Transferring license from one PC to another one
Thread poster: Marcella Marino
Marcella Marino
Marcella Marino  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:35
Member (2016)
English to Italian
+ ...
Oct 4, 2018

Dear All,

first of all please sorry if such a question has already been posted in the past. I have searched through past posts, but I have not found it.

I am thinking to buy another PC, on which I will need to transfer my MemoQ license (I own MemoQ 2015 Translator Pro) and I have some questions:
1. What are the steps to be taken in order to transfer my license from my old PC to the new one?
2. And how can I maintain my old projects (including their TMs and
... See more
Dear All,

first of all please sorry if such a question has already been posted in the past. I have searched through past posts, but I have not found it.

I am thinking to buy another PC, on which I will need to transfer my MemoQ license (I own MemoQ 2015 Translator Pro) and I have some questions:
1. What are the steps to be taken in order to transfer my license from my old PC to the new one?
2. And how can I maintain my old projects (including their TMs and TBs) without losing any data? Is it enough to copy the related folders in the C disk of my new PC?

Thank you very much for your support, any help and avice is much appreciated!

Kind regards,
Marcella
Collapse


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:35
Danish to English
+ ...
Same here Oct 8, 2018

I've been migrating to a new PC over the last week, and I've just been through the final fight with the MemoQ software. They don't make it easy for you.

The licence question is easy: you can use your licence on two computers. MemoQ will automatically get your licence for you from the MemoQ server when you start it the first time on the new computer.

But when it comes to the migration, the advice from Kilgray is pretty useless. Nobody seems to have given it a thought tha
... See more
I've been migrating to a new PC over the last week, and I've just been through the final fight with the MemoQ software. They don't make it easy for you.

The licence question is easy: you can use your licence on two computers. MemoQ will automatically get your licence for you from the MemoQ server when you start it the first time on the new computer.

But when it comes to the migration, the advice from Kilgray is pretty useless. Nobody seems to have given it a thought that translators sometimes need to migrate to new hardware. They have written a couple of not-very-useful articles, probably just to pretend that they have done something about migration, but their method to migrate the projects involves manually opening or re-checking out every single project on the new computer, which is obviously an utterly hopeless migration method.

They also tell you to export all your resources, set up new resources on the new computer, and import all the exported ones manually.

And finally they tell you that you will lose all your settings.

There was no useful help to get from support.

This is even worse than migrating Outlook. If they designed a method for emptying a bathtub the same way, they would tell you to use a teaspoon.

So I did something else. I looked around in my system and found that all MemoQ's files are in just three locations:

TBs, TMs, and other resources:
C:\ProgramData\MemoQ

Settings:
C:\Users\{user}\AppData\Roaming\MemoQ

Projects:
C:\Users\{user}\My Documents\My memoQ Projects

There is no need to worry about the Windows Registry, as they don't use it much, and only for fixed values.
The installation takes care of the C:\Program Files (x86) folder, so there is no need to worry about that either.

So here are the migration steps for migrating from a Windows computer with MemoQ 8.5 to a new computer. It probably also works for other versions, but it's probably wise to ensure that both computers have the same version.

After installing MemoQ on the new computer, I shut MemoQ down on the old computer and copied the above three folders to the new computer (via a flash drive, but you could also use Google Drive or another cloud method). If these folders already exist on the new computer, they should be renamed first. When everything works, the renamed ones can be deleted.

Then I started up MemoQ on the new computer. It first prompted me to get my licence from their server. Easy.

Then it prompted me to re-enter my server credentials for the last project I had worked on. Although parts of the credentials are in the AppData folder, the passwords are probably stored in a way that means that they can't just be copied like this.

I got the error message below. It does not seem important. I ignored it. It did not show up again.

Resource name conflict

After this, it seemed to work. All my TBs, TMs, etc. are there, and so are my settings and projects.

This method is much like putting your entire house on rollers when moving instead of moving all the furniture out and back in.

In my case, it was a bit more complicated, as I needed to change both my Windows user and part of my Documents file path. As MemoQ has stored the old user and path everywhere, it would not be able to find the projects just like that.

The solution I found was to define two so-called junctions from the old locations to the new. This simply means that all MemoQ's requests to the old locations will be automatically redirected by Windows to the new locations. Once you know how to set it up, it's very simple. See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/junction .

I had first tried to update the file paths in MemoQ's files, but I ran into trouble because some of the files are SQL CE databases, which you can't just edit. Although I found a utility for SQL line commands, I haven't found the right commands yet.

But Kilgray should be providing a decent migration method. Their recommendations are just about the most complicated method they could dream up.

[Edited at 2018-10-08 04:41 GMT]

[Edited at 2018-10-08 04:46 GMT]
Collapse


 
Marcella Marino
Marcella Marino  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:35
Member (2016)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you! Oct 20, 2018

Hi Thomas,

first of all please apologise for my late reply, I am very busy in this period and I had no time to answer you right after you posted your reply.

"The licence question is easy: you can use your licence on two computers. MemoQ will automatically get your licence for you from the MemoQ server when you start it the first time on the new computer." --> That's good news! But my question is: how can I get MemoQ on my new laptop? I mean, shall I copy the folders of
... See more
Hi Thomas,

first of all please apologise for my late reply, I am very busy in this period and I had no time to answer you right after you posted your reply.

"The licence question is easy: you can use your licence on two computers. MemoQ will automatically get your licence for you from the MemoQ server when you start it the first time on the new computer." --> That's good news! But my question is: how can I get MemoQ on my new laptop? I mean, shall I copy the folders of the software itself or how shall I proceed to have it on my new laptop with my license No. 2? Maybe a very silly question, but I really don't know how to have the software installed on the other PC. Then, after the activation of my second license, will I see my projects and resources automatically or shall I do something else (e.g. proceed how you have suggested)?

Thank you for suggesting the migration steps. In the end is it enough to put No. 2 intead of No. 1 when I insert my license number, is that correct?
Do you know if it works in the same way for SDL Trados Studio? And, in this case, too, how shall I proceed to have the software on my new laptop or where can I take it from?

Thank you very much for your help!
Marcella
Collapse


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:35
Danish to English
+ ...
Various Oct 20, 2018

Marcella Marino wrote:

how can I get MemoQ on my new laptop?



Start by installing the software from https://www.memoq.com/en/downloads .

Start the newly installed software once to get the licence prompt, although I'm not sure it's necessary at this stage. If needed, change -1 to -2 in the licence number, but I think it does not automatically.

Then you can try my method. But do save the AppData and ProgramData and project folders on the new computer before you start, so you have a backup. You can rename them. You may need Administrator rights.

At the end of my method, everything should be as normal if you don't rename your Windows user and folder structure on the new computer.

The alternative to this is quite horrible, as you'd have to re-check out every single online project, reconfigure all your settings and create new resources before you can import the old ones. MemoQ really haven't done anything to make migration work. Do tell them to put pressure on them and get something done, as this issue has been completely neglected by them.

I did tell them how I did, and their reply was that there could be many different situations where it might not work, but they are supposed to be the specialists and know exactly what to do to migrate it.

Until now I have not detected any side effects of doing it my way instead of theirs.

I have no idea what to do with Trados.


 
Marcella Marino
Marcella Marino  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:35
Member (2016)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Oct 21, 2018

Thanks Thomas, many thanks for your help!

Kind regards,
Marcella


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:35
Danish to English
+ ...
Does it work for you? Oct 21, 2018

I think it would be helpful for others if you could post the result when you have completed the procedure, as MemoQ leaves us to help ourselves figuring out how their software works, whether or not we have a licence and subscription. They are more interested in giving bad excuses for not providing a decent migration procedure than setting up a simple method that works.

 
Marcella Marino
Marcella Marino  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:35
Member (2016)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Of course Oct 21, 2018

Of course it is OK for me to post here the result of the migration after completing the process, I had already thought to do it.
I don't know now exactly when I will do and complete this process, but for sure I will post here how it goes!

Thanks again!
Marcella


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:35
Danish to English
+ ...
Another option Aug 31, 2021

Another option for migrating memoQ is to clone the entire drive with the entire system, possibly using a full-disk backup and disaster recovery tool such as Acronis. I think that's what I'll do next time I need to migrate to new hardware. Then I won't need to waste 1-2 weeks reconfiguring everything. But the drivers and a few system tools many need manual installation.

 
MollyRose
MollyRose  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 09:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
when you don´t have admin rights Aug 31, 2021

I had to do this recently. One thing that makes it easier for me is that I don´t see any need to keep old projects on the new computer, since I have a huge TM and TB.

I downloaded the latest version of Translator Pro that they allow us to use, changed the -001 to -002 on my license, and got our IT guy to install it, since we don't have admin rights. It said I didn't have a licens
... See more
I had to do this recently. One thing that makes it easier for me is that I don´t see any need to keep old projects on the new computer, since I have a huge TM and TB.

I downloaded the latest version of Translator Pro that they allow us to use, changed the -001 to -002 on my license, and got our IT guy to install it, since we don't have admin rights. It said I didn't have a license on that computer, so I sent a request to [email protected] and they updated my license within about a day or so.

On the old computer, I exported my TB and TMs to a server that I can access from the new computer. I also saved them to a flash drive--at least the TB. (The TM is huge and I don't remember if I succeeded with the export to the flash drive. I know I did not succeed at importing the TM on the new TM I created on the flash drive. Maybe if I had left it overnight it would have finished.) Then I created new TMs and a new TB on the new computer and imported from where I had saved the export files, and everything works fine now!

As for projects that I had started, I simply exported bilingual file on each of the documents, emailed them to myself, and then imported them to my new computer, and I was able to continue working on them. The ones that I was reviewing for someone else still showed the track changes that I had made, so nothing was lost.

I thought I had Exported a project from instructions I found on the Kilgray site, but when I went back to the website, it says Backup, and then you have to restore it. It didn't let me choose where I wanted to back it up. This was 9.1.9. But maybe I did succeed at Exporting the project from my previous version 8.5. This, according to the info I had read, supposedly created a backup of the project, one TM and one TB. But it exported so fast that I couldn't believe it really exported the attached TM and TB, too. I didn't want to mess up anything by trying to restore it, since I already have good working TMs and TB.

I hope this helps someone.
Collapse


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Transferring license from one PC to another one






Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »