VAG-COM
Activation Instructions for Release 409.1

Dongle Interface users:

If you buy any of our current interfaces software activation is not required!  VAG-COM will become fully registered / activated as soon as you test it on a car with one of these interfaces.

• If you bought a Dongle Interface (such as a KEY-, HEX-, or MICRO- series) directly from Ross-Tech, you do not need to register it. You are already registered! 

• If you bought your Dongle Interface (such as a KEY-, HEX-, or MICRO- series) through a distributor you should to submit the this form in order to become eligible for tech support.

All other VAG-COM users:

When you first download and install VAG-COM, it will be in  "Shareware" mode.   It will access all the control modules in your car and perform a number of useful functions, but some functionality is blocked until the software is registered and activated.  

VAG-COM generates a unique software Serial Number on each computer where it is installed.   In order to to Activate VAG-COM, you must provide the Serial Number that VAG-COM shows on the computer on which you intend to use it!.  You will find the serial number on the "About" screen of the program.

Before requesting an Activation:

Please test VAG-COM to make sure it communicates properly with all the systems in your car.  You can do quite a bit without activating the program!   VAG-COM registrations for "dumb" interfaces are not refundable.  If you are not sure if it's working properly, ask us!

All Activation requests must be made via the appropriate registration form. 

Requests sent by e-mail or fax will not be processed. 

We try to process all activation requests as quickly as possible.  Please do not call right after submitting your request asking to have it expedited.  This will not help.  Remember:  "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency for us!"

Since Activations are in the form of a small file which must be saved on your PC, it is impossible to provide them via the telephone.    

Important:

Please use Copy and Paste with all serial numbers and activation codes to avoid typographical errors!   If you can't access the Internet from your laptop, copy and paste the serial number into a text file using the Notepad program on your laptop.  Save the file to a floppy disk, CD, or USB Memory Key and take it to a computer from which you will be filling out our registration form, and copy from the Notepad file into the Form.   Reverse this process when you receive your Activation Code.

Finding and Copying your Serial Number:

Go to the About screen of VAG-COM, where you will find the Serial Number. Highlight the Serial Number by double-clicking it with your mouse. Then, right-click the highlighted area and select Copy. This will copy your Serial Number into Windows Clipboard, so you can paste it somewhere else.

If you do not see a Serial Number, but instead see a message that says:

... then you need to TEST VAG-COM as described in our FAQ.

Submitting your Registration Form:

Go to our appropriate registration form and and find the field for "VAG-COM Serial Number:" Right-click on the white area and select Paste to paste the Serial Number into the appropriate area. Fill out the remainder of the form and submit it.

Important: Do NOT De-Activate any old versions of VAG-COM AFTER you have submitted an Activation request. That will change your current Serial Number and will totally foul up the Activation process.

You should receive your Activation File via email by the end of the next business day after submitting the form.   "End of day" can be late in the evening sometimes.  If you have not heard from us by the second business day after submitting your request, please follow up with an e-mail to Activation@Ross-Tech.com or give us a call.

Saving the Activation File

Once you receive the email with Activation File, make sure that the Serial Number in the email still matches the Serial Number as shown on the About Screen in VAG-COM. Use your email program to save the attachment as shown in the examples below. If your email program does not display the file as an attachment (may happen with Hotmail accounts), reply to the email and ask for further instructions.

- OR -

Save the attached Activation file to your C:\Program Files\VAG-COM folder as shown below:
(Make sure the "Save as type:" field at the bottom shows "All Files (*.*)"

(The above examples use Netscape Messenger and Microsoft Outlook email programs. Consult the documentation for your email program for assistance with saving attachments)

Verifying the Activation

When you return to the About screen, the "License Status" should read "Fully Registered/Activated" like this:

If VAG-COM remains as Unregistered/Shareware, you should check the first field of your Serial Number against the name of the VCM file. In the above example, the first field of the Serial Number is qy4xjz and the name of the VCM file is qy4xjz.vcm . If they don't match, your serial number has changed and you will need to resubmit your request.

Additional Note:

Sending us an invalid Serial Number can be very frustrating for everyone involved.   Please use Copy and Paste. :-)   If you do not know how to copy and paste, please see our Handy Tutorial!

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