Activation Support

All serial number and activation questions are handled by email. This page provides instructions for contacting technical support for assistance with any question or problem involving serial numbers, Activation keys, System IDs or other matters related to activation of Manifold System. No technical support token is required to obtain assistance with activation questions if you follow these instructions. Activation questions for Runtime licenses require a developer level support token.

Quick Troubleshooting before Contacting Technical Support

It is faster to solve a problem right away than to exchange emails with tech support. Here's how:

Before seeking assistance, please visit the Activation Guide page for a quick guide to activating your Manifold license. Reading that page carefully will answer 90% of activation questions.

If reading that page does not immediately solve your problem, please visit the Activation Troubleshooting page for a quick troubleshooting checklist that solves 99% of activation problems.

If the tips in the Activation Troubleshooting page do not help, the fastest way to solve any activation problem is to read and apply the instructions in the Activation Keys and Serial Numbers help topic. Although tech support responds very rapidly to activation questions it is faster to read even a long topic carefully since that will usually solve the problem right away.

If you have already read that topic, see the Activation Frequently Asked Questions page for a comprehensive list of questions and answers. This page reprints the FAQ from the end of the Activation Keys and Serial Numbers help topic.

Check your Serial Number

Before seeking assistance, please check the status of the serial number you are attempting to use on the Status Page. This page will report the product authorized by that serial number and how many activations are left on that serial number. If a serial number is invalid, that usually indicates a typographical error. Please make sure to copy and paste the serial number from the original serial number email message. If a serial number has been revoked, that usually indicates it has been traded in on an upgrade, such as a Professional serial number being upgraded to Enterprise. Locate the serial number obtained by upgrade and use that serial number instead.

Assistance Provided by Email Only

All serial number and activation questions are handled by email questions sent to tech@manifold.net. Do not contact manifold.net by letter, fax or telephone if you need assistance with any questions or issues involving serial numbers, activation or software installation. Technical support processes email inquiries from 9 to 5 PST on US business days and responds to activation questions before any other questions. You do not need a technical support token for activation questions for licenses other than Runtime licenses.

Contacting Tech Support: Required Information

For assistance with any serial number and activation question you must provide the following information in your initial email message:

• Please use a subject line that includes the words Manifold and activation. This will assure your message gets through any spam filters and receives maximum priority for a reply. Activation questions are answered before all other questions.
• Please do not use any attachments. All information must be provided in ordinary text form within the body of your email message. (Attachments are removed enroute by spam and security filters.)
• Please do not use HTML mail. Send ordinary text mail to be sure all information gets through.
• Please do not cc any third parties. Serial number, activation and installation questions are confidential.
• At the bottom of your email you must include the full text of the original serial number email that provided your serial number for this license. Copy and paste this text into the body of your email. Do not attach it as an attachment. Possession of this serial number email is proof you have licensing rights to this license. If you do not have that serial number email, you might be able to recover it using a Key Recovery Service if available on the Manifold Online Store.
• Specify the full name of the installation file from which you installed Manifold.
• Confirm you have logged in as the Administrator account. This is especially important in Windows Vista.
• Specify the exact version of Windows you are using.
• Give the system date and time as reported by your system at the time you try activation.
• Include in your email the exact serial number, Activation key and System ID you are using. Use copy and paste to insert these into email message to avoid typographic errors.
• Report the exact error messages displayed or provide a detailed description of the problem if no error messages are displayed.

Very Important: All of the above information is important. Without all details an engineer cannot solve the problem quickly. Please provide all of the above information within a single email. If you do not provide all of the above information and receive a form letter from tech support asking you to provide all required information, please re-submit your question as a new, complete, standalone email that includes all of the above information in a single letter.

Additional Information

When writing to tech support, please make sure to send email only from an email address that can accept a reply from manifold.net email addresses.

Tech support may contact you with questions as part of the processing of a request for activation assistance. Please respond within two business days to those questions, answering all questions asked. Incomplete responses or tardy responses will not allow rapid assistance.

Runtime licenses are for tech professionals who have programming expertise, substantial web mastering skills and Manifold skills. Any tech support questions involving runtime licenses require a developer level technical support incident. This includes questions about activation, which normally do not require a tech support incident when non-runtime licenses are involved.

For general information on technical support for Manifold System, please see the main Support page.