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Jeremy Bell Posted
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I purchased Finale 97 back when I was in music school, and I would really love to be able to open all my old scores.  I noticed that the makemusic website says that discounted upgrade price applies to any version, and I thought to myself, could it really be possible that this would apply to a 25 year old version of Finale??  I contacted support, and yes, it does! The only problem is that they need the serial number, and I can't find it.  I have the box and the CD, but I don't see any serial number.  But it occurred to me that I actually have a complete backup of the entire hard drive from the computer that I was using back then, and I'm thinking that surely there must be something in the system folders that has the serial number, or something that tells the software that it is licensed, right?  I asked support, but they didn't know, so I thought maybe someone here might know.  The computer was a 68k Macintosh, and I believe the os was MacOS 8.

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Chad Mathis (he/him/his)

Hello Jeremy,

I'm pleased to say we've located an old account in our records with your serial number. One of our Support agents will be updating the account details and reaching out to you directly via email when everything is all set.

All the best,

Chad Mathis

Manager, MakeMusic Customer Support

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MIKE ROSEN Posted
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The serial number is on the About Finale screen, but if you can’t open the program, obviously you can’t get to it. In my account,  it shows my registrations back to 2002, when I started.

You might ask them if a scan of your box and CD would be accepted. 

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J ADRIAN VERKOUTEREN Posted
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If you saved the receipt (shows how obsessive I am to expect that to be around after 25 years) or if you registered the software and can find the number on the Finale website, you might explore that.

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ERNEST BIGGS Posted
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Your serial number is printed on the CD envelope on a sticker you have to break to get the CD out. If it is any consolation MM has reduced the full, anyone can buy, price to $299.

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ERNEST BIGGS Posted
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" I have the box and the CD, but I don't see any serial number."

 

Like I said it is on the CD envelope. It won't be on the CD or the box. I think it might be on the inside front cover of the manual, too.  Again on a sticker.

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Jeremy Bell Posted
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Wow, what an unexpected surprise!  Thank you so much Chad Mathis (he/him/his)!  Can't wait to open up all my old music again!

~Jeremy

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MIKE HALLORAN Posted
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Once you get all set, there might be some font issues upon opening old files in newer version of Finale. Not to worry, these can all be resolved. The first step is normally substituting current fonts till you find ones that display properly. If you have problems with this, contact Support directly and they can help you.

 

I can open everything I ever created in Finale going back to 1989 but there were a few Font substitution and Save as… issues over the decades.

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Jeremy Bell Posted
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Thanks Mike, and everyone else who offered their suggestions. I got the upgrade and opened a couple of my old scores, and so far so good! What a fun trip down memory lane!

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ERNEST BIGGS Posted
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