I'm trying to get MC 5 installed on a fresh system.  I was previously using an earlier version of Avid (MC 3.x), so I need to update the dongle, but it isn't working.  I followed all the instructions, including using the correct version of DongleManager that installed with the latest version of MC 5 (5.0.3), and I went to the Avid registration site and generated/downloaded the Updater.avd file.  When I try to "open" it, however, I get the message:

"No dongle compatible with this update file found."

After some investigation, I found a really strange glitch.  I noticed that the scan of the dongle in DongleManager showed a different Dongle serial number than the one printed on the dongle's tag -- one of the characters was different.  After re-scanning the dongle numerous times, I discovered that it didn't always show me the same serial number.  After 22 rescans, only 2 of them showed the same serial number as the one on the tag, while the other 20 scans of my dongle had a different character in one spot.  Note that all of the other 20 scans were the same -- i.e. I got 20 scans showing the same "incorrect" Serial number with one incorrect character, and 2 scans showing the "correct" serial number.  (Just to clarify, by "correct" I mean the number that is shown on the tag.)

It seems like this would certainly explain the "No dongle compatible with this update file" message, but I'm not sure how to proceed.  Is my Dongle simply malfunctioning?  Do I need a new one?  I tried it on a different USB port, but it does the exact same thing, with the incorrect SN showing up on the majority of rescans.

I never had any issues with the dongle before, and it's been safely sitting on a shelf when not in use, so I just don't understand what happened.

This happened at a REALLY bad time -- I need to get this working in order to get a quick job done tomorrow, so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Larry

Larry, if You were not in a hurry I'd suggest having the dongle replaced, as it seems to behave too iffy, but as You are in a hurry... I assume Your dongle updater has been generated for the serial on the tin tag, can You try to blast the purple thing when the scan reports the correct serial? Or else, can You run the software in trial mode while Avid support works things out for You?

Larry,

Definitely the sign of a dongle on the fritz and should be replaced.  Go to www.avid.com/parts to download and complete the parts request form and send that on to [email protected].  If you're outside the  Americas region, there are alternative addresses on the site.  The dongle remains under warranty, so you won't get charged for a swap.  It is however a return to factory so you will need to ship first.  That being said, you can operate in the built in 30-day trial OR I can provide you with a temp Sys ID/SN to activate while you're without a dongle.  PM me if you have any questions.

-Greg

Thanks for the responses.

Fendstrat -- I sent you an email via the "contact" menu.  Is this okay, or did you mean to use the "Start a conversation" option?

Larry

You're good, got your email.  Sending you the details now.