InTime Dongle Is Licensed to the OS Drive, Not the PC¶
Networking / InTime Resolved All rigs
Summary¶
InTime is licensed to a specific Windows OS installation, not to the USB dongle alone and not to the PC hardware. When a Flair PC is swapped out (e.g., travelling with a spare machine), the InTime dongle and the original OS drive must both move to the new PC. Plugging the dongle into a different PC without the paired OS drive will result in an InTime licence failure.
Symptoms¶
- InTime shows licence failure on startup
- Flair cannot connect to robot after PC swap
- Moving the dongle to a different USB port on the same PC (same OS) resolves the error if the issue is physical contact
Root Cause¶
InTime generates its licence key tied to the specific Windows installation (hardware fingerprint of that OS). The USB dongle is a second factor — both must match. Swapping only the dongle to a new PC will not work because the new PC has a different OS fingerprint.
Separately: a dongle in a poor-contact USB port may report a licence failure even on the correct PC. Try a different USB port before assuming a licensing problem.
Resolution¶
Swapping PCs:
- Move the USB InTime dongle and the OS drive (or clone of it) to the new PC.
- If a fresh OS was installed on the new PC, a new InTime licence request must be submitted to MRMC/TenAsys.
- Do not attempt to run InTime on a machine whose OS does not match the licence key on the dongle.
Dongle not detected on same PC:
- Try a different USB port.
- Check USB hub power if using a hub.
- Confirm the InTime taskbar icon is present and coloured — if it's greyed out, InTime has not started.
Travel practice
Keep the InTime dongle physically attached to the Flair PC case so it does not become separated during transport. When taking a backup PC to a job, clone the OS drive rather than doing a fresh install.
WhatsApp Excerpts¶
"The licence is machine-specific. The dongle has to come with the original OS drive." — Community member (2022)
"InTime license failed problem? USB key damaged? Plugged?" — Stafford (2026-03-07)
"Just put to another USB port, it's working now." — Dragon Zhang (2026-03-07)
See Also¶
- NET windows updates intime — Windows updates can also break InTime on the same machine
- NET bios battery cmos reset — BIOS battery failure can break the OS that InTime is paired to