Siemens S5 and S7 Key Disks

[sectoreng01]

and that slick way would be...

 

[kamenges]

Originally posted by Richard.Christian:

What else are they going to use it for? Programming a Siemens PLC !!

The same logic can be used relative to a computer with Windows installed on it. It wasn't that long ago that computers didn't come with the 'productivity pack' or whatever they call it these days. Does that mean you should get Word or PowerPoint or Excel or Adobe Acrobat for free? Without these and other applications your computer is just as useless as a PLC without programming software.

What you are talking about is an economic model. You can certainly make the case that PLC marketers should roll the cost of the software into the cost of the plc. The reality is that some don't. So for those who don't the cost of the software is recovered by selling the software. Would I personally like to see the cost of the software rolled into the cost of the plc? As an OEM, no I wouldn't. My total cost is less with the software separate from the PLC since my one copy of software allows me to program hundreds of plcs. An end user will have a different opinion.

I'm still of the opinion that the fact that you don't like the model doesn't give you the right to circumvent it. You are talking about cases where paying users are losing authorizations. I still contend that any solution you provide can be used by someone who never paid for the software in the first place. It could easily be an OEM who just bid on a job that was spec'ed with a Siemens PLC. Why should they get the software for free when I paid for it?

But I also see the need to be able to continue development if you lose your once valid authorization. I don't know what the answer is but I don't think that generating illegal authorizations is it.

Keith

 

[DesertDog]

You have the option with a PC to use Star Office or a variety of other free applications instead of Word etc. so you are paying for the compatibility and options available in the purchased packages. This also helps to keep costs reasonable as there are options. If you have a particular brand of PLC you need "their" software and have little or no other options creating a sort of monopoly so they can charge what they want unless it reaches the point of causing users to switch entire PLC brands. Who wants to switch from a PC word processor to a Mac even if it's better/cheaper when everything else he owns runs on a PC.

That said I do believe they deserve a "reasonable" price for the software whether or not it separate or amortized in thew hardware but I also find that for such high tech automation products the software is often lacking in features, usability, and stability while extreme in price.

 

[stevo]

Dont forget guys on the key disk is also a 14 day emergency licence.

As regarding Backup I simply image my hard drive using Drive Image. In the event of a emergency i simply restore from CD. I also keep all my project files on a seperate partition to the bootable windows partition. I've worked closely with siemens service guys in the past and thats the method they Use.

Steve.

 

[Richard Christian]

cracked dll & Licence

Hi Fred

You are quite right about the wrong people getting hold of Licences, worst is the tight fisted customer who has spent a couple of million on a new production line, state of the art technology.. and then they want a copy of the programme !!

Having been commissioning Siemens Plc's for 16 years I have come up against all manner of ways to get into trouble and thus find ways to get out trouble when in the deepest darkest depths of some foreign country with no phone or internet. ... I remember the days when we were lucky if we had a fax machine in the place we were working, and we still had to get the job done (sigh.... the good old days )

I like to help other engineers who are out in the field and have my number when they can't get through to the company or suppliers. I don't approve of anyone using cracks or pilfered licences.. because if they are pucker.. they won't need them. I have however taught some engineers whose computers have crashed, been nicked, lost them when ****ed up etc... how to get out of trouble.

Maybe I am too trusting.. but all the people I have met Commissioning around the world are good sorts.. donuts or fake engineers don't last more than one job.

Appreciate your response.. nice to hear peoples opinions.

happy new year...
Richard

 

[alielectrical]

We received an upgrade disk for S7 300 Version 5.3, while transferring the license for the first time it was corrupted, because our operating system was windows xp, but not SP2.
we called siemens tech support, they asked us to upgrade to SP2,and without any problem sent us the replacement disk.
I would like to thank M/s Brandie from Siemens tech support for her prompt support.
Thanks
ali

 

[DesertDog]

I've been told to hold off on SP2 as Siemens is not ready yet. Also I used to have 5.3 (Former employer) and that was pre-SP2.

 

[sparkysliderz]

As regarding Backup I simply image my hard drive using Drive Image. In the event of a emergency i simply restore from CD. I also keep all my project files on a seperate partition to the bootable windows partition. I've worked closely with siemens service guys in the past and thats the method they Use.
Steve.

Or! Create a very small partition (5 - 10Mb) on your hard drive with XP, ghost or drive image, install Siemens and any other (AB?) licence info onto that new partition then backup that drive with the ghost or drive image to CD! this way you don’t have to restore your whole operating system when you have a problem! simply restore the partition.

You can then even store the activation back to the keydisk for safe keeping! (if your laptop gets stolen for example!)

 

[ampop]

Try this: http://www.alecmcnamara.freeserve.co.uk/keydisk/index.htm
It works!
Don't forget, just for honest propose.

 

[Yellow Disk]

For black day.
Can quickly make a copy the program WinImage.
Ignore "bad" tracks - for the new Yellow Disk is 71 track, for old - 78.
Other bad tracks will be really bad - crush disk.
After that need format 71 and 78 tracks.
http://plcsim.narod.ru/Yellow_Disk.htm

 

[silva.foxx]

Key duping

Use the utilities section here: http://www.plcman.co.uk/page6.html
and duplicate your key disk with FDA running on a DOS based PC with AT-compatible floppy drive.

Download the FDA.zip to your PC, extract to a floppy.
Enter DOS, NOT a DOS window in Windows.
Type A:\FDA_E.EXE and follow the steps in the program.
Dupe as many copies as you like.

And for F***'s (Fred's) sake only dupe your official disk for yourself! No sharing as it is stealing. That right, Fred?

 

[deandutch]

S5 and S7 AuthorsW

Can you tell us your S5 program version. After that maybe I can help you. If you have windows version it is not difficult to make authorization disk.

We have latest S5 and S7 software(5.3...)
Do you have a way to set the count to 1?
In a month I had 2 harddisk crashes and lost the licences on it.
I have the original authorasition disk but no count. Calling with Germany every time is anoying!
Hope someone can help me.

 

[EKBist]

You can search "Joke for new and old Simatic Key Yellow Disk" in Alta Vista

 

[RMA]

The shareware program Floppy Image can make back-up copies of the Siemens, including creating the bad sectors. I started using it after losing three sets of licences because the two PCs I have to use have incompatible Floppy drives, resulting in an unreadable diskette after it's been used in both drives a few times.

 

[SAMIOS1]

For S5 Just use the Norton Gohst