Install B4II organ on Windows 11

dougalex1
dougalex1 Member Posts: 2 Member
edited July 2022 in Kontakt

Any solution to install B4II organ on Windows 11

I successfully installed on Windows 10 years ago, but cannot get rid of Demo mode prompt on Windows 11.

On Windows 11, after clicking Demo mode, the VST does runs in DAW, AND the correct serial number is showing in the B4II about screen, so I think I got that inputted somehow (Native Access?).

But I do not want to click Demo mode every time I launch B4II.

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Comments

  • Brad Yost
    Brad Yost Member Posts: 350 Pro
    edited July 2022

    Native Access registration probably doesn't support that anymore.

    The B4 Organ II is a discontinued commercial, proprietary software synthesizer made by Native Instruments. The software runs as a stand-alone executable, or as a VST, DXi, or RTAS plugin in a Digital audio workstation.

  • dougalex1
    dougalex1 Member Posts: 2 Member

    I got B4 II to install on my Windows 10 laptop a few years ago. I have a new Win11 laptop and almost there, (Native Access is happy to validate my B4 II serial number). I have to click "Run Demo" but I the serial is showing in B4 II "about screen". But still thinks it is in Demo mode. Just wanted to know if anyone can remind me of the "tricks" I may have forgotten to get it working. (Because I did it before on Win10)

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 2,772 Expert
    edited July 2022

    It is not possible to authorise B4 II anymore.... :-(( NI has dropped Service Center support two years ago and Native Access has not replaced it fully....

    No more new installations of B4, FM7, Pro-52, Pro-53, .... and many others....

    Its a shame! NOt speaking aabout the fact that NI breaks its own EULA by not allowing to authorise bought SW....

    https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006053397-Service-Center-and-Legacy-Products-End-of-Life

  • stumpy pete
    stumpy pete Member Posts: 1 Newcomer

    This is frustrating beyond belief. I have a whole bunch of "legacy" NI products, but the fact that I haven't been able to use them for several years now is why I will NEVER purchase another NI product again, and will badmouth them every chance that I get.

  • Monochrome
    Monochrome Member Posts: 1,113 Expert
    edited August 2022

    ^ Well, I doubt that NI needs customers with childish/entitled behavior anyway. Not a huge loss, I suppose.

    A software can become legacy for various reasons: Either because the product got superseded by a newer, more improved product -or- because the company sees that it's not commercially viable anymore. Supporting a product always costs money that is then better spent elsewhere. Whatever the reason is: so is life.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 2,772 Expert

    Yes, but nobody asks NI for support of EOL SW. Just to be able to use purchased SW on platforms (HW and OS) it has been developed and sold for.

    Nobody wants NI updates legacy SW for new versions of OS/HW. Just to be able to use it on legacy OS and HW that runs this legacy OS.

    NI should either release unlocked versions of EOL SW, or provide at least offline authorisation for those, who need it.

    Saying sorry, no way to authorise anymore, is not right way to do things. And it is IMHO severe violation of EULA. I do not have NI legacy SW, but if I had and wanted to use it, I would search how to break antipiracy protection. As it would be fully legal, at least in my country. If company is not willing let customer use purchased SW, customer has the right to break Copyright Law and do reverse engineering to saveguard his investment and make SW function again....

  • Monochrome
    Monochrome Member Posts: 1,113 Expert
    edited August 2022
    1. The EULA is meant for end users - people like you and me. NI can't violate it.
    2. All this would require NI to invest time and money into patching those legacy products to make them activatable again and that's just not feasible/reasonable anymore as explained on the EOL site. Many of the products listed there are 15-22 years old.
  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 2,772 Expert

    Ad 1) EULA is contract between user and NI. And in old EULAs was, that if NI cannot provide authorisation any more, it will provide other means to use their SW.

    And beside, there are other laws than NI EULA.... Simply, customer has bought time unlimited licence, so has full right to use purchased SW. NI by terminating possibility to authentise its SW breaks, IMHO, the law, not only EULA.

    I am not lawyer, but I think, that if it went to the court, NI would loose. They rely on the fact not many people use it and nobody of them would give it to the court. Or NI compensates them in some way, to avoid it....

    But generally something like that is not good practice.... It is big warning.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 2,772 Expert
    edited August 2022

    It is possible to install it, even on Win11 and it runs well. But only as Demo....

    There are no means to authorise it on any OS of any version. Be it MacOS or Win. It has nothing to do with MS/Apple, it is entirely NI thing....

  • Maciej Repetowski
    Maciej Repetowski Member Posts: 389 Pro

    It’s good that you are actually capable of seeing that NI is not perfect. This is reassuring.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 2,772 Expert

    Have I said somewhere NI is perfect? I keep complaining about this matter for at least two years...

  • Simchris
    Simchris Member Posts: 210 Advisor

    Curious where it said in the eula you would have lifetime support, endless updates for new operating systems, and support for new cpu technologies, and forever authorizations?

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 2,772 Expert

    I haven't say that. I said that EULA promissed time unlimited right to use it. I do not say it should be on any platform. Just on platforms it was made for. Say Win 7 and WinXP and CPUs of that time.

    Nobody asks for possibility to run it on new OS and new HW if it would require NI to change something on their side.

    But NI has decided to close down their SW activation server (for those EOL plugins) without replacement.

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