Troubleshooting CodeTwo license status verification issue

Problem:

When you start your CodeTwo product, access the licensing information or start a job, you get the following errors:

Failed to verify the program license status. Check your internet connection and restart the program.
System info: Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: licenseKeyDesc

or

There was an error deserializing the object of type C2.Licensing.Models.Public.Responses.LicenseKeyResponse. The data at the root level is invalid. Line 1, position 1.

or

The license file is corrupted (0x02)

Because of that, you cannot reactivate your license key or run any jobs.

Solution:

These errors may occur if the program's licensing file gets corrupted. This usually happens as a result of an unexpected shutdown of the system (e.g. due to a sudden power failure). Although CodeTwo products are equipped with a mechanism that prevents file corruption caused by unexpected crashes, there are certain complex situations that cannot be handled.

If you are using CodeTwo Backup, it is also possible that the program's service cannot access the folder where the licensing file is stored. You might experience this issue after updating the program to a version that uses the new licensing model.

To fix this issue, use one of the following methods:

• Delete corrupted licensing files and re-activate the program
• Run the CodeTwo Backup service as a domain admin (applies only to CodeTwo Backup)

Deleting corrupted licensing files and re-activating the program

Use the links below for instructions specific to your product:

• CodeTwo Backup
• CodeTwo Office 365 / Exchange Migration

CodeTwo Backup

1. Close the Administration Panel of CodeTwo Backup.
2. Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services (or run services.msc) and stop the CodeTwo Backup Service (Fig. 1.).

Fig. 1. Stopping the CodeTwo Backup Service.

1. Go to folder %programdata%\CodeTwo Backup.
2. Delete file BackupLicense.2.xml (and BackupLicense.2.xml.bak, if such file exists), as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. Deleting corrupted CodeTwo Backup licensing files.

3. Restart the CodeTwo Backup Service by right-clicking it in the Services window (see Fig. 1. above) and selecting Start.
4. Open CodeTwo Backup Administration Panel and reactivate your product license key.

Once done, the program will work normally without further issues, and you will be able to run your jobs again.

CodeTwo Office 365 / Exchange Migration

1. Close the program.
2. Go to folder:

   %programdata%\CodeTwo\Office 365 Migration 3.2

   if you use CodeTwo Office 365 Migration, or

   %programdata%\CodeTwo\Exchange Migration 3.2

   if you use CodeTwo Exchange Migration. The version number (e.g. 3.2) may differ, depending on the version of the program that is installed on your machine.
3. Delete file MigrationLicense.2.xml (and MigrationLicense.2.xml.bak, if such file exists), as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3. Deleting the corrupted licensing file of CodeTwo Office 365 Migration.

4. Launch the program and reactivate your product license key.

Once done, the program will work normally without further issues, and you will be able to run your jobs again.

Running CodeTwo Backup as a domain admin

1. Close the Administration Panel of CodeTwo Backup.
2. Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services (or run services.msc), right-click the CodeTwo Backup Service and select Properties (Fig. 4.).

Fig. 4. Accessing the properties of the CodeTwo Backup Service.

3. Go to the Log on tab.
4. Select the This account option and click Browse.
5. Select a domain admin account, provide the password, and apply all your changes (Fig. 5.).

Fig. 5. Configuring the CodeTwo Backup Service to log on as a domain admin.

6. Back in the Services window, right-click the CodeTwo Backup Service and select Restart.
7. Run CodeTwo Backup. 

The program should now be able to access the licensing information. However, if this doesn't resolve the issue, continue with these steps.