Trouble Activating Cricut Design Studio

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I’ve had back and forth with ProvoCraft support via email about getting my Design Studio software Activated again. It’s not been on any of my computers for a long time, and they have said I HAVE to call them over and again, but finally I had one different support person say they would and could help me … so I sent them my Serial Number and the original email they had sent me when my Rebate to get the software “free” was approved all as proof of my ownership to use the software. I received a response that I should now be able to activate.

I constantly was unable to “Activate” Design Studio on my new Toshiba Satellite laptop after that still getting only a “internet not found” error … no matter what compatibility mode I ran the software in, firewalls off or on in any configuration on computer or router, run as Administrator or not … always the same. Turn Norton Internet Security things ALL off until restart, or for 15 minutes or this or that. No combination of anything made anything change in that error activating.

Not until the day that my Norton Internet Security “trial” as pre-installed on my new computer “ran out” …

No anti-virus working, NIS turns it totally off when subscription is out. Unlike previous Norton products which continued to work, just didn’t download virus definitions anymore without new subscription. But anyhow, the thing is, Windows 7 Pro 64 reporting that I have no protection, run Design Studio … “activate using the internet …” ooooh, “error code 3: The serial number is registered on a different computer” …

I several times have turned all the services for NIS off in the past, downloaded CDS fresh, installed with everything nasty to it turned off. Then ran it as such, and it “couldn’t find the internet” while this time finally with no Norton allowing anything to happen something DID finally happen, it would have activated if it could, it talked to ProvoCraft and they told it “Sorry, there’s another computer that registered that serial number a long, long time ago, and we can’t let you register it since that’s what is in our database” which translates into an “error code 3” message on my screen.

So I sent Provocraft a new email asking for support that even though I was told I could activate I actually can’t now that I don’t have Norton in the way, I get a good result, connection to the activation process, but my serial number is rejected as already used, not actually “reset” as they told me it would be.

So I get a response from support, they tell me, “looks like it should activate fine” … end of story unless I call them.

Sorry y’all, I don’t make these kind of phone calls. I call my husband, that’s it.

So I sent them a screenshot of my desktop with that stupid error code 3 message and my Cricut Design Studio software behind it with the “activation” screen showing my serial number. So I have a billionth support thing going again, and we’ll see what they’ll do this time. I asked for a new serial number. See if they will give me one.

Otherwise, it’s just not gonna fly on my computer at all, or my husband will call them and jump through there stupid hoops.




7 responses to “Trouble Activating Cricut Design Studio”

  1. […] Hyperthinking › Trouble Activating Cricut Design Studio […]

  2. sarah Avatar
    sarah

    please help me to fix Error code 3?? how to get a new serial number??

    1. Maisy Avatar

      My husband and I have tried to get this worked out. Provo Craft via email says they have reset my activation so it can work for me to activate it, but it never works. Keep getting Error Code 3. My husband has called them a couple of times and gets the run around about it, saying the activation things are offline or something, not working right then. Thing is, it NEVER works. Never! So in essence I just want a new serial number to enter in the first place, activation code, whatever. They haven’t helped yet. Trying to get husband to call them again today. We’ll see if they give him the run around again or not.

  3. Dorota from Poland Avatar
    Dorota from Poland

    Hi, I have the same problem, (Provo helped you? Please reply
    (vista 7, error3)

    1. Maisy Avatar

      Yes, you’ll have to contact them. Hubby called and they resolved it on their end and I was able to register DS.

  4. Pat Bolyard Avatar
    Pat Bolyard

    My old computer died. My Cricut was registered on it. When I got my new computer, I cold not access the Cricut computer program because I was registered on the “different” computer. How can I register my program onto my new computer?
    Thanks for your help.
    Pat Bolyard

  5. Maisy Avatar

    Pat B. you’ll have to call them. I tried and tried to get help via the computer, on their own website (provo crafts) where they have trouble tickets you can submit for products. Promised again and again in responses that they cleared it up for me and I could now “activate” again, it didn’t work.

    Hubby called them, one time they “said” they couldn’t do anything or something, other time or too also, but eventually he got through and did talk to someone for awhile and this: hyperthinking.us/weblog/2010/08/31/design-studio-activated/ is the post I made after that.

    You just have to demand help. Also, have you tried Cricut Craft Room? It’s free, if you can connect your computer to your cricut … I haven’t used either Design Studio or Cricut Craft Room in the last year, even when I had them available to me, I just haven’t cut a thing with them. I have a Gypsy and still mostly use that, and now have a Tim Holtz Vagabond and am getting in to his Alterations Dies more than my Cricut. FWIW

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