Considerations
FME Form may sometimes prompt users to return a borrowed license even when they have not borrowed one. In other cases, users may be unable to obtain a floating license after a previous borrow. This behavior is typically encountered after reinstalling or modifying licensing components.
Why This Happens
FME Form stores licensing status in multiple locations, including the Windows registry and license configuration files. If you:
- Restart the license server while a license is borrowed
- Uninstall or reinstall FME Form
- Manually edit license files during a borrow
FME Form may incorrectly retain the license borrowing state. This occurs because the registry key that tracks borrowed license status may not be cleared or updated properly.
How to Resolve It
On the affected machine, follow these steps to reset the license borrow status:
1. Delete License Borrowing Registry Keys
Open the Registry Editor and go to Start > Run, type regedit, and press Enter.
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FLEXlm License Manager\Borrow\
Delete any keys that include 'borrow' or 'infoborrow' in their names.
2. Delete Local License Files
Go to the FME licenses folder, typically found at: C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\FME\licenses\
Delete the following files if present:
- flexlm_config.dat
- flexlm_plugins.dat
- fme_license.dat
3. Reconnect to the License Server
Open FME Form Licensing Assistant and reconnect to the license server using the license setup dialog.
Additional Notes
If you plan to uninstall or update FME Form while a license is borrowed, return the license beforehand to avoid issues. Also, avoid restarting the license server or modifying registry/license files during an active borrow.