Chromperfect Licensing Explained: What You Own, What Expires, and What Doesn’t

Licensing questions are one of the most common sources of confusion for Chromperfect users — particularly for customers who are used to subscription-based software.

This article explains how Chromperfect licensing works, what is permanent, what can expire, and how to avoid the most common licensing issues.

Chromperfect licenses are perpetual

Chromperfect is sold as a perpetual software license.

Once licensed correctly, the software will continue to run indefinitely. There is no annual renewal, no subscription model, and no requirement to “keep the license active.”

This applies to both licensing models:

• USB hardware (dongle) licenses

• Fingerprint (software-locked) licenses

The only licenses that expire are:

• Temporary service licenses

• Demonstration or evaluation licenses

These are intentionally time-limited and clearly identified as such.

Do I need to renew my Chromperfect license?

No.

Chromperfect licenses never expire and never need to be renewed.

However, it is important to distinguish between the software license itself and optional services that relate to future changes or compatibility.

Support, upgrades, and compatibility

Chromperfect licenses are permanent. That said, external factors — such as upgrading a PC, moving to a newer operating system, or adding a newer instrument — may introduce requirements that are not supported by an older software version.

In these situations, customers have the option to purchase an upgrade to the latest version of Chromperfect that is compatible with the updated environment. These upgrades are typically offered at a significantly lower cost than the original software purchase.

For customers running business-critical Chromperfect systems, a formal support agreement can provide additional security and flexibility. This is an annual service that includes all software updates released during the coverage period, along with direct access to technical support staff and supporting materials.

Importantly, the need for an upgrade or support agreement is driven by changes in the surrounding environment, not by any expiration of the Chromperfect license itself.

License renewal vs software upgrades

Chromperfect does not use license renewals.

What customers may choose to purchase later includes:

• Upgrades to newer major versions

• Additional instrument connections

• Additional licenses for more PCs

• Optional support or professional services

Upgrades enhance or extend the software — they do not renew an expiring license.

USB license vs fingerprint license – practical differences

USB license

• Can be moved between PCs

• Ideal when hardware may change

• Suitable for shared systems

• Strongly recommended for virtual machines

• Requires the USB key to be present

Fingerprint license

• Locked to a single PC

• Tied to the hardware environment of that system

• Significant hardware changes may invalidate it

• Cannot be moved to another PC without re-licensing

Both license types are permanent. The difference is portability, not duration.

Fingerprint licenses and virtual machines

Fingerprint licenses are tied to the specific hardware environment of a system.

In virtual environments, that hardware environment can change more easily than on a physical PC — for example through snapshots, restores, migrations, or host changes. When this happens, the license may no longer match the system.

For this reason:

• USB licenses are the recommended and safest option for virtualized systems

• Fingerprint licenses in virtual machines should only be used when the environment is carefully controlled and remains static

Understanding the Chromperfect license file (.VER)

Chromperfect licenses are stored in a small file with the extension .VER.

Under normal circumstances, the Chromperfect installer automatically configures licensing correctly during installation.

Licensing issues can arise when:

• The software is installed before the USB key is available

• Licensing is added after installation

• The local license file becomes out of sync with the USB key

Master vs working license file

• The license file on the USB key is always the master copy

• During installation, a working copy of this file is placed on the PC

• This working copy is typically located in:C:\Chromperfect

If a licensing issue occurs, the correct recovery step is to copy the .VER file from the USB key into the Chromperfect directory, overwriting the existing file. A restart of the computer may be required.

Important warning: license files must never be edited

Although .VER files can be opened in a text editor for inspection, they are not text-based licenses.

It can be useful to view basic information such as:

• Serial number

• Licensed options

• Number of supported instruments

However, any attempt to edit a .VER file will instantly corrupt it.

Chromperfect license files are protected and can never be modified to change options or instrument counts.

USB license not detected on one PC but works on another

In some Windows configurations, the USB license key may be assigned the drive letter D:.

Windows often reserves this letter for optical drives (CD/DVD), which can prevent Chromperfect from reliably accessing the license.

Recommended solution

Reassign the USB license key to drive letter E: or higher using Windows Disk Management.

This process may require administrator rights and, in managed environments, assistance from IT support.

“Temporary license has expired” – what it really means

This message can appear even if Chromperfect was previously licensed. It does not indicate that a permanent license has expired.

Common causes include:

• A temporary or demonstration license left in place

• An expired temporary .VER file still being read

• A fingerprint license invalidated by hardware changes

• The USB key not being detected

• The license file being deleted or moved

In all cases, the issue is related to configuration or temporary licensing — not license duration.

If customers experience any licensing problems, they should contact Chromperfect staff via the support form on our website. In normal circumstances, licensing issues can be identified and resolved quickly, allowing systems to be brought back into operation with minimal disruption.

Key takeaways

• Chromperfect licenses do not expire

• No renewals are required

• Licensing issues are almost always configuration-related

• USB licenses provide the greatest flexibility, especially for virtual systems