Patent ID: 7890950

Claim:
A method comprising: using one or more computer processors, receiving at a server, a transfer activation control command from a first machine; directing, by the server, responsive to the transfer activation control command, the following activities, the directing including updating a data structure in a database at the server; a standard uninstall of software from the first machine responsive to a determination that the license to the software is valid on the first machine, and that the software is not activated on the first machine, and that an advanced uninstall option has not been selected, the standard uninstall of the software comprising removing data associated with the software on the first machine that were added to the first machine as part of installation of the software, but enabling a user to reinstall the copy of the software on the first machine without reactivating the software, the enabling a user to reinstall including not removing data related to the activation of the copy of the software; performing a transfer activation of the software from the first machine responsive to a determination: that a standard uninstall is not to be performed, and that a license to the software is valid on the first machine, and that the software is activated on the first machine; performing an advanced uninstall of the software from the first machine responsive to a determination that the transfer activation was successful, the advanced uninstall comprising removing data associated with the software on the first machine that were added to the first machine as part of the installation of the software, but precluding a user from cyclically installing and uninstalling the software to stay within a trial period, the precluding a user from cyclically installing and uninstalling including not removing an indicator that the software had previously been installed on the first machine and the time of the installation; and enabling the installation of the software on a second machine.