Cannot Activate SmarterStats

Although most customers find the installation and activation of SmarterStats easy and trouble-free, there is a possibility that you may experience an issue when trying to activate the software. If you receive an activation error similar to "There was a problem with your activation. Please contact sales@smartertools.com for assistance," there are a couple of things you can do to resolve it. Find some troubleshooting tips below. 

• If the system permissions are not set properly, SmarterStats will not be able to activate. For Windows Server 2003 and 2008, the NETWORK SERVICE user needs Full Control over all of these folders. In addition, in 64-bit operating systems, the paths below may be C:\Program Files (x86). Check the permissions on the following directories:
  • C:\Program Files\SmarterTools\SmarterStats\MRS\App_Data
  • C:\Program Files\SmarterTools\SmarterStats\MRS\App_Themes
  • C:\Program Files\SmarterTools\SmarterStats\MRS\Temp
  • C:\Windows\Temp
• You may also need to add https://www.smartertools.com and the SmarterStats URL to the list of trusted sites in Internet Explorer. Also, try and clear the browser cache.
• Make sure the outbound ports 443 (HTTPS) and 80 (HTTP) are not blocked.
• Disable FIPS on the server as SmarterStats cannot be activated with this enabled.
• Make sure the system clock is set to the correct time and date.
• Confirm that the version you are trying to activate is the same version that the license key is for.

Learn more about SmarterStats, one of the best Google Analytics alternatives.