Spinner Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Hi all, I need to buy AutoCAD soon for business purposes. An old version would do. A family friend has offered his copy of AutoCAD LT 2002. My initial reaction was that it is not possible to transfer AutoCAD to another person. Most of what I read on the Internet indicates that Autodesk maintain an iron-like grip on their software. However, the friend pointed out that he never registered the software. He installed it, had a look at it, and never ended up using it. His business ceased trading / never got off the ground and hence his copy was never used. Bearing all this in mind, is there any chance that it will be possible to transfer his version to me? Is there a transfer form that I can fill out? I'm in the UK, by the way. Thanks, and apologies if the answer is obvious and this thread is a waste of time. Spinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 You are smart to doubt it Spinner, and yes, Autodesk is not famous for being kind when it comes to transferring licenses. I am afraid that I don't have an answer for you. What I would recommend is to contact the reseller where your friend bought it and see what they say, be open about how the situation is and see what options you may have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankman Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Autodesk certainly frowns on license transfers as Tiger stated above. If your friend can talk to his reseller, perhaps you two could work something out. Keep in mind, Autodesk no longer supports '02. You might try loading the program and call the reseller if any problems jump out at you. If all goes well, you could contact the reseller explaining the situation. If you have problems installing, call the reseller. This might be in your best interests should you ever decide to upgrade to a newer version of Autocad. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Ferral Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 You should consider that 2002 won't open the current .DWG file format, so if you want to swap information with others you may be limited. Also bear in mind that an upgrade from 2002 might not be possible, because it is no longer supported. You will need to look into this before February, when Autodesk's pricing policy changes. An upgrade will cost 50% of the price of a new licence. Autodesk is trying to get us all on subscription... ... And why would you want 2002 anyway!? It wasn't even that good a release! I recommend that you look into buying a new licence of Autocad/Inventor suite LT 2010. That is a worthwhile package... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cad64 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 You should consider that 2002 won't open the current .DWG file format, so if you want to swap information with others you may be limited. No limitation. Just download the free DWG Trueconvert and you will be able to convert any version dwg file down to 2000 format to open in 2002. Also bear in mind that an upgrade from 2002 might not be possible, because it is no longer supported. You will need to look into this before February, when Autodesk's pricing policy changes. An upgrade will cost 50% of the price of a new licence. Autodesk is trying to get us all on subscription... Not true. An upgrade from any version is always possible because you are not actually upgrading the software, you are just moving to a newer version. Autodesk also offers a Legacy Program for those that are still using the older versions. ... And why would you want 2002 anyway!? It wasn't even that good a release! I recommend that you look into buying a new licence of Autocad/Inventor suite LT 2010. That is a worthwhile package... What's wrong with 2002? It's an old version, but it does what it's supposed to do. And why would someone buy Inventor unless they actually needed all of that functionality? Why pay extra for something that you have no use for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Smith Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 So you and your buddy get together one afternoon at your office. He brings his copy of 2002 and you install it on your machine. While you reminisce about that time you ... you attempt to register the software with AutoDesk. If it works and you get a verification code back, you cut him a check or hand him some cash and he buys the beer. If AutoDesk won't register the software, he sees the email proving that his software is worthless and you buy the beer while you commiserate with him over his failed business and what jerks AutoDesk are. Glen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Ferral Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 That's one way to approach it! To come back on Cad64's comments... No limitation. Just download the free DWG Trueconvert and you will be able to convert any version dwg file down to 2000 format to open in 2002. 'Limited', not impossible. you can convert a file using DWG trueview. But you might loose information from newer features such as dynamic blocks or Annotative dimensions. This might not be a problem if you are the end user of the information... but it could be an issue if you need to collaborate with someone else who is using a newer version. Not true. An upgrade from any version is always possible because you are not actually upgrading the software, you are just moving to a newer version. Autodesk also offers a Legacy Program for those that are still using the older versions. It's my understanding that you can only buy an upgrade to the current release (2010) from 2007, 2008 or 2009. But you are right in saying that technically this would be a new version of the software with a new license. Only the purchase price is an issue, there is no technical barrier. The legacy program is not available in the UK What's wrong with 2002? It's an old version, but it does what it's supposed to do.And why would someone buy Inventor unless they actually needed all of that functionality? Why pay extra for something that you have no use for? Lol, 2002 is ok! Inventor LT is bundled with Autocad LT in the new 'Autodesk LT Suite'. I have no idea whether this will cost more than Autocad LT on it's own, currently 'LT Suite' is only available in the UK through Autodesk resellers. Previous to being bundled with Autocad LT, Inventor LT was given away for free via the Autodesk Labs site (Although this preview wasn't available in the UK). Presuming that it does cost the same why not have that extra functionality thrown in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cad64 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 you can convert a file using DWG trueview. But you might loose information from newer features such as dynamic blocks or Annotative dimensions. This might not be a problem if you are the end user of the information... but it could be an issue if you need to collaborate with someone else who is using a newer version. We collaborate with other offices, who use 2004 or older software. We send them our file which they use as a base for creating their file. Then they send us their file which we insert back into our drawings. We never get our "dumbed down" file back. That's only for their use. I guess if you were working side by side with another office, sending a single file back and forth, compatibility would be a problem though. I don't know how much Inventor LT retails for? I can't seem to find a price on the Autodesk website. I can't imagine it would sell for the same price as Autocad LT, but if it does, there's no harm in getting the added features. Even if you don't use them right now, you might in the future. Spinner, is your friend selling you the software or just giving it to you? If he's just giving it to you, then I don't see any reason why you couldn't use it. Autocad can be installed on any computer. It doesn't necessarily have to be installed on the computer of the person who purchased it. As long as he's not using it, and it's not installed on any other computers, I don't see why you couldn't use his license. But that's just my opinion. I have no proof that Autodesk will feel the same way I do, so venture forth at your own risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Spinner, is your friend selling you the software or just giving it to you? If he's just giving it to you, then I don't see any reason why you couldn't use it. Autocad can be installed on any computer. It doesn't necessarily have to be installed on the computer of the person who purchased it. As long as he's not using it, and it's not installed on any other computers, I don't see why you couldn't use his license. But that's just my opinion. I have no proof that Autodesk will feel the same way I do, so venture forth at your own risk. Thanks for all the replies. My friend's just giving it to us; he's got no need of it and he wants to do us a good turn . He's not using it himself. I can't see any moral reason why it shouldn't be done, but not being a lawyer, I'm unsure of the legal position. We could buy AutoCAD 2009 LT...but it is £900+, money's tight and we're not a CAD business, we just need a version compatible with a third-party program to ease business workflow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankman Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 So you and your buddy get together one afternoon at your office. He brings his copy of 2002 and you install it on your machine. While you reminisce about that time you ... you attempt to register the software with AutoDesk. If it works and you get a verification code back, you cut him a check or hand him some cash and he buys the beer. If AutoDesk won't register the software, he sees the email proving that his software is worthless and you buy the beer while you commiserate with him over his failed business and what jerks AutoDesk are. Glen Glen, made my day. Just ran across your post. Ain't that the truth! :wink: Camp Lejeune, NC 2nd Marine Div. ~ '64-'68 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukecad Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Do you NEED to register it with Autodesk? It's not like you are gouing to ask for upgrades or support from them. I'd say just install it and use it, forget registering it. I've done this in the past with a second hand 2000i and never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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