problems likely with a new hard drive?

[JimFernley]

Hi all.
I just joined & I'm hoping to get some info on my D8b.
I have no paperwork regarding licence codes for my OS or plug ins. I am running OS 5.1 & have a back up copy on floppy, & there is no fx cards installed, the software appears on the screen after the console has finished booting. I've been informed that should the hard drive fail, then the OS is no longer supported and licenses are no longer dealt with by Mackie. Also, if any plugins need authorising, it’s extremely unlikely they could be recovered, & the desk would only run in demo mode if the system had a replacement drive. I did email Mackie but so far they have been silent.
Is this the case?
Thanks, in advance.
James

[Bill Roper]

Use the FTP Server functionality of the d8b CPU to back up your hard drive. With a bit of work, you'll be able to capture all of the license files that were written to the disk as the OS and various plug-ins were unlocked.

If you then put those files back in the right spots on the disk after installing the software on the new hard drive, it *should* unlock everything for you again.

[JimFernley]

Thank you Bill. Is this an easy task? I have no idea where the licence info is likely to be stored in the OS file system. It also doesn't sound like its a 100% guaranteed fix. Has anyone actually done this?