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Installing when no internet


Erwin

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Am often traveling with no or slow internet.  What is the best way to install a CM2 game on a system with no internet?

Eg: When one downloads a CM2 product, can that be copied to a flash drive and installed from there?  Or, can one copy an installed CM2 game to a flash drive and then to another computer where there is no internet access?

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Yes, you can copy the installer to a USB drive and install on other computers.

No, you cannot install to a USB drive and run it on other computers.

On any computer you install to you will have to activate it. There is no getting around that. I have never activated without internet access. So, I have no personal experience. I recommend that you contact support to get thier guidence if the activation instructions are not clear.

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So even if one installs via a USB, one still needs internet to activate? 

Installing from a USB... does the "installer" contain the whole game - ie: one doesn't need to make any other large downloads(?).   That's the main concern when one has slow or dodgy internet.

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The installer that you download has everything you need. So, it you have the full installer than you need no additional software.

Activation needs access to a server to verify your key. No significant download happens during this process. The DRM will squirrel away information on the computer you activate on in a separate location from the install itself.

If you have some kind of Internet access you can likely get the activation process to work. So, if you bring the downloaded installer with you on a USB drive you can likely succeed.

However there are a limited number of activations you can do with a given key. How many new computers are you planning to install on? Keep in mind that there is no unactivate process.

 

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My question is not so much about the number of computers but whether one can install a CM2 game on a computer that has no internet access from a USB (and obviously play the game on that computer).  

I think you said that one cannot have an activated CM2 game on a USB that can then be played on another computer, yes?  

Can one have an activated CM2 game on a USB that can then be transferred to a computer with no internet access and then played?

Am 1) Trying to avoid having to d/l multiple copies to 2 or 3 computers which might upset certain servers re bandwidth usage, and 2) Trying to figure out if I can play a CM2 game on a system that has no internet connection.

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No,  you cannot install the game to a USB drive and activate it and then move it to another computer. The copy-protection system will recognize that it is running on an unactivated computer and come up with an error. The activation is associated with the particular OS (Windows or Mac) that the activation occurs on and NOT with the game files themselves. This allows you to uninstall and delete the game(s) completely and reinstall them and still remain activated (unless you reinstall your OS from scratch or something similar that deletes the activation).

If you have the installer(s), then copy it to your laptop and then install the game(s) (the installer can be used on multiple computers - there's nothing unique about them). However once you have installed the game, you will need an internet connection on that laptop in order to activate the game. There used to be a 'manual activation' process with the original copy-protection system that came with CMBN 1.x, but I believe that has disappeared with the latest versions of the copy-protection system. With the 'manual activation' you would generate a license code (once your license key was entered) and send that to support, who in turn would send a 'code' back that would be entered, completing the activation process (communicating on a computer that had an internet connection).

Once the game(s) is/are installed and activated, then you can play them WITHOUT an internet connection. There's very little data involved with an activation and it would be insignificant with any metered/limited data connection.

Edited by Schrullenhaft
Clarify some points.
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