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Cubase 9.5 “No Valid License Found” Error Solved: Simple eLicenser Re-seating Fix

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Cubase not opening no valid license found

Hi Paul. Cubase is not opening. When I double-click the icon I get an error message that says ‘No Valid License Found’. Then the app shuts down. Its weird because I have a license and it was working yesterday. What can I do? – BC

I received the above message from an existing client and arranged a time to connect for a remote support session.

Once I was remotely viewing my client’s desktop, I asked him to open Cubase and show me the problem.

My client was using an old version of Cubase (9.5) which uses the eLicenser based licensing system. I opened my client’s eLicenser app and to check the status of his Cubase licenses.

I could see that there was no license showing and no eLicenser showing as connected to my client’s PC. I asked my client if he could see the eLicenser USB dongle plugged into his PC and he told me it was in the back of his tower PC under his desk. 

I pulled up a picture of the eLicenser on Google Images to show my client what he was looking for:

I asked him to go under his desk and pull the dongle out of his USB socket and then plug it back in again. 

Once he had done this, I checked the eLicenser Control Centre again and was pleased to see that the dongle was showing as connected and displaying a valid Cubase 9.5 license.

My client was delighted that the solution turned out to be something so simple and that he didn’t need to contact Steinberg to try to recover his license. I explained that with Steinberg’s new licensing system it wouldn’t be possible to recover a Cubase 9.5 license so he should be very careful to keep his USB dongle safe.

Additional Support

I advised that if the problem occurred again, it was likely something wrong with the USB socket. My client’s options were:

  • Use a different USB socket on the PC
  • Clean the USB sockets with a can of compressed air
  • Replace the faulty USB PCI board
  • Buy a USB hub
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