RESOLVED: Torsion forgets my registration

#1 Also, when I enter in the serial, why does it just shut down and not open itself back up (including the file I tried to open in the first place)? It just shuts down and does nothing.

Weird.

#2 Try uninstalling it and reinstalling, see if that does anything. Real odd though.

#3 Heh. Nope that didn't fix it.

When I reinstalled, I had it launch upon completion. It asked for my serial number, I entered it. Then Torsion shut down. So I clicked the link in my start menu and it asked for the serial again. I entered it then Torsion shut down. Then I double clicked a .torsion project file and it asked for my serial again. I entered it then Torsion shut down.

Hey, I think I just found a pattern. Anytime I open it the same way I just last entered the serial, it will work that way again and again until I open it another way. For example:

I click the shortcut in my start menu, it asks for the serial, I enter it, it shuts down. I click the shortcut again and it opens just fine no request for a serial. But then when I open it from a .torsion file, it asks for the serial. I enter it, it shuts down. Now I can open it from any .torsion file and it will open just fine without any requests for the serial. But if I use the shortcut again it asks for the serial.

So there's the pattern.

#4 Hey guys, we (Tom, James and I @ Sickhead) just got back to Dallas from IGC on Friday. If Tom doesn't notice this thread I'll point him to it tomorrow morning.

#5 I just installed the beta version and I still get the same behavior, except now it doesn't shut itself down after I enter the serial.

#6 @Deozaan - Hum... that's really curious. Try opening Torsion via the Start Menu link, enter the serial, then immediately do File -> Exit.

#7 Okay I just did that and it's still doing the same thing. When I open it via the start menu, it works just fine every time (assuming I've entered the serial this way once). But when I double click a .torsion file it asks for the serial, and the next time I go to the start menu it asks for the serial again.

So basically, any time I alternate methods of opening Torsion (start menu or .torsion file) it will tell me my trial is over and ask for the serial.

#8 @Deozaan - Do you maybe have a software firewall installed? Is the computer connected to the internet at the time?

#9 I have Windows XP firewall and a constant broadband connection. XP never asked me to unblock Torsion (except when it runs as a host for a game). I didn't know it was connecting to the internet to submit the registration details.

EDIT: I just tried disabling XP's firewall and entering in the code, I still have the same behavior.

#10 @Deozaan - Yea it checks with the GG server to see if the key is banned and to retrieve the registration name.

Let me mull this over a little more... we have to be missing something simple.

Is Torsion installed someplace weird? Like a flash drive? In theory it should work just fine there, but i've never tried it.

Also look in the Torsion install folder... do you see a ignition.dat file? Try moving it out of the folder temporarily and registering again.

#11 Thanks Tom.

Torsion is installed on an internal hard drive, but in a custom directory. I have a separate partition where I place all my programs that normally install to "Program Files." It's on a drive labeled P:

So the path is P:\Torque\Torsion

There is an ignition.dat file, which I removed and entered the registration again. The odd behavior remains the same.

#12 @Deozaan - Hum... well your issue is getting close to stumping me.

Torsion doesn't care where it is installed... so that should not be an issue. Although copying it to C:\program files\Torsion to test wouldn't hurt (Torsion doesn't setup any registry entries or nothing).

#13 If it doesn't set up any registry entries or anything, how does it know that when I double click a .torsion file I should use Torsion to open it?

Well that is interesting. I made a copy of the directory to my c:\Program Files\Torsion and now it doesn't ask for the registration when I alternate between a .torsion file and running the torsion.exe.

In fact, running the torsion.exe in my P:/Torque/Torsion/ directory doesn't ask for the registration details either!

So now I can run a .torsion or a .exe and it's just fine with no registration details being asked. But when I run it from the shortcut in my start menu, it starts asking for the serial again. So something is wrong with the shortcut.

Taking a look at it, I see that the "Start in:" path is empty. So I just entered in the path and voila! No more serials being requested.

So that is the determining factor! I don't know what sort of control you have over the creation of the shortcut, but if you could have the installer make sure the "Start in" path is the installation path, that would keep it from happening again.

And (I think) the reason this just started happening recently is because the shortcut I usually use has the "Start In" path filled out, but I used it so much that Windows XP made a quick shortcut in the Start Menu (recent programs or whatever) that didn't have the Start In path.

I might be wrong on that, because the new beta version I installed trying to fix this also did not have the "Start In" path filled out.

Anyway, that's the problem. It was with the shortcut. Probably because Torsion looks in its own directory for the ignition.dat and without that "Start In" directory, it can't find it. Makes me wonder if there are a lot of little temporary ignition.dat files all over the place, or if the .dat file stores a path in it.

Problem solved! Thanks a lot!

#14 @Deozaan - Your right.... other than registry keys for .torsion and .cs, Torsion sets up no other reg keys. And the installer is careful to remove them properly without hurting any existing applications registered to .cs.

The installer it doesn't specify a "start in" folder for the start menu shortcut, but technically it shouldn't need one... it should run in the folder its in automatically. Still i'll make the change just in case.

Also i'm gonna add Torsion.exe to the App Paths registry key. In hopes that this will coax Windows to launch it from the right location for you. It will also allow you to just enter Torsion in the Run box and have it launch correctly.