Prevent unintentional activation loss caused by server resource changes
This happens because after every hardware update windows identify the PC as a totally new/different computer and that means that your previous installations of your MQL5.com Market purchases are no longer valid and you need to install them again, consuming an activation.
This is caused by how windows is handling a hardware upgrade on your PC and not by the MQL5.com Market licencing/activations system.
Hello everyone,
Currently, any change in server resources—such as disk expansion, CPU or RAM upgrades, Windows recovery, or VPS migration—can result in a new activation being consumed. In many cases, this leads to unintentional license loss, even though the product has not been used on a second system or activated as an additional license.
In these scenarios, the user continues to operate on the same server, the same Windows installation, and the same working environment,
if the hardware has changed, then, it is a different server, and it can NOT be the same working environment. So your last statement in not true.
This is why i use a virtual vps on vmware. the virtual vps is same virtual hardware every time. I can move it to other "host", hardware, and so long as I use the same virtual hardware, I do not use more activations. When i move my vps to new host hardware, then, i might have to reinstall mt and copy the market files onto the new instance of mt, and/or install them again, however, I do not use new activations.
if the hardware has changed, then, it is a different server, and it can NOT be the same working environment. So your last statement in not true.
This is why i use a virtual vps on vmware. the virtual vps is same virtual hardware every time. I can move it to other "host", hardware, and so long as I use the same virtual hardware, I do not use more activations. When i move my vps to new host hardware, then, i might have to reinstall mt and copy the market files onto the new instance of mt, and/or install them again, however, I do not use new activations.
Hello,
With respect, my practical experience with this issue has been different.
I am using a VPS with Windows 10, and in this case no new installation was performed and no new server was created. The only actions taken were Windows updates and increasing the disk size.
Despite this, after running MetaTrader again and activating the EA, I noticed that an activation was consumed. This happened even though the EA has never been activated on a second system and is still being used on the same VPS.
Based on my experience, even technical changes at the server or disk level—without reinstalling Windows or moving to a new machine—can alter the system fingerprint from the licensing system’s perspective and result in activation consumption.
For this reason, I suggested having an option to deactivate an activation before performing such maintenance operations, in order to prevent unintentional license loss.
If possible, I would appreciate it if the MQL5 technical team could also share their official opinion on this matter.
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Sergey Golubev, 2025.12.05 07:37
If you are about Market products so the license = activation, and the numbers of activations available are written in your profile here:
www.mql5.com/en/users/hocus1/market
You can delete those products from your Metatrader, and install them once again from same Metatrader, and one activation will be used because of that.
-------------------
The activation is 1) per username (your forum username which is Community tab login in Metatrader) and 2) per hardware and 3) software, and 4) per authorization method in Windows.
And yes, the activation may be lost because of some Windows update (or because of different authorization method).
to deactivate an activation
The activations can not be recovered/reinstated. For example (reply of admin):
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Rashid Umarov, 2019.05.27 19:08
Hello,
Each product has at least 5 activations that can be used in case of hardware failure, re-installation of OS, installation on a wrong PC. That is enough for a normal personal use.
... We don't add activations personally - they are not provided, and it is not possible physically.
...One more time -
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Sergey Golubev, 2025.11.23 08:19
The safest thing is the following: do not buy the product provided the minimum nuumber of activations (5 activations for example).
Because it is the seller who decides about how many activations we will finally get ... and if he decides for me to have 5 activations only so sorry ...
Because I have 4 computers (incl notebooks and netbooks) and 1 exteral VPS so I may lost 5 activations in one day ...
So sorry ... the decision may be the following: invest in the seller (by buying his product) who is providing many activations (more than 5 for example).
Because the number of activations is related to the seller (it is the decision of the sellers about how many activations we will get by buying the product for example).
I am willing to discuss things so it can be made clearer by both of us, but comments such as "With respect" are offensive "in, of itself". However i am willing to "let this go".
Hello,
I am using a VPS with Windows 10, and in this case no new installation was performed and no new server was created. The only actions taken were Windows updates and increasing the disk size.
like in the previous comment, if you have changed your disk size, then, you have changed the server, which means that your hardware and workspace is changed, therefore your as per the licence rules which are not easy to find, i understand that, however when you find them, the rules in the licence are quite clear. Changing your disk space can do 2 things: break mt encryption; resulting in having to reinstall mt as i described in my first comment; and 2, having to reinstall your Market products and using up an activation. Note that installing a product that you already paid for does not always use up another activation.
I am a Systems Engineer, Administrator depending on the jobs each day, and I install windows on my computers at least 2X each week, so I know what you are going through. As a result of these licencing issues, I have only bought 3 products in last 5 years, and approx 10 since i joined the group. The first 5 I probably used up all their activations within weeks due to the same issues you are having now.
As for Windows updates, this is an issue with many program licencing methods. This is not new. not just an issue with mt licencing method.
When i said i use a vps on vmware i meant a locally installed vps. so I am typing on both my vps and host, and sitting in front of screen of the host which also has the vps installed on the same hardware. When you use a commercial vps, they can import/export your windows to other hardware without your knowlege and permission. The system page might even say the same hardware, but you may have same issue of breaking the activation licence.
In any case this issue has been discussed many many times and on many many threads, as shown and summarised by the moderator. If any of the comments on such threads was inaccurate, I am sure that sergey and admins would have them either deleted or reworded.
If you want to discuss my methods in how I "work around" these licencing issues in more detail, then feel free to send me a direct message.
I am willing to discuss things so it can be made clearer by both of us, but comments such as "With respect" are offensive "in, of itself". However i am willing to "let this go".
like in the previous comment, if you have changed your disk size, then, you have changed the server, which means that your hardware and workspace is changed, therefore your as per the licence rules which are not easy to find, i understand that, however when you find them, the rules in the licence are quite clear. Changing your disk space can do 2 things: break mt encryption; resulting in having to reinstall mt as i described in my first comment; and 2, having to reinstall your Market products and using up an activation. Note that installing a product that you already paid for does not always use up another activation.
I am a Systems Engineer, Administrator depending on the jobs each day, and I install windows on my computers at least 2X each week, so I know what you are going through. As a result of these licencing issues, I have only bought 3 products in last 5 years, and approx 10 since i joined the group. The first 5 I probably used up all their activations within weeks due to the same issues you are having now.
As for Windows updates, this is an issue with many program licencing methods. This is not new. not just an issue with mt licencing method.
When i said i use a vps on vmware i meant a locally installed vps. so I am typing on both my vps and host, and sitting in front of screen of the host which also has the vps installed on the same hardware. When you use a commercial vps, they can import/export your windows to other hardware without your knowlege and permission. The system page might even say the same hardware, but you may have same issue of breaking the activation licence.
In any case this issue has been discussed many many times and on many many threads, as shown and summarised by the moderator. If any of the comments on such threads was inaccurate, I am sure that sergey and admins would have them either deleted or reworded.
If you want to discuss my methods in how I "work around" these licencing issues in more detail, then feel free to send me a direct message.
Hello,
Thank you for your detailed technical explanation. I understand your points from a theoretical perspective, however I would like to clarify the exact practical scenario that occurred on my side, because this is where the main concern lies.
What I did was the following:
-
First, I added some unallocated disk space to the VPS.
-
Then, using MiniTool Partition Wizard Technician, I extended drive C: with that unallocated space.
-
When I clicked Apply, the system restarted automatically.
After the system came back online:
-
Windows itself booted normally
-
MetaTrader terminals were still installed
-
However, the MetaTrader data appeared to be reset
-
The MQL5 account inside MetaTrader was logged out
-
All Market EAs were removed
After logging in again to my MQL5 account and reinstalling the EAs from Market → Purchases, I noticed that an activation had been consumed.
The key point here is that:
-
No Windows reinstallation was performed
-
No second system or VPS was used
-
No EA was activated elsewhere
-
This was purely a mandatory maintenance operation to prevent the system disk from becoming full
My main question is a practical one:
In such a situation, what should a user realistically do to avoid losing activations?
If extending drive C is unavoidable, there does not seem to be a clear preventive option available to the user.
This is exactly why I suggested having a deactivation option before maintenance, as there is currently no alternative workaround from a user’s perspective.
Yaser Taheri #:
...
My main question is a practical one:
In such a situation, what should a user realistically do to avoid losing activations?
If extending drive C is unavoidable, there does not seem to be a clear preventive option available to the user.
This is exactly why I suggested having a deactivation option before maintenance, as there is currently no alternative workaround from a user’s perspective.
That's nothing new, look at the date 🤷♂️
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Alain Verleyen, 2015.08.08 00:36
I agree with you, there is a problem with the activation system on mql5.com Market. We are now almost forced to update our OS and a licence linked to an OS is really a bad practice in my opinion.
A solution could be to have the possibility to release an activation :
- We release an activation on a given computer/OS. We have now our activation count increased by 1.
- We update the OS.
- We re-activate on the same computer and new OS, our activation count is now the same as before.
Should not be so complicate to code for Metaquotes.
Hello,
Thank you for your detailed technical explanation. I understand your points from a theoretical perspective, however I would like to clarify the exact practical scenario that occurred on my side, because this is where the main concern lies.
What I did was the following:
-
First, I added some unallocated disk space to the VPS.
-
Then, using MiniTool Partition Wizard Technician, I extended drive C: with that unallocated space.
-
When I clicked Apply, the system restarted automatically.
After the system came back online:
-
Windows itself booted normally
-
MetaTrader terminals were still installed
-
However, the MetaTrader data appeared to be reset
-
The MQL5 account inside MetaTrader was logged out
-
All Market EAs were removed
After logging in again to my MQL5 account and reinstalling the EAs from Market → Purchases, I noticed that an activation had been consumed.
The key point here is that:
-
No Windows reinstallation was performed
-
No second system or VPS was used
-
No EA was activated elsewhere
-
This was purely a mandatory maintenance operation to prevent the system disk from becoming full
My main question is a practical one:
In such a situation, what should a user realistically do to avoid losing activations?
If extending drive C is unavoidable, there does not seem to be a clear preventive option available to the user.
This is exactly why I suggested having a deactivation option before maintenance, as there is currently no alternative workaround from a user’s perspective.
Yes, but all your points above have already been desribed by myself and mentioned in thread that sergey sourced. So, all your points are normal. This is not just behaviour of mt licencing, but other commercial programs have similar issues. I already described how I work around them. My method is not 100% foolproof, however, I think that I already described in enuf detail that you can copy my method for yourself. But again feel free to message me for more detailed description.
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Hello everyone,
Currently, any change in server resources—such as disk expansion, CPU or RAM upgrades, Windows recovery, or VPS migration—can result in a new activation being consumed. In many cases, this leads to unintentional license loss, even though the product has not been used on a second system or activated as an additional license.
In these scenarios, the user continues to operate on the same server, the same Windows installation, and the same working environment, and only performs a necessary maintenance or upgrade operation. However, the licensing system may still interpret these changes as a new environment.
It would be very helpful if users could officially deactivate their current activation before performing such changes, and then reactivate it afterward. This could prevent unnecessary activation consumption, while still fully protecting license security and developers’ rights.
Such a feature would be especially beneficial for VPS users and professional traders.
I would be interested to hear the community’s and MQL5 team’s thoughts on this idea.