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Searchlight Simulations Activation Issue

Unread postPosted: Sun May 24, 2026 12:56 pm
by cnwfan
On both the BNSF SD40-2 bundle and the CP AC4000, I'm getting an invalid activation. Several years ago I had moved my Steam / Railworks to a new laptop, and I could have sworn that when I tried those units, they worked. But now... I can't even edit a scenario they are in. Does someone have a fix / workaround for this issue? I see someone else on here had the same issue, but I didn't see a response / fix.

And yes, I have submitted a ticket to Searchlight Sim support, but from reading various forum posts, it could be sometime before I'll hear back from them.

Re: Searchlight Simulations Activation Issue

Unread postPosted: Sun May 24, 2026 2:09 pm
by AmericanSteam
Do you still have the original email with your activation information similar to this example? The serial data file should be attached and directions where to place it.

Re: Searchlight Simulations Activation Issue

Unread postPosted: Sun May 24, 2026 2:57 pm
by cnwfan
Yes, I did all that. The serial.dat and key.dat files are in their proper places. Like I said, I could have sworn everything was working when I transferred the entire Railworks folder over from the old computer to the laptop. Not that I thought it would make any difference, but I also tried clearing the cache.

This DRM protected crud drives me nuts. I understand to a point why Searchlight is doing this, but if they insist on continuing down this path, they need to have a better method that doesn't punish the paying customer.