Striker Systems News - December 2010

SS-Nest Authorization Code Warning

The issue I am going to address is for our SS-Punch and SS-Profile customers, specifically those who do not own the Striker SS-Nest module. Have you ever run the Merge-Map Tools command in SS-Punch or accessed the Workflow Wizard in either SS-Punch or SS-Profile, and encountered the following dialog?

Only to think to yourself, "Hold it, I don't own SS-Nest! Do I need to purchase it for this command to function?"

The good news is no, you do not need to purchase the SS-Nest module in order to use these features. When these commands are run they check to see if SS-Nest is loaded, and if it is they take advantage of some of the SS-Nest features. Where the problem comes in is when SS-Nest is loaded, but not authorized. In this scenario these commands will detect that SS-Nest is loaded but cannot be executed, so they will present you with the above dialog.

Fortunately, there is an easy solution; don't install the SS-Nest module. Unfortunately, it is easy to install SS-Nest (often inadvertently) if the SS-Nest toggle is checked during the initial Striker product installation. So if SS-Nest is loaded but it has not been purchased (and therefore not provided a permanent authorization code), there are two methods that can be used to remove an unneeded Striker Systems module. The first is the standard windows procedure.

Go to the Windows START menu and activate the Control Panel.
Locate and start the Add Remove Programs applet.
In the list locate the current Striker installation
- for STRIKER (stand-alone) product users this will be Striker 2011 - Sheet Metal CAD/CAM and Nesting
- for AutoCAD users this will be Striker Systems Fab Professional 2011
Select the correct entry in the applet - the Change button and Remove button will be displayed.
Select the CHANGE button.
An InstallShield Wizard dialog will be displayed.
Select the Modify option from this dialog and then select the Next button at the bottom.
When the Select Features dialog is displayed simply remove the check mark from the selection box for SS-Nest and then select the Next button.
The SS-Nest module will be removed and you can select the Finish button to close the Wizard dialog.
You can now close the Add Remove Programs applet and the Control Panel.

The second method is not an approved Windows method but it will work and, if there are issues with the Windows Installer subsystem may be the best way to alleviate the issue. Simply locate the SS-Nest program folder and rename or erase it. The SS-Nest Program folder will, by default, be located in the Program Files\Striker Systems\Striker 2011 folder and is called SSNEST. The simple removal of this folder will not have any harmful effect on the standard functioning of the SS-Punch or SS-Profile product.

After SS-Nest has been removed by either of the two methods you will be able to activate and use the command functions that were causing the error dialog to be displayed.