How To Reinstall Trial Software After The Free Trial Has Ended
How To Reinstall Trial Software After The Free Trial Has Ended
So, you’ve reached the end of your free trial for that software you were trying out. Bummer, right? But don’t worry, I’ve got some tips for you on how to reinstall that trial software and keep using it without shelling out any cash.
Step 1: Uninstall the trial software
First things first, you’ll need to uninstall the trial software from your computer. This will ensure that any residual files or settings are removed completely.
Step 2: Clear out leftover files
Even after uninstalling the trial software, there may still be some leftover files on your computer. These files can interfere with the reinstallation process, so it’s important to clear them out.
Step 3: Find the trial software installer
Now comes the fun part – finding the trial software installer. You can usually find this on the software developer’s website or through a trusted source. Just make sure you’re downloading the trial version and not a paid version.
Step 4: Temporarily disable internet access
Before reinstalling the trial software, I recommend temporarily disabling your internet access. This will prevent the software from connecting to the internet and recognizing that your trial has already ended.
Step 5: Reinstall the trial software
With your internet access disabled, go ahead and reinstall the trial software. Follow the installation instructions and make sure you don’t skip any steps. Once the installation is complete, don’t forget to enable your internet access again.
Step 6: Enjoy your extended trial
Congratulations! You’ve successfully reinstalled the trial software. Now you can continue using it for free without any limitations. Just remember, this is only a temporary solution, and eventually, you might need to consider purchasing the full version if you find the software valuable.
I hope these steps help you in reinstalling your trial software and extending your usage. Best of luck, and enjoy your extended trial!
So, here’s the deal. These days, one of the most common ways software companies try to entice you into buying their product is by offering you a free trial. Sounds great, right? Well, not quite. You see, these trial versions often come with limitations that make them less useful than the full paid version. And there are two main ways they do this: either by giving you only basic features or by putting a time limit on how long you can use the trial version. And today, we’re going to focus on the latter.
Let me tell you why time-limited trials are a better bet for software companies. If they give you a crippled version of their program, with a bunch of features missing, that’s not going to convince you to buy the full thing. After all, you’ve never even seen what the full product can do. But if they let you use the trial for a fixed period of time – like 7, 14, or 30 days – with all the bells and whistles, then you really get to explore the software in all its glory. And guess what? That helps you make a much smarter decision when it comes to buying it.
Now, here’s the thing. Sometimes, that trial period just isn’t long enough for you to really get a feel for the software and decide if it’s worth your hard-earned cash. And that’s where I come in. In this article, I’m going to show you a few tricks for reinstalling trial software after the trial has ended. Now, hold on a second. Let me make one thing crystal clear. The aim here is not to help you use the software indefinitely without paying for it – that would be totally unethical. No, no, no. These techniques are meant for you to only evaluate the software, not to steal it. Got it?
So, How Can I Reinstall the Software?
Hey there! So, if you’re looking to reinstall software after the free trial has ended, there are a few tricks you can try. Now, some trial periods simply rely on the honor system. That means if you reinstall the program, the trial will start all over again. Nice, right? But hold on, most applications actually try to catch you if you cheat. They might leave a sneaky file or marker in your computer’s registry or Program Data (if you’re on Windows) to keep track of how long you’ve been using the program. Some might even use more advanced methods to enforce the trial period. Tricky, huh? Well, you can try to fool some of them, but not all of them.
Now, let’s talk about some methods to reinstall trial software after the free trial has expired. Keep in mind that not all of these methods will work for every situation, because different developers use different techniques to track their trials. So, you might need to play around with them a bit to see what works for you. But before you do anything, make sure to copy your data files – all the work you’ve done with the program – to a separate drive, like a USB flash drive, so you don’t lose anything.
Use an Installation Monitor to Completely Remove Trial Software
An installation monitor is a nifty piece of software that keeps a precise record of every single action made during an installation process. It notes down every file that gets transferred, every change or creation made in the registry, every checkpoint created, and every icon installed. So, here’s the trick: when you install a free trial, use an installation monitor to create a detailed catalog of everything it installs. Then, when the trial period is up, you can delete every single trace of that program and reinstall it. See, there won’t be any markers left behind to tell the program that you’ve already had a free trial. Pretty clever, right? (By the way, regular uninstall programs from the software manufacturer usually leave traces all over your computer, either by mistake or on purpose).
An installation monitor you can use for this nifty trick is Mirekusoft Install Monitor. The best part? It’s free! It keeps track of everything a program installs and where those files are located. So, when you want to uninstall the trial, you can forensically remove or delete every file associated with it. And that should allow you to reinstall the trial software even after the trial period has expired.
Use a File Uninstaller
The uninstaller that comes with your software is usually not very efficient. Normally, you don’t require an uninstaller to remove every single file, and no one has ever made a software purchase solely based on how well its uninstall program works. So it’s no surprise that uninstallers often overlook or disregard entries in the registry and on your hard drive. While the larger files get erased and your computer operates normally, there are still plenty of traces remaining for a new trial installation to detect that it’s not venturing into uncharted territory, leading it to refuse the installation.
To address this issue, you can use a third-party uninstaller like Revo Uninstaller or IObit Uninstaller. These applications eliminate every file from all locations. If the trial program leaves behind a certificate file or any other resource to prevent reinstallation, these apps will locate and delete it.
How to Get Rid of Trial Version Software from the Registry by Backing Up and Restoring the Windows Registry
Hey there! So, the Windows registry is this big database that stores a ton of info about all the software and hardware on your computer. And here’s the thing, even if you uninstall a program, it can still leave traces behind in the registry. Sneaky, right? Even those file uninstallers might miss some stuff, especially if the program was designed to hide a registry entry to stop you from using the trial twice.
But don’t worry, I’ve got a trick up my sleeve to solve this problem. All you gotta do is take a snapshot of your Windows Registry before you install the trial for the first time. Then, go ahead and install and use the trial. When the trial period ends, just uninstall it and restore the Registry to how it was before the trial. But, I gotta warn you, this might mess with your computer a bit if other programs have made changes to the Registry in the meantime.
Here’s the step-by-step on how to backup and restore your registry:
- Type ‘regedit’ into the Windows search bar.
- In the new registry window, select File and choose Export.
- Pick a safe place to save the copy.
- Install the software and let the trial run out.
- Uninstall the software.
- Type ‘regedit’ into the Windows search bar.
- In the new registry window, select File and choose Import.
- Select your copy and click OK.
So, if the software used a registry key to track the trial, this should do the trick. Oh, and it’s a good idea to clean up your registry after tinkering with it. We’ve got a great guide to Windows 10 registry cleaners that might help you out!
Sandboxing
Another cool way to try out new software is sandboxing. It kinda creates this safe and secure place to install programs. The program runs like normal, but it can’t mess with your actual computer or leave any leftover files when you uninstall it. It’s perfect for testing things out!
One of the best sandbox programs out there is Sandboxie. It’s not only free, but pretty darn good at what it does. If you install your trial software in the sandbox, you should be able to reinstall it even after the free trial is over.
Virtual Machine
Alright, here’s my final tip for you. You can use a virtual machine to reinstall trial software after the free trial ends. Virtual machines are super handy for lots of things, but they really shine when it comes to trying out new applications. They keep the software separate from your main operating system, and you can easily delete and reinstall them whenever you want.
There’s this free software called VirtualBox that’s perfect for this. You create a virtual machine, install an operating system, and set everything up. Then, make a copy of the virtual machine image, install the trial software, use it, delete the virtual machine image, and replace it with the copy. This method requires a bit more effort and know-how, but it’s almost foolproof! If you’re new to VirtualBox, we have a beginner’s guide that might come in handy.
Got any other tricks for free trials? Share them in the comments below!
