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How To Reinstall Trial Software After Trial Period Has Expired

One of our reader asked a simple question, “Do you have any idea how to reinstall trial software?
(after trial period)?” A simple Google search shows that most people are looking for it’s solution. I have two methods which you can try, one of them should definitely work.

Method 1: Backing Up Registry

Most trial software add a key in your system registry by tweaking it. When you uninstall a software after it’s trial period has expired, all files are deleted except the keys in the registry. Therefore when you try installing it again, it detects the key and gives you a message like for e.g, “Your trial period has expired”.

So the best way is to make a backup of the registry before installing any trial software. And when finally your trial has expired, you can uninstall the software, restore backup and try installing the software again. I have written a post explaining the steps of making a backup of your registry.

Method 2: Using Process Monitor

Process Monitor is a free tool for Windows that shows real-time file system, Registry and process/thread activity. With this you can see which applications are accessing your Registry, which keys they are accessing, and the Registry data that they are reading and writing – all in real-time.

Note: By default it will show Registry activity, File System activity, Network activity, and Process and Thread activity. You can filter out all activities except Registry activity so that it becomes easy to track changes in registry. To red circle in the screenshot below shows where you can filter out other activities.

process monitor

Run process monitor and install the trial software. Now find which key the software has added or modified, and note down the name and path of the key. Once your software trial period has expired, you can revert back the changes and uninstall the software.

Now when you will reinstall the software, it won’t find any key in the registry which means it will install normally like if it is installing for the first time.

Update: You can also try using Little Registry Cleaner for cleaning up invalid/broken registry items, in this way it can clean up all traces of a program.

Enjoy!

46 Comments

  1. How in the world is Process Monitor supposed to be of any use? It’s listing 66 million different items, and the list just keeps growing. I suppose I should just randomly scroll and hope to get lucky enough to land on the right spot?

  2. awesome bro…. yes guys we can use the trial software or app even if the licsense had expired …………enjoy a good thought shared.

  3. Please someone tell me can this be used with sound blaster x-fi mb software that has a 30 day trial

  4. Do you need to reset some program’s trial?
    Send your request to
    ‘resettrial@gmail.com’

  5. Why no one suggests to simply reinstall the windows operating system?
    Just copy your important files to external hard drive ( you don’t even need to do that if windows 7 is not your original version of windows on your PC. In that case all your important files will not be deleted and will be saved in windows.old folder) and then reinstall it!

    Anyway, reinstalling windows every 30 days is also healthy for your PC (cleans all the junk way way better than any cleaning programs, and pc starts working as NEW!).

    • Dummy, your name is appropriate. You really are a dummy. Reinstalling Windows every 30 days is NOT healthy for a PC’s hard disk, which is likely to be damaged by such frequent reinstallations.

    • Dummy no doubt you are dummy but this annonymous guy has no right to say you dummy cause he thinks reinstalling windows every 30 days is not healthy for the PC’s Hard Disk!! OMG please check your facts before posting!! Stupid crazy guy!! And Dummy your option is ok but no one really wants to go through the trouble of reinstalling windows n den all other applications needed frequently again every 30 days!! We are lazy people right 😛

    • bruh not all programs will reset the trial for example ibik aster even after you format it still says trial expired, unless you install windows in other disk or replace CPU

  6. Hi Sir
    pls provide me crack of Parivartak v3.5 is all new UNICODE CONVERTER & EDITOR FOR HINDI, MARATHI, NEPALI and Other DEVNAGRI SCRIPTS. Parivartak 3.5 Office Tools software developed by Technocom. and I also need need crack of Mangal to kruti 1.5 software which is also product of Technocom. I have trying id using Ws32dsm93 and hive32 also but not able to crack such software so pls ansyone can help me. Thx in advance.

  7. Hello. I have downloaded process monitor from your link. Ok ,and whats hapend.. When i turn on process monitor window, it hangs up on some 93% ,.and computer hangs up, and i cant even turn it off,.need to restart computer with restart button on computer box. Thats sux..pardon for my language. Any help..?

  8. I read all about this but no one has figured out how to do it right. I no computer wiz here but you not either. Maybe one perso is so here the problem. Has any one ever tried to break (Autodesk Inventor 2010) I been trying for about two months with no luck. I even went into the REGEDITRY and followed along with removing files that were not the same as my other computer. LOLOLO Hope someone can help me with this trial program, OH by the way, the price of this software is listed at $5000.00 but it a trial progam….

    • Try reinstalling inventor on another pc and see if it works. This may be locked through the net…rahter than your own system.

  9. So, what happened to the registry entries of the new softwares I installed after I made the registry backup for the trial software and restored it? Will the new softwares I installed after the registry backup works after restoration?

  10. So, what happened to the registry entries of the new softwares I installed after I made the registry backup for the trial software and restored it? Will the new softwares I installed after the registry backup works after restoration?

  11. And if you’re going to steal it – steal it; grab a key off the web or dl a crack but this seems like unnecessary work.

  12. How about paying for the software if you like it instead of stealing. Wow! What a concept.

    • If it's $39 software written by some chap to help ends meet then by all means you're right. If it's an arbitrary $1000+ ridiculous price slapped onto a program by a corporation aimed at other corporations then it does not mean every private individual wanting to learn the program has to pay up.

  13. Question on using the Process Monitor:
    After the running the Process Monitor, installing the trial and identifying the specific key the software modified, how can I revert back the changes (only on this key)?

    • I have the same question. The moron who wrote this article obviously doesn’t realize they missed one key step… how to revert back the changes once you identified the specific key in the registery.

    • haha i think you might be the moron- read the article and myabe you would back up your reg before you install the trial software then you can just revert back..

  14. Convert a flash drive to ntfs. Instal it on this, then delete when required. Use revo to uninstall.

  15. ah, just found a program called appzapper. looks promising. you basically just drag an .app file into the program and it goes and finds and deletes every file associated with it (apparently). the program also keeps logs so everything is reversible and traceable.

    http://www.macupdate.com/reviews.php?id=20306

    • Well I wouldn’t recommend this software since it has not been updated for 2 years according to most users it crashes occasionally. You can try AppCleaner instead, which is also basically free http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/25276

  16. thanks for the article. how would you do this for mac osx? ive deleted the application and the obvious preference files.
    is there a good free program you know of that can monitor application installs so that in the future i can view and later erase every change it made to my computer?

    • Currently I have no idea. But as soon I get to know about such software for Mac, I will review it here on AddictiveTips.

  17. thanks for ur answer.i am using Runasdate for run trial application,but its not work with all of application.I will try all of ur method for reinstall trial application.