Crystal Reports License Error

[NinaWilliam]

Hi there

I created a web application on VS.NET 2003 that generates reports using crystal reports v 10… it is working fine on other PCs, but in my PC I get this error every time I try to run the report…

"a crystal reports job failed because a free license could not be obtained in the time allocated. More licenses can be purchased direct from Crystal Decisions or through the Crystal Decisions Online store."

My Crystal Reports v10 is already registered and licensed

Any idea how to solve this issue??

[Mike_O]

Hey NinaWilliam,

From the looks of it, sounds like the Crystal Reports product you have installed could be a trial version or something, but since you say that it's installed and registered, I guess that goes out the window. Still, I would first check to see if this issue is strictly limited to Crystal Reports, and not .NET. I would first create some sample .rpt files and try to export them manually to the various file formats available. If you get problems, then you know it's not even .NET.

I don't know how it is in Visual Studio 2003(which I'm guessing is .NET framework 1.5 or something), but I know that in .NET framework 2.0, which comes with Visual Studio 2005, Crystal Reports 10 automatically comes shipped within it, in which case you don't even have to install any product to create reports using Crystal automation.

Lastly, I remember I was working on a similar project in Visual Studio 2005 (using framework 2.0), except I needed to use some new features offered in Crystal Reports 11. Since, again, framework 2.0 comes with CR10, what I basically did was install a CR11 redistributable package (that's after obtaining the product license ofcourse). The package registers and fully integrates all the needed CR11 libraries into the .NET 2.0 framework.

So, in a nunshell, I'm suggesting that you can:

#1. Check the product itself that you have installed, prior to referencing it in .NET
#2. Check if VS2003 already has CR libraries
#3. Maybe upgrade to .NET framework 2.0
#4. Find and install a redistributable (msi) package

Regards,
Mike

[NinaWilliam]

Thank you Mike for your help... but still it didn't solve my problem... I am still getting the error... :(

[Mike_O]

Hey NinaWilliam,

Are you sure you don't have some previous version of CR installed on your machine? Inside your Visual Studio project, double check that you're referencing the correct version of DLLs (should be 10.x.x.x), and that they're under C:\Windows\Assembly\*.*.

If that doesn't work, I guess the only thing I can say is that you're just better off starting clean because by trying to debug this issue, you could be digging a big hole, if you know what I mean. So, in that case I'd say just uninstall and reinstall everything - the Crystal Reports and .NET.

Regards,
Mike

[NinaWilliam]

Thank you Mike_O,

I checked the DLLs in C:\Windows\Assembly\*.*. and I find out that I have many versions of it... what shold I do in this case??

[Mike_O]

I say, uninstall all the versions from your machine(including version 10) and then reinstall version 10 only. I remember when working on projects involving CR, I had this kind of garbage on my machine too, so at some point, I found it easier to start clean. After you're done, just in case, check C:\Windows\Assembly to make sure that you only have the version you installed. And when you reference CR DLL's in your Visual Studio project, check once again that you're referencing the correct ones, as I mentioned in the previous post.

One more thing, regarding uninstallation, I remember reading something from CR documentation/articles that they recommend that you uninstall by running the appropriate MSI file (all the MSI files should be downloadable from their site), instead of doing it from the control panel, but don't quote me on it.

Hope it all goes well, and I'm interested to know the outcome.

Mike

[NinaWilliam]

Hi Mike..

I only have one version of Crystal Reports which is version 10 on my PC... I did uninstall it and install it again, but the C:\Windows\Assembly\*.*. still contains many versions of DLLs...

What should I do to have only one version?

[Mike_O]

Hmm, not sure why other versions are still registered. Probably has to do with that detail I mentioned regarding how to properly uninstall - it's some kind of a bug. But anyway, try to correctly reference version 10 again in your project. With a noteapad, open file with extension like .csproj or .vbproj, I think depending on which language you're using, and inside look for the CR DLL's you referenced. Check and match their Version#'s and Public Key Tokens with what's in C:\Windows\Assembly. If those attributes doesn't match, change them inside the file and save, at which point when you go back to your Visual Studio project, a window should pop up asking you if you want to refresh or something like that, so just do that.

And if it's still not working, then just format your hard drive...just joking.

Mike

[NinaWilliam]

Hi Mike...

I checked the .vbproj and web.config files and DLLs versions and Key Tokens matches what's in C:\Windows\Assembly ...

and the problem is still there... it didn't solve it...

What do you think of uninstalling VS.NET 2003 and Crystal Reports 10 and reinstall them again?? Because I don't know what else to do :(

[Mike_O]

Hey NinaWilliam,

What I would try now is installing that CR10 on another machine that has VS.NET 2003, and afterwards see if you can run your program on that machine. It probably makes sense to say that if it works on the new machine, then the problem is limited to your machine. Otherwise, if you're getting the same error messages on the new machine as well, then the problem is limited to the product you have.

So, after determining a little better what the source of the problem is, if it's your machine, then I'd try reinstalling VS.NET and I'd also do a little more digging as to why the old versions still remain.

Otherwise if it's the product, then you might be entering some invalid key during installation. In this case, try to uninstall CR10 from your machine and then just run the appropriate MSI file only, without installing the product. Also, out of curiosity, try downloading and installing the CR10 trial version, and then referencing it in your program. If that doesn't work then perhaps you might want to call up Crystal and open like a help ticket with them (ofcourse I know those bastards will charge you money for that).

Mike

[NinaWilliam]

Hi Mike...

I found out that the problem happens only on my PC and it is working fine on the other PCs !!! So I did as you told me I reinstall vs.net and crystall reports 10 again... and I found out that when you install vs.net it installed the pluged in version of crystal reports (version 9) that is why i have two versions on my PC... but the other PCs does have multi versions of crystal reports and it is working fine... my PC is the only one that gets this problem :(

I created a new project and I create one report... I try t run it and I get the same error...

I am really getting tired and I don't know how to get rid of this issue :(

[Mike_O]

Hey NinaWilliam,

Try:

1. Reference version 9 and try running. If not working, reference version 10 and try running. How to properly reference which version, we already discussed, so no need to go back to that.

2. You confirmed what I suspected ealier, that vs.net 2003 does come with version 9 CR DLLs. So, either remove version 10 because there is no need for it or keep version 10 and remove the intergrated version by using the installation disk. Try it both ways.

3. Okay, I know I was kidding before but perhaps as a last resort you should just format your machine. Maybe it's overkill and a rush to conclusions, or maybe it's the only effective way to a guaranteed fix. If the problem is related to your machine alone, then I don't see how this step would not fix it. But like I said, just don't rush to go through this step very fast.

Let me know how it goes,

Mike

[NinaWilliam]

First of all, I want to thank Mike for spending time and effort in helping me :)
=======
Mike I really appreciat your support my friend :) Thank you

Second...
=======
After the frustration and being exhausted in searching for more than a month, I finally found a solution to my problem and I wanted to share it with you.

All what I had done I download the Crystal Reports 10 Service Pack 6 from here
http://resources.businessobjects.com/support/communitycs/FilesAndUpdates/cr10win_en_sp6.zip
Then I install it.
After that I run the web application and generate a report
IT IS WORKING  !!

I hope it helps ^__^