i got a warning window that application was damage and should be trashed, but I didn't and back it up instead. and add a new installed app (on mack install process is just a simply as copy the app from the image installer to the apps folder on you computer)

    That works and open the shark but goes direct to the activation window

    Lately, punch change this procedure and implementa an online direct activation, that for some reason is not working (I tried to attach a video here but upload process turns me into an error page), so I try other ways like offline activation or Email support since none of the online-offline ways work

    and here I am with this situation unable to activate my license and I dont have any new answer from Todd, so I think I will have to email IMSI legal department hopping to be a better answer, (that seems to me an excess) but this situation is takin to long and I am stuck on my work to be done (I can actually open files that was on process of working) and I am delaying my commitment with customers
    So any help will be appreciated

    Thanks guys

    Edited by user Tuesday, June 9, 2026 10:45:29 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

    Luis G
    Industrial Designer
    MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
    User since Concepts Unlimited
    SharkCad 14
    www.miditec.com.mx
    www.diferro.com
    Back to top
    WWW
    lgrijalva  
    #9 Posted : Tuesday, June 9, 2026 10:51:52 AM(UTC)
    lgrijalva

    Rank: Senior Member

    Joined: 6/15/2007(UTC)
    Posts: 420

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    Was thanked: 11 time(s) in 9 post(s)
    Originally Posted by: MPSchmied Go to Quoted Post
    You should simply try to activate the software again. Network or accessibility issues may be preventing the activation, or you may have done something wrong in the process. As I recall, the procedure is not particularly intuitive. Maybe help you the research which is made by CHatGPT Pro with my CAD GPT:
    Quote:
    How to unlock / reactivate SharkCAD 14

    I found the non-intuitive part: in SharkCAD 14, a stuck, expired, or wrong license can apparently be cleared from the local registration settings by entering exactly CLEAR into the serial number field.

    According to Tim Olson in the PunchCAD forum, the procedure for version 14 is:......
    ...
    Code:
    support@punchsoftware.com


    Source:
    SharkCAD German support page


    Thanks MPSchmied

    But I am on a Mac, so files manage is a little bit different.

    I tried also the offline validation process you describe, but the DRM online system never sen the email validation code (I tried several times since I am on urgency to get my software work) but was unsuccessful

    Luis G

    Edited by user Tuesday, June 9, 2026 10:55:00 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

    Luis G
    Industrial Designer
    MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
    User since Concepts Unlimited
    SharkCad 14
    www.miditec.com.mx
    www.diferro.com
    Back to top
    WWW
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