The registration code used for this game cannot be validated

[Zuru99]

Still not working

[Claustral]

Judging by the slowing rate of comments in this thread this problem is being solved. However I have to bump it and say - not here!
I've tried the suggestions about deleting a particular file in the Spore preferences folder, and I've tried logging in from the settings menu. No effect with either. (Though oddly in the latter case it can say I'm connected - and then not have access to any on-line content).

GE/Sweden (been trying to log on since Thursday)

[Assassin Rex]

OMG I have the same problem too. Purchased mine from GAME in store as well. UK, using vista 64, 8800GT. I can't validate my key and go online.

[cremefrog]

I bought my version (standard edition) from Direct2drive, tried signing up through the website, then tried the settings -> Online Settings -> Register. None of these work.

Could it be that my key will not validate, it tells me it cannot validate using the key used to install the game.

[Zuru99]

Yup, i think a lot of us who did the D2D Download are having similar problems, it could simply be that the key database is not populated correctly, I have left a message on the support system so who knows when it will be sorted out.

[Murphious]

hey...

tricky one this isn't it but im getting a bit annoyed...

i registered through the CC under my own email address. when i try logging in to the game i downloaded through EADM i cannot log in with my information...when my dad registered his email through EA, he could log in straight away...

this is getting a little tedious

x

[2ndself]

Originally Posted by Claustral

Judging by the slowing rate of comments in this thread this problem is being solved. However I have to bump it and say - not here!
I've tried the suggestions about deleting a particular file in the Spore preferences folder, and I've tried logging in from the settings menu. No effect with either. (Though oddly in the latter case it can say I'm connected - and then not have access to any on-line content).

GE/Sweden (been trying to log on since Thursday)

Heh...deleting a file, that reminds me of something I did as a temporary fix for a game called 'Arena Wars', for a problem which had their staff stumped. Strangley I was banned from their forums shortly after mentionning it . It didn't interupt with the game or copy protection in any way...

As for this thread...I think most people are posting on the other threads...

[Nargulok]

I pre-ordered the standard edition from Gamespot and just picked it up today and I'm having this problem with the registration. Installation worked fine but I get this error.

What gives? is there a fix for this?

[TrinityFive]

I have tried using a brand new email address, still invalid login.

[FreezingMonkey]

Mine is standard too. I am also having this problem. I am using a mac.

[RiverofTearsJvL]

if you can survive without your creature creator stuff, i got it working by registering a different email address, maybe the issue is with the existing accounts?

[RiverofTearsJvL]

just saying it worked for me, sorry for those that it didnt work for

[MrHeints]

When I enter Program Files from Vista, then go to Electronic Arts folder, then to SPORE folder, then to SPOREBIN folder... Finally I find the GL readme...

Here is what mine says, among many other strange bugs...


GL:5513="The license definitions are invalid. Please refer to your customer service website to resolve this issue."
GL:5514="The registration code is invalid for this product. Find your registration code either in your confirmation email, your game manual/product packaging, or game card."
GL:5515="For security reasons, only a limited number of concurrently active licenses are allowed. This limit has been reached. Please wait until one of the other licenses auto-expires, then try again."

EA in my manual it says I can have multiple accounts per installation, yet I have only the single account my daughter signed up with...

Oh, **** you EA!!!!!!!!!

[lordcolyer12]

Originally Posted by Saishuu

Same problem here galactic edition.... anyone had any luck with this?

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IT SES THAT THE REGISTRATION KEY CANNOT BE VALIDATED. IVE BEEN TRYING TO CONNECT FOR ONLINE PLAY SINCE I BOUGHT THE GAME THATS WHEN IT CAME OUT I THOUGHT ID WAIT A FEW DAYS THINKING THE SERVER WAS DOWN OR SUMMIT LIKE THAT, BUT STILL CANT PLAY ONLINE I HAVE GE EDITION AND STARTING TO THINK WHAT A WASTE OF 40 QUID, THINK I MIGHT JUST BANG IT ON E-BAY
I DONT RATE EA ANYMORE!!!!!
WHY RELEASE SUMMIT THAT PEOPLE CANT EVEN PLAY!!!

[Vicissitude]

I'm having the same problem with "The registration key used to install this game cannot be validated".

Just adding my name to the list, as it were. Contacted EA support about this, still no reply (it's been a bit over the 24h window in which they said they'd get back to me, but considering how prevalent this problem seems to be, that's not entirely surprising).

Running GE on a new 24" iMac. Store-bought the game Monday (Sunday release for North America).

If/when I hear from EA, I'll post back with an update.

The game plays fine, but no online content.

I didn't have a Spore/EA account previously, and I registered in-game (as opposed to registering through the EA site). My EA account registration worked fine (it's the one I'm using right now), just no love from Spore.

Any of you who encountered this problem registered directly through EA, or was it in-game?

Have any of you for whom the registration worked done so in-game?

[bn357]

same probleme here, bought a retail version of the game - standard edition in the UK, cannot validate registration.
This + the SecureRom malware/DRM story, what a nice way to treat your audience of legit gamers, EA

[Teiman]

Originally Posted by MrHeints

GL:5515="For security reasons, only a limited number of concurrently active licenses are allowed. This limit has been reached. Please wait until one of the other licenses auto-expires, then try again."

EA in my manual it says I can have multiple accounts per installation, yet I have only the single account my daughter signed up with...

I am not english native, so I don't know, but concurrently active licenses is ....concurrently, both instances active at the same time. Like one on one monitor, and other on the other. That that concurrently mean in software... I don't know if that is software-speak, or lawyer-speak... Maybe in lawyer-speak mean something else.

[Eroneouse]

For some people who have had trouble validating their game they had success after in one case disableing and then uninstalling zone alarm and for a couple of others too the answer was to completely stop all anti virus and firewall activity throughout installation and validation process. For some others who were haveing problems with vista the answer was in getting passed vistas built in security. If I can find the thread with the vista stuff in it I will come back here with a link to it. If I remember rightly it was as simple as just makeing your own install path that did not include the program files folder.

[Nesteur]

Disabling firewall doesn't really help. I for one, don't have a firewall at all. The game ACTIVATED fine, and lets me play. It doesn't let me register my EA account with my game, however.

The very scary 'bug messages' people are digging out of the text files, are just that. It's a configuration file with localized text strings for the game, and you'll find majority of the spore error messages there. You can just write "coconut" instead, and next time an error of this type will come up, it will say "coconut". That's about it.

There's something wrong with the auth server on EA side. Must be why you can't even log on to spore.com or sporepedia by WWW. The servers are 'temporarly' down for mantainance, for a good week now at that.

My galactic edition still doesn't work, and I'm not really happy about EA at all.

[Vicissitude]

Update -> Got a reply from EA:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts.

Unfortunately, the EADM version of Spore is only available for Windows PC. If you would like the MAC downloadable version, you can find it at TransGaming Inc..

To get a refund for your EADM version, please reply back with your order number, email address, full name, and last four digits of the credit card used to purchase the game so they can process a refund for your order.

[name]
Customer Support
Electronic Arts

What I'd like to know is, what's EADM?

I'm -guessing- it's EA Digital Media, i.e. the downloaded version.

This doesn't make sense, though. As if this was the case, I wouldn't have been able to run the game to try and validate my online account in the first place.

Is EADM something different?

In my message to them, I forgot to specify that I had a store-bought physical copy on DVD (though I -did- say it was the GE... can you even get the GE through a download? As in, you download the game, then they mail you the extras or something?). Regardless of which, I included screenshots as attachments with my message, so clearly, I could run the game...

I'm just not sure if they're dense, if they're just replying with random lalalala to try and confuse me, or if they're telling me that whatever this EADM thing means Mac users can't have access to the online content?!?

The game comes on a hybrid DVD. As far as the physical copy is concerned, there isn't a PC version -and- a Mac version... it's the same disc.

If somebody could shed some light on this EADM business, it would be much appreciated, as I'd like to understand what it is before I reply to them.

And just to be completely clear:

I specified that my problem was that I could not -register a Spore account online through the game-, but that it successfully created an EA account.

I specified that my problem was this error message:

"The registration key used to install this game cannot be validated"

Even including screenshots of this.

To anyone who read my message, it would be obvious that the game itself -works- (i.e. I obviously didn't get a PC-only version). The issue is with -validation- for the sake of registering an online Spore account.

Did they simply not read my message? What's happening?

Has anyone else received a reply similar to this? I seem to remember seeing something to that effect somewhere (can't remember if it was on this forum or another); that EA was simply replying with an "answer" that had nothing to do with the stated issue.

(Edit: okay, I figured it out, EADM = EA Download Manager. Gonna reply to them now and see what else they have to say for themselves)

[Vicissitude]

And just as an aside,

Originally Posted by Nesteur

There's something wrong with the auth server on EA side. Must be why you can't even log on to spore.com or sporepedia by WWW. The servers are 'temporarly' down for mantainance, for a good week now at that.

Everything I've seen up to now points to this. At least as far as the "The registration key used to install this game cannot be validated" problem is concerned (that is, the people for whom the game works, but who don't have access to online content). There are other problems (such as the game not working -at all- for many), but in terms of online validation, I'm guessing it's just a matter of time before they fix the server issue.

This is not exactly a mystery. What -is- a mystery, though, is why EA refuses to simply acknowledge this and say "Sorry, server issues. We're doing what we can to fix it. We'll give you an update as soon as we have more info on the situation".

Game-killing bugs/issues aside, as far as this specific problem is concerned, that's the least to ask for. And really, the only thing we can ask for.

Is that so hard? Problems arise. Fine. But acknowledge them and deal with them. Don't ignore them.

I can just see it now...

Next week the auth servers will be working fine, and EA will pretend they always have been.

(Edit: Sorry for the double-post. I meant to edit my last one, but apparently messed that up)

[wisted]

Vicissitude has got it right, next week they'll send an online message saying something like..

We detected a problem with your 500+ login attempts last week, we would like to say it was purely firewalls stopping the game from letting thousands of users play online. We have already issued an update to your game (wether you updated or not) and you "should" beable to login now.. if not, buy an xbox360 and go play some GTA IV

Sincerely, The program we used to send this exact message to all our users just incase we did @!%& up

[wisted]

Actually.. it wouldn't surprise me if all these threads suddenly disappeared for some "unknown" reason *wink*

[Shoob]

Same "registration key cannot be validated" error message for me. Just want to add my name to the growing list.

[Acathla]

Same problem here with the mac version.
Sent a support ticket and got some rubbish generic comment about using the self help section of the website.....
Trouble was I used the self help section to find out I needed to contact customer support...
Useful...