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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63 |
I had previously installed 2018 from the USB stick after Windoze 10 zapped my hard drive and I had to reinstall. That didn't work swimmingly since I wasn't thinking about the USB stick not being able to hold all the real tracks, etc. So then I went through and tried to install the missing real tracks, etc all the way from my 2012 BIAB disks all the way up to before 2018. That helped but still had a bunch of missing stuff. I was really on the fence about spending the $$$ for the 2019 update but after talking with support they said the best way to get everything up to date was to purchase the UltraPAK for 2019 on HD. So I did that, and the HD arrived a couple of days ago. So in preparation I de-activated 2018 which is said was successful. And then uninstalled 2018 and all the RealTracks, etc. Then removed all the folders under c:/bb Then I installed the UltraPAK 2019 picking option 2 to install the programs on the hard drive but leave the real tracks on the external UltraPAK HD. There were NO errors during the installation process and I shutdown since it was late. This morning I tried running BIAB and got a wonderful "The License is locked on this computer, so some features are not enabled" pop up. I tried going to help activation as the pop-up said, but that just got me back to the same stinking pop-up. This should be essentially a fresh installation of 2019 so how in the heck could the license be locked? This is the first and only installation I had done from the brand new fresh out of the box UltraPAK HD. And even if they somehow were counting the 2018 license activations there would be one installation burned for the zapped HD and the one that I de-activated which should in theory still leave me with 2 2018 activations, if product activation is working without bugs. I sent a request to pgmusic support early this morning but haven't heard anything back as of tonight. To say I am annoyed is an understatement. I've committed to spending about $180 for 2019 with the xtra pack and the HD purchase and it is NON FUNCTIONAL. This is one of the reasons why I really hate product activation. I understand the theory behind why companies do this but when there is a problem like this it is the customer who suffers. I can of course return the HD and xtra pack DVD at my expense, and I may have to do that if they cannot find a solution to this problem. But that also sucks since essentially I would be returning a non-functioning (for me) product and having to pay to ship it back to Canada. I'm travelling now so I'm not able to try a test run on another Windoze 10 box that I have which has NEVER had BIAB installed on it. Maybe that will work, or maybe not. So has anyone else encountered a similar issue with the "product activation"? Is this a bug in 2019? Another Windoze'ism? Phase of the moon?  Thanks for any suggestions on something I can try to resolve this issue when I'm back in front of the computer.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,480
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,480 |
Burt,
It's 10 minutes after your post and Live Help/Chat is now open. Why not use it to talk to PG Music staff directly?
The icon for it is up in the right, top corner of the webpage.
Rest assured that PG Music will help you. It's not an issue that you need solve by yourself.
Regards,
Noel
Last edited by Noel96; 12/13/18 05:31 PM.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,499
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,499 |
Yes, you should contact Support.
I'm not sure what you purchased. If you bought the UltraPak Upgrade, then it expects to be installed over a full installation of BIAB. If I read your post correctly, you had deleted that prior to the install. But Support will be able to look up exactly all that you have bought and figure it out.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,064
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,064 |
Rest assured that PG Music will help you. It's not an issue that you need solve by yourself. All good advice above. Please don't let this get you down. The Support team will work with you to resolve everything.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,723
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,723 |
You definitely wouldn't need to return anything, the problem will be fixable. You said you de-activated 2018, and this might have something to do with it -- are you sure you aren't accidentally running version 2018, because that would explain it. The 2019 activation is not connected to your 2018 version at all. If this is somehow happening with your 2019 version, close the program and delete the *2019 ticket files from C:\Users\Public\Ticket, then re-run the program and activate again. Message us if you still have problems.
Andrew
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63 |
Thanks all, yes I just chatted with support.
Note that I had removed the old installation since I was led to believe that this would install cleanly, as what I had been told was that this would be the easiest way to resolve the original issue. Of course that may have lost something in translation.
There is no way that the 2018 version is running, it was de-activated AND removed.
But support thinks that it is some kind of activation loop related to the 2018 installation.
But it sounds like it is related to the ticket files.
I'm not going to be near the machine until next week, and then I'll work with support to try and get this resolved.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,064
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,064 |
Thanks for the feedback, BurtB. Do let has know how this is resolved.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63 |
Finally resolved the issue with support. Tried removing the ticket files as suggested here and on my first online chat. But that didn't do it.
So support today had me use the unblock advanced option today and they gave me a code that resolved the license blocked issue, but I guess the chat must have dropped since I didn't hear back after saying that it appeared to resolve the issue. I'd asked what might have caused the problem since no errors were encountered during installation.
Now that it's working I need to install the Realtracks to the internal hard drive. I'll have to see if I can track down the best way to do that.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,312
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,312 |
What about the steps here? https://www.pgmusic.com/techfaq55.htm#166166. Can I store the RealTracks and RealDrums on a different hard drive than the Band-in-a-Box® and RealBand program?Yes. The "RealTracks" and "Drums" folders, which are normally located in your bb folder, contain all of the audio files. If you have all of the "Real files" released to date, these will be quite large. Moving them to a different hard drive allows you to free up disk space on your main hard drive. To move them, you can simply select those two folders and use Edit-Cut and Edit-Paste to transfer them to a different location. You may not need to move the folders; you may have selected a custom folder when you installed them originally, or you may have purchased the program on a USB hard drive.
Either way, you need to specify the location of the folders in Band-in-a-Box® before you will be able to use them, if they are located anywhere outside your main Band-in-a-Box® folder. To do this, go to Opt. | Preferences, and click on the [RealDrums] button. This opens the RealDrums Settings dialog (which can also be accessed by a button in the toolbar). Select the "Use a custom folder location" checkbox, then click the Select Folder button. Locate and select your Drums folder, then press OK. Alternatively, you could just type the path manually without using the Select Folder window.
Use the same procedure for your RealTracks folder (Opt. | Preferences | [RealTracks].
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 63 |
Thanks Callie,
I was thinking I could probably just copy the files from the UltraPAK drive and then tell BIAB not to use the custom folder(s) for RealTracks and RealDrums.
Now if I just knew what caused the issue with the license being blocked so I can avoid that in the future, although that is probably more for curiosity than a real need to know. Hopefully it won't happen in the future if I need to install again.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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