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Can't activate or register the game? See here first!

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Can't activate or register the game? See here first!

from GalCiv2 Forums
If you are unable to activate or register the game (via SDC, or after installing the latest patch), you're likely encountering one of a few common problems.


1) Your game came with NO serials at all.
There have been some reports of legitimate retail copies of the game not coming with a serial key at all. If you are sure your copy is legitimate and it did not come with ANY serials, contact [email protected].


2) You're using the wrong serial.
This is a simple but common mistake. The Collector's/Limited Editions of the game normally include two serial keys (one for the game, one to unlock the special extra content). Be sure you're not trying to register with the CE serial (the one that begins with GC2). Use the other one which consist of 28 letters/numbers (A-F and 0-9 ONLY) with no dashes.


3) You bought a used copy of the game.
If you (intentionally or not) bought a used copy of the game, you may receive a message when attempting to register/activate to the effect of the serial already being in use, or your email address not matching the one the game was originally registered with. Stardock will not remove an activated serial from the original owner's account and give it to you.

You have a few options in this case. You can:
  • Keep the game and stick with the 1.0 version on the disc.
  • Return the game to the place of purchase. Some retailers still accept returns, especially if they resold to you a returned copy that the original owner has effectively pirated (resale is prohibited by the EULA).
  • Contact stardock support ([email protected]) and ask about pruchasing a new serial code at reduced cost.


4) You bought the European Limited Edition.
Some copies of the Limited Edition of the game distributed in Europe were shipped with only the code to unlock the special Ltd. content, (beginning with GC2) and not an actual game serial. You can request a game serial by providing your Limited/Collector's Edition serial and email address on this form: http://galciv2.com/paradox/index.aspx


5) You bought the US Collector's or Standard Edition in June or later.
There have been several production runs that shipped to retail in the US without the correct keys. Some Collector's Editions shipped to WalMart and Fred Meyers included two CE keys (beginning with GC2-), but no game serial. Some Standard Editions have shipped to Best Buy and other retailers with a single CE key and nothing else.

In either case, please first try inputting your serial and email address on the European serial exchange page, which has been updated to include most of the serials from these production runs: http://galciv2.com/paradox/index.aspx. If that does not work, please contact [email protected] with your problem and they will provide you a game serial to use.

Please keep in mind they can only answer during business hours, so if you contact them on a weekend you will not receive a [human] reply until Monday at the soonest. You should receive an automated reply immediately upon receipt of your email, though (check that it is not filtered by any spam protection you have in place). If you do not receive an automated reply, your own message was likely stopped by Stardock's spam filters, so you will obviously never get a reply to that particular message! If all else fails, try getting on Stardock Central's Chat and speaking with an employee directly during business hours (IRC users: irc.stardock.com, channel #Stardock or #GalCiv).


6) You bought a pirate/bootleg copy of the game.
Despite our best efforts, sellers on eBay and elsewhere continue to sell bootleg copies of GC2. There are usually many tell-tale signs that these copies are not legitimate which become obvious once you receive them: poorly printed disc art, cheap-looking packaging, missing documentation, etc. Most of these copies claim to be used "Import Version" games, and the sellers claim that documentation is excluded because it is not in English. If these copies contain a serial key at all, they are generally already registered or just random gibberish.

In any case, there is no support for users of pirate/bootleg copies. If you purchased them through eBay, you may be able to file a claim and get your money back, but there are no guarantees. If you wish to own the game with updates and support, you must purchase a legitimate copy, which will entitle you to your own serial key and all the associated benefits.
faq support
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Reply #26 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
There have been several production runs that shipped to retail in the US without the correct keys. Some Collector's Editions shipped to WalMart and Fred Meyers included two CE keys (beginning with GC2-), but no game serial. Some Standard Editions have shipped to Best Buy and other retailers with a single CE key and nothing else.

In either case, please first try inputting your serial and email address on the European serial exchange page, which has been updated to include most of the serials from these production runs: http://galciv2.com/paradox/index.aspx. If that does not work, please contact [email protected] with your problem and they will provide you a game serial to use.
Reply #27 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Alright, here's a problem. I have both a desktop computer and laptop, since I spend a lot of time in the hospital. (no big deal, just boring.) Problem is the laptop have a modem, and the desktop computer don't. This means I could easily get the 1.40 version, register it and activate it on the laptop, but it's not playable on the desktop computer since it doesn't have a modem. What can I do? I don't want to go back to the retail version of GalCiv2 now that I've seen the 1.40 version in action, and I don't want to sit with my old laptop when I have a really fast computer in the same room. I tried copying the sig.bin file, but it seems to be connected to the laptop. I tried connecting the two computers together and get online that way, but it didn't work. Strange, as it worked quite fine with the xbox360.

So, what do you suggest I do? I own GalCiv2, I love GalCiv2, I have a computer that's more than fast enough to play it, and yet, I can't since I don't have a modem. Am I stuck with the laptop, or is there some sort of hope? I could of course get a modem, but I would rather wait a few months until I can get a broadband. Even worse, as all my friends have a broadband, neither of them have a spare modem I can borrow. I don't want to bring the entire desktop computer to them either as it is far too much work just for one game.

Great game, though. I love it.
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #28 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
To activate the game on a computer that is not connected, follow these steps:

1) Start the game; you will get a prompt for your serial and email. Provide them and continue.
2) It will fail to activate (of course) and ask if you'd like to activate by email. Click Yes.
3) Copy the subject line and big block of letters into a text file, or into your email program, and save it off to portable media (CDR, USB drive, floppy, etc).
4) Take it to a web-connected PC and send an email to [email protected] with that subject line and content.
5) You should receive a reply with a file and some instructions; take the file back to the non-connected PC and you should be set to go.
Reply #29 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks, I'll try that. But can I activate the same copy twice?
Reply #30 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yep.
Reply #31 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The correct serial to use in registering the game should be 28 characters, containing only numbers and the letters A-F.


Thanks. Perhaps others have made the same mistake that I did: I thought some of those Zeroes were the letter "O".



Reply #32 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi! I've had a massive failure and had to reinstall Windows. That means reinstalling games, etc.

The reinstall of GalCiv went smoothly, so I ran the 1.4 upgrade while I was at it. But the game won't run - tells me "The product appears to be validated but the serial number or the machine SID don't match."

I did try emailing kryo but kept getting the 'missing critical information' error, whatever that meant.

Help? Now what?
Reply #33 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No need to email me--posting here is fine (I'm the forum moderator anyway, not support).

In this case, all you need to do is find the file sig.bin in C:\Program Files\Stardock\Totalgaming\GalCiv2, and rename or delete it. Then run the game and provide your email and serial key to reactivate. This problem occurs because each activation is linked to the windows installation it is made on, so if you have to reinstall windows for some reason, you also need to reactivate.
Reply #34 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I tried e-mailing the activation, and it worked great! Thanks!

But this made me think a bit. I don't need the cd to play, only the serial code and activation code. Isn't this a bit... you know, stupid? If I wanted to, what stops me from taking my copy to a friend, install the game and activate it with my own serial code? He doesn't need the disc, just the serial code. In theory, it means anyone can upload the game on the 'net along with the serial key and their own (fake, of course) e-mail adress, and everyone else can get a free game. In theory, of course.

This again makes me think. What's the use of the serial key in the first place? Wouldn't it be better if you had to use the disc like in pretty much every other game? Maybe even both.

And another thing. What happens if I were to change the computer a bit, like installing more RAM, a new video card, change the motherboard or something? Yep, need to activate it again since the previous activation goes with the previous system. Which again means there can't be a limited number of activations, which leaves the IP adress. I can only activate the game from the current IP adress, so what if I move and/or get a new IP adress? Yep, can't have a limited number of adresses. The e-mail adress, then. Maybe the activation code is connected to the current e-mail adress, but what if I got a new one? And what if said user wants to sell his game to his friend?

Which bring me back to the point. What's the point in copy protection if it depends entirely on the developers saying we shouldn't give the game to others?  
Reply #35 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If I wanted to, what stops me from taking my copy to a friend, install the game and activate it with my own serial code? He doesn't need the disc, just the serial code.


1) It's wrong.

2) Doing that gives your friend the ability to steal your entire account at will, including any other SD products you've bought.

3) Disc based systems don't stop determined (or even casual, in most cases) pirates any better.

And there is a limit to how many activations you can do (though if you hit it legitimately, support can reset the counter).

What's the use of the serial key in the first place? Wouldn't it be better if you had to use the disc like in pretty much every other game?


Because the serial is saved in your account--so long as you have access to your stardock account, you can download the game forever after. Even if you bought the game at retail. Whereas if it were disc-based, not only is it a pain to put a disc in every time you want to play, but once you lose the disc, that's it. The serial-based system is most generally far more convenient for users (especially the ability to download the entire game whenever you want).

What happens if I were to change the computer a bit, like installing more RAM, a new video card, change the motherboard or something? Yep, need to activate it again since the previous activation goes with the previous system.


The activations are not hardware linked, so you'd only need to reactivate if you reinstalled windows as well. I just got a new video card last week and all my SD products kept on working, no reactivation needed.

The e-mail adress, then. Maybe the activation code is connected to the current e-mail adress, but what if I got a new one? And what if said user wants to sell his game to his friend?


It is. But you can change the email address on your account at any time, so long as you remember the password. Doesn't matter if you lose that email address, just log on the forum and change to the new address in the My Account section.
Reply #36 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
That makes it a bit better, yes, but it still have flaws. As long as I know I risk the account, the only thing that prevents me from giving the game away is knowing it is wrong. So what if I were to make a fake account? It is fully possible, you know. Basically create a fake account every one of my friends can use, and we all get free games. Of course I wouldn't, just saying it's a possibility.

Just for fun, although I am a guy from Norway, I introduced myself in a forum as a female lawyer from Texas, complete with an e-mail adress and actual adress. I even got away with it, and it really wasn't hard to do. All I needed was the zip-codes for Texas, and that took me a full minute to find online. In other words, give me thirty minutes, and I can be a person from ten different countries according to my e-mail adresses. It's not a big deal to loose one of those. The point is if I register with a full name, adress and e-mail, would you ever find out if the adress actually exist? Just something to think about.   

And as for reaching the activation limit legaly, how would you possibly know if it was legal or not? If I were to activate it ten times in a row just for fun, wouldn't it still be legal? It would seem a bit questionalbe, yes, but it is legal.

And as for a determined person being able to get past the pesky cd issue, he would jsut as well get past the serial key issue as well, as he would need to do it anyway. So when you think of it like that, the lack of cd actually gives him less problems.

Again, maybe just something to think about.
Reply #37 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thank you Kryo! That was exactly the help I needed. GalCiv is up and running again.
Reply #38 from Stardock Forums Top
hey how do you start the game on mine it says start game i press it and it goes with the cursor and then turns black and then takes me back to my deskstop
Reply #39 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
hey how do you start the game on mine it says start game i press it and it goes with the cursor and then turns black and then takes me back to my deskstop


Go to C:\Program Files\Stardock\Totalgaming\GalCiv2 in windows explorer, open the file debug.err that is there with notepad, and copy/paste everything in it in a new thread (it's not related to activation, so please do not post it in this thread). That'll let us know what's going wrong on your machine.
Reply #41 from Stardock Forums Top
should i name it anything specific
Reply #42 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Doesn't matter, I'll see it
Reply #43 from Stardock Forums Top


-BengimonSeptember 9, 2006 13:47:11Reply #9
-https://www.stardock.com/files/GalCiv2_10X_BonusPack_030806.exe

-Asks me to register with this version. Any ideas?

I don't see a response to this post. I have the same problem. I updated to the most recent version that doesn't require activation and it is asking me to activate. Please Help!!!
Reply #44 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sorry for the mistake--if that is the case then you will have to play 1.0 alone with no patches at all (or just activate the game--all you need is access to an internet connection, and if you do not have internet on your gaming machine, you can do so on another machine via email and floppy/flash disk/CD-R).
Reply #45 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
"So long as you own both computers and you are the one playing the game on them, yes, that is fine. Just be sure that if you archive via SDC and then restore it on the other machine, you delete the file sig.bin in your GalCiv2 folder and reactivate the game there (sig.bin tells the game if it is activated, and is tied to the machine's configuration where it was generated)."

[Sorry the quote feature/link/button wont work for me.]

I just bought the game and love it, but I'm going to buy a new computer (hopefully) in a year and will be installing it on that when I get it. I bought a retail copy from Best Buy (it installed as version 1.2 and I updated to 1.4). It didn't come with SDC, not that I could find. Is SDC downloadable from this website?

When I archive it how long will that take? I'm on dial-up. More important how large is the file[s] that will be archived and restored?

Can I just install to the new computer with the cds I bought? How will that work with the activation?

Thank you.
Reply #46 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You can get SDC in the downloads section of this site.

Can I just install to the new computer with the cds I bought? How will that work with the activation?


Yep. If you have the retail discs it'll be a lot simpler to just install from those, then patch up with the standalone patch if you still have it laying around (though there's likely to be a newer one by that point). It won't already have a sig.bin if you install from the discs, so you don't need to do anything special--just run the game while online, and input your email/serial as before.
Reply #47 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thank you. That takes a load off my mind. Disks, email and serial is all I need.
Reply #48 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I read through this thread and someone said the serial key should consist of 28 characters only. However, I recently purchased a copy of GalCiv 2 here in Hong Kong and the serial key consists of 29 characters (including the GC2 at the beginning). Does this mean I cannot activate the game if I install and update it (I have not do so yet)?
Reply #49 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As noted in 2) above, there should be a second serial in the box that can be used with the game. The Collector's Edition serial which begins with GC2- is only for unlocking the extra content.

If the GC2- serial is the only one you have, try exchanging it at http://galciv2.com/paradox/index.aspx. If that doesn't work, contact [email protected].
Reply #50 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As noted in 2) above, there should be a second serial in the box that can be used with the game. The Collector's Edition serial which begins with GC2- is only for unlocking the extra content.

If the GC2- serial is the only one you have, try exchanging it at http://galciv2.com/paradox/index.aspx. If that doesn't work, contact [email protected].


That page you mentioned says that exchanging service is targeted at European customers who have got the Collector's edition. I am from Hong Kong and not in Europe. You mean I can still use it?

By the way, the GC2 box I have is not the Collector's edition. I wonder why there is such a problem. I have searched through the box and the printed manual and I cannot find that second serial anywhere.

Update : I have tried that serial number exchange you mentioned and it said that the serial I entered is already claimed by a different email address! What should I do?