AutoCAD 2010 borrow license error

[TonyPugielli]

We have just implemented a network license model here. I tested the borrow feature but when I take my machine offline AutoCAD says it cannot find the licnese server.

When I launch the application when my machine is online, it tells me I have a borrowed license. What am I doing wrong?

[TravisNave]

Ah, very true.  The old Admin vs restricted user argument. Well, license borrowing is tied to the registry.  I suppose a possible work around would be to give your users rights to the necessary registry keys.  I would also think that Power User rights would also work. 

[mmanning]

ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!!! Give that man a prize!

So setting the named user as a Power User works. However, setting a domain OU that the user belongs to, and not the actual user as a Power User does NOT work. This was part of the problem I think. I had been setting an entire organizational unit as Power User, which works fine in XP, but this does not appear to work the same way in Windows 7.

And Power user has less influence apparently in Windows 7. In what I have read, it is only included still for 'legacy programs'?

Thanks a lot for your help with this. I was about to start pulling my hair out

[TravisNave]

Always glad to help.  Glad you got a good work around for your issue. 

[mmanning]

So, to continue my hijack of this thread, I spoke too soon. Turns out that as long as the user had at least Power User priveleges AND I didn't restart the computer the license would be recognized off the network. However, if I restarted the computer the license would fail to be recognized and AutoCAD would not run.

So, the short explanation is that when power cycled with the network cable unplugged the system would disable the NIC and totally remove it from the list of available network devices, not even listing it in the Device Manager. If however I plugged any active network cable into the NIC, even one that didn't point to my network, the card would become active again and the borrowed license would be recognized. I thought it was power saving option or something in Windows 7, but I disable everything in Windows that would allow the NIC to be put to sleep to no avail. So, on intuition and advice from another user, I looked in the BIOS settings and found and disabled the LAN power saver mode. Disabling this option allows the NIC to stay available/active even if no cable is plugged in, and the borrowed license is recognized. Hooray!

Hope this helps other in this situation

[TravisNave]

Ah well played.  The power saving of the NIC would definitely cause this error.  Sometimes I even make a Microsoft LAN Loopback adapter to always ensure an active network connection, even if it is virtual.