Good thing I had a spare/unregistered PA Pro License ...

Vic · January 13

In 2019 I purchased 2 PA Pro w/Lifetime Upgrades, installed one and forgot about the other.

Following the most recent Windows Update fiasco (KB5034441) I was about to use some Linux tools to fix it when I remembered the AOMEI program. I figured that I would simply uninstall it from that system (all of them are here in my home on my home net, btw) and reinstall it on my afflicted laptop.

I checked my Registrations Log in order to determine the 'puter on which it was installed and was happy to rediscover the 2nd, unused, License. I D/Led and installed PA on my laptop, registered the License and fixed the Issue.

I was curious about this software that I purchased & used ~4 years ago and then forgot about ... so I wandered over, found the Forum and started reading some of the Threads that caught my eye.

I discovered that my AOMEI PA Pro w/Upgrades Licenses are, apparently, very restrictive. I am not "allowed" to use this software as the Utility Program that it obviously is. I cannot un-register/-install it from one of my systems and re-install/-register it on another to handle a "PA"-type Issue or simply transfer it to a new system.

This lack of an intelligent contemporary License management system is a real deal-killer as far as ever buying or advising friends/family to buy any AOMEI software Licenses.

aiArtisan · January 13

Hello Vic, I was also surprised when I first asked to migrate my license, I think it was for Backupper. They immediately reset my license, and I activated my old license on a new Windows installation immediately. You may email them to reset your license for PA or BU.

Another tip -- when you are on the same Windows installation, but you need to upgrade or reinstall PA, please use the PA Pro installer, instead of the free installer. The PA Pro installer will retain your license during upgrade version.

You may also create a PA Pro USB stick, then you may use the stick on an unlimited number of PCs forever.

Here are some free tools for you that I have used for years!

Tech Support & license reset
[email protected]

Backupper WinPE USB:
Add custom drivers, such as NVMe, if necessary. Does not work with some monitors.

Partition Assistant Pro Edition
Keeps license activated when updating Pro version
Please do not use PreOS Mode.

Partition Assistant WinPE USB:
Add custom drivers, such as NVMe, if necessary.

Aomei WinPE Builder USB:
Includes Partition Assistant, Backupper, Recuva, 7zip, OSF Mount, CPU-Z, Bootice, DiskMgmt.msc. Supports x64 portable apps. Does not support any additional drivers, such as some internal NVMe disks.

Personal WindowsToGo USB

AnyViewer Remote Support Application

Free tools not from Aomei:

Hirens Boot PE - live USB tool suite

160 utilities, old BU 6.5.1, PA 9.2.1. Put custom drivers, such as NVMe drivers, into the “CustomDrivers” folder. Hirens is not recommended in combination with Ventoy USB.

Ventoy - Best Multiboot USB Creator

Disk Genius - Advanced Disk Management

Clonezilla - non-GUI cloning

If the source disk has Bad Sectors, use Expert Mode > "-rescue" option to continue cloning all readable sectors

Supergrub 2 - Boot Absolutely Anything

Vic · January 14

WHOA! Christmas, Take 2 ...

Great news! Thanks so-o-o-o much, AiArtisan! BTW, check out ... I have used SystemRescueCDs for years. Very handy when dealing with HDD config and/or OOPS issues.

aiArtisan · January 14

"Thanks so-o-o-o much, AiArtisan! BTW, check out System Rescue CD"

Everyone knows about System Rescue CD, I checked it out 5-10 years ago. It was ok.

If you use Old Linux Live CD/DVD/ISOs on hardware with modern Intel RST / eIRST, containing a Windows installation, in rare cases, it will mis-read the disk configuration, and corrupt all partitions, doesn't happen on most disks, but on some disks, it will happen. Here is an official Linux document to manage this.

Vic · January 14

{chuckle} Yeah ... so much has passed me by in the 20+ years since I retired out of the business. GPartEd, along with a few others, has been a friend for a long time.

I appreciate the new-to-me information, thanks! New Utils to try, looking forward to it ... especially making a PA Pro stick. Something that will probably be in my kit for a lonnnng time before needing its magic again. I keep it pretty simple these days with only 5 active systems (3dt, 2lt) on my home network. O'course the basement is loaded with systems that I have been building or buying since the late '80s. Heck, 6 of the old laptops are on my net when they boot up. I just rarely boot them up. Thanks again!

- - - ... and obviously, formatting in this venue has escaped me.

Good thing I had a spare/unregistered PA Pro License ...

Comments