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How to Delete and Recreate the NovaBACKUP License, Activation, and Registration Files

Fix registration, activation, and license problems by deleting the license files and repairing NovaBACKUP.

This article explains how to delete the NovaBACKUP license, activation, and registration files and repair the installation, so that NovaBACKUP recreates them. Use it when NovaBACKUP cannot be registered or activated, or when it fails to start or install because of a damaged license file. It applies to NovaBACKUP 22 and 21.x.

The files

  • License files: C:\ProgramData\*.lic. There is one file for each NovaBACKUP version that has been installed, and its name contains the version number.
  • Activation file: C:\ProgramData\nsActivation.act. It only exists once NovaBACKUP has been activated or registered.
  • Registration file: C:\ProgramData\NovaStor\NovaStor NovaBACKUP\Profiles\nsreg.ini. Older versions also keep a copy in Profiles\BackupProfiles\.

Uninstalling NovaBACKUP does not remove the license and activation files, because they are outside the NovaBACKUP program data folder.

Prerequisites

  • Administrator rights on the computer.
  • Your license key, to activate NovaBACKUP again afterward.

Step 1: Stop NovaBACKUP

  1. Close NovaBACKUP, and the legacy interface if it is open.
  2. In Windows Services (services.msc), stop the Backup Client service (NovaBACKUP 22) and the NovaStor NovaBACKUP Backup/Copy Engine service. They start again on their own after the repair.

Step 2: Show the hidden files

C:\ProgramData is a hidden folder, and the license and activation files are protected system files. You can paste C:\ProgramData into the File Explorer address bar to open the folder. To see the files:

  1. In File Explorer, select View > Show > Hidden items (Windows 11) or select Hidden items on the View tab (Windows 10 and Windows Server).
  2. Open Options (Folder Options), go to the View tab, clear Hide protected operating system files (Recommended), and select OK.

Step 3: Delete the files

  1. In C:\ProgramData, delete all NovaBACKUP license files with the .lic extension.
  2. Delete nsActivation.act. If the file is not there, NovaBACKUP was never activated on this computer, and you can continue.
  3. If you had problems registering NovaBACKUP, also delete nsreg.ini from C:\ProgramData\NovaStor\NovaStor NovaBACKUP\Profiles\ and, if present, from Profiles\BackupProfiles\.

Step 4: Repair NovaBACKUP

Without a repair, NovaBACKUP may not start after you delete the license files. The repair recreates the license file for the installed version.

  1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Windows 11) or Control Panel > Programs and Features (Windows 10 and Windows Server).
  2. Select Modify (or Change) for NovaBACKUP.
  3. Select Next, then Repair, and complete the repair.

Step 5: Activate NovaBACKUP again

  • NovaBACKUP 22: Open NovaBACKUP, go to About, and select Edit registration (the pencil button). Enter your name, email address, and license key, and select Save.
  • NovaBACKUP 21.x: Start NovaBACKUP. It asks you to register and activate it again.

If the license server cannot be reached, activate offline. See Offline Activation.

If the problem continues

Uninstall NovaBACKUP and keep its data: when setup asks, clear the Remove all logs and media indexes check box. Then delete the .lic, nsActivation.act, and nsreg.ini files as described above, and install the same or a newer NovaBACKUP version. This usually resolves registration, license, and activation problems.

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Still Need Help?

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