I have been working with Avid Xpress 5.5 (academic version) for a year now on my PC desktop/ Windows. The installer guide said that the program would work with both Windows and Mac.

On my new MacbookPro (MA896LL/A 15", 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAMI can install the program but the system won't recognize the dongle. I have tried several times to reinstall and I have always copied my original DBhelper.exf file into the utilities/dongle dumper file and ran the dongle updater.

The system won't accept the dongle. Error message: there is no dongle connected to the system. Since this is an academic version, I cannot upgrade it - as far as I know.

What version of OSX?

OSX 10.4.11

Please check the version matrix for the correct OS/Avid combo. You need to be running OS 10.4.6 and QT 7.1.

If you want to go up to 10.4.11, you will need to upgrade your dongle.

Thanks. I checked the version matrix but it is for Avid Media Composer only. How can I find the matrix for Avid Xpress Pro?

I cannot update my dongle. When I go online it says: "you already updated this dongle." It is an academic version and it came with the dongle and one upgrade serial number.

Let me face it: did I buy this Macbook pro for editing and I can't use my Avid Xpress - but have to buy a new version????

Here are all my specs. Macbook pro 3.1, 2,4 Ghz Intel Core2, GeForce 8600M GT, QT 7.4.

Would be happy about some advise. My editing job is coming up and I am not ready.

To upgrade your dongle, you have to buy the upgrade. Have you done  that?

You can absolutely use that Macbook Pro. You just have to get the Hardware and software synced. As far as the version matrix, I posted the 'Pro matrix in the Mac FAQ at the top of this forum. In general, though, just swap the "2" in the MC matrix for a "5" and you have the 'Pro matrix.

So, here are your options. Either back-rev your Macbook Pro to 10.4.6 (I assume, since you said you have 10.4.11, that you have access to Tiger disks) or you can pay to upgrade to the current version of software and run it on 10.4.11.

Well if it's a Mac with an Intel chip, it's not going to work with anything below XPress 5.7. The OS version is not the problem...

Well that's true too. Didn't even think about that. guess upgrading is your path then.

I just ran into this same problem on my Mac.  OSX 10.4.11 Halfway through a project AVID express pro tells me the dongle has expired. I checked with AVID and they don't make a patch for this.

My question is if I go back the the original tiger disks and reinstall, will I lose all the work I have done on my project? Is there another way to  go back to 10.4.6?

Your Avid Project and media files won't be overwritten if you have the option to Archive and Install when you go back to 10.4.6., however that may not be an option.  Best bet would be to make a backup of your boot disk and use the migration assistant to restore applications and user folders.  You can manually copy the OMFI MediaFiles or Avid MediaFiles folder from your backup to the boot disk if that was where they resided before.

I'm tired of this Mac vs AVID.  Two of the stations in my town have switched to final cut. So I guess it is time.

When you do, do yourself a favor and turn automatic updates off. Like Avid software, FCP will not run on each and every version of the Mac OS.

mongoneo,

There's another possiblity here. If you can go back to 10.4.6 and your dongle works, then it is, indeed, the sentinal drivers causing the problem. However, if you go back to that version and still have the same "expired" error, then all you will need is to get a dongle updater file from support to reactivate your dongle.