Since version 3.4.0 all WMI related problems are gone! The new IP method solves all activation problems that you might've had before. Simply make sure that the old method is deactivated in the settings:
Preferences > Miscellaneous > [ ] Use WMI IP activation method
For new installations it's deactivated by default.

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If you don't want to update to the latest version, here are some advices concerning WMI problems:

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General WMI-Related Problems

NetSetMan uses the Windows WMI interface since version 2.0. If the activation process in NetSetMan stops with the message "Activating..." then this interface might be disabled or corrupted.

There can be different reasons for this failure so there are different possibilities how to solve it. Therefore several solution methods are described below. Follow these instructions one by one. After each attempt try if the problem has been solved already. All commands can be executed by Windows command line (Start > Run > cmd). Particularly with Vista/7 you'll need to run it with administrator privileges. (Start > Type cmd > Right-click the result > "Run as administrator").

1. Method 1: Check WMI Service
   The WMI Service is required. Check if it's running.
   1. Open the Services dialog. (Start > Run > services.msc)
   2. Find Windows Management Instrumentation. (name may differ in other languages)
   3. Check if the Startup Type is set to Automatic and Status to Started.
   4. If it's already running then the WMI Repository might be corrupted and should be fixed by one of the following methods.
2. Method 2: Repair WMI
   In the simplest case, the following command (that is different for each OS) will solve the problem:
   
   • Vista/7: winmgmt /salvagerepository
   • WinXP (SP2): rundll32 wbemupgd, UpgradeRepository
   • Win2000: rundll32 wbemupgd, RepairWMISetup
3. Method 3: Recreate WMI Repository
   If repairing didn't help, try recreating the WMI Repository.
   1. First stop the service mentioned above (Right-click > Stop)
   2. Then remove the Repository folder by renaming it to keep a backup:
      rename %SystemRoot%\System32\wbem\Repository Repository.backup
   3. Now reboot to recreate the files automatically.
      
4. Method 4: Re-register WMI components
   All .dll and .exe files used by WMI are located in %windir%\system32\wbem and may need to be re-registered. In case of a 64bit OS this might be affected as well: %windir%\sysWOW64\wbem.
   To re-register the components execute those three commands one by one:
   
   • cd /d %windir%\system32\wbem
   • for %i in (*.dll) do RegSvr32 -s %i
   • for %i in (*.exe) do %i /RegServer
5. Method 5: Complete WMI re-installation
   If none of the previous methods helped or if the WMI service is not available at all, a complete WMI re-installation is required.
   
   1. Insert your Windows CD. It must include the installed Service Pack!
   2. Click Start > Run > Type:
      rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection WBEM 132 %windir%\inf\wbemoc.inf
   3. Reboot.

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Since changing network settings is an administrative procedure, NetSetMan requires administrator privileges to work correctly. You have the following possibilities:

1. Normal: As long as you work with a Windows user account with administrator privileges, you don't have to do anything special. NetSetMan will work without any preparations.
   
   
2. Admin-Mode: As soon as you start NetSetMan with limited privileges, a dialog will appear pointing out the problem. You then have the possibility to enter a user name and a password of an account with administrator privileges which will be saved encrypted in the settings-file so NetSetMan can use them to start itself with the required privileges.
   
   
3. Service: Since version 2.5.0 you also can use the NSM Service as an alternative to the Admin-Mode. It is a special service that provides NetSetMan with the required privileges. You can control the service using the services dialog (services.msc) where you can stop or restart it.
   If you get the error "Invalid signature", make sure the program exe hasn't been modified and the group policy "Turn off Automatic Root Certificates Update" is deactivated.
   Since version 3.5.0 the NSM Service is no longer available as a separate download but is part of the installation package and can optionally be activated in Preferences > System Privileges.
   

Since Vista there's the special case where a user that is logged in as an administrator doesn't automatically work with administrator privileges. When NetSetMan is started it asks for elevated privileges and therefore causes an UAC (= User Account Control) notification which has to be confirmed, otherwise the above mentioned dialog will appear. To avoid UAC notifications you have the following possibilities:

1. Deactivate UAC: By deactivating UAC you'll have the same Windows behavior as you know it from previous Windows versions, i.e. without UAC prompts.
   Perform these steps: Click Start > Run > MSCONFIG.EXE > Tools > "Disable User Account Control"
   As an alternative you can exclude NetSetMan from UAC observations. That procedure is slightly complicated and is described here.
   
   
2. Service: Here as well the NSM Service can be the solution. Activate the service as described in the first section part 3 and NetSetMan won't ever cause an UAC notification again.
   
   
3. Run at Startup: If NetSetMan is started together with Windows and only this UAC notification shall be removed, the following workaround can do the trick. You then don't have to install the service.
   Start -> Enter "Task Scheduler" -> Choose "Create Task" from the right panel -> Under "Triggers" click "New..." and choose "At log on" -> Under "General" check "Run with highest privileges" -> Under "Actions" set the program path to NetSetMan and enter "-h" as the argument, so that NetSetMan is started minimized -> Deactivate the auto-start setting in NetSetMan
   An extended description of this procedure with screenshots can be found here.
   

What is IPv6?

The Internet Protocol (IP) as you currently know it has an address format like 192.168.0.1 and is officially called IPv4. Generally speaking that's what makes your local network and also the Internet work. After about 30 years of existence there are new requirements that only can be met by a new version of that protocol: IPv6. It covers everything we need today and a long time ahead. IPv6 is quite easy to recognize having a complete different syntax like fe80::21c:23ff:fe9c:efd3/64.

Do I need it?

If you never heard about it until now you don't need it for now. IPv6 will most likely get more popular around 2011/12. However, there are already use cases right now. If you're a pioneer in the IPv6 area you might want to use the IPv6 features that NetSetMan has to offer.

What IPv6 features does NetSetMan have?

You can assign manual address configurations in profiles as you are already used to with all the other settings. Additionally you can generate valid IPv6 addresses based on the selected IPv6 types.
More features are planned and will come step by step.

What do I need to use IPv6?

If you have Windows Vista or later, IPv6 is already a part of your operating system.

If you're using XP, you need to have SP1 (better SP2/SP3) installed. IPv6 is then installed in a deactivated form. If you really want to use it, you need to activate it by opening the command line (Win+R > cmd.exe) and typing:
netsh interface ipv6 install

If you change your mind at a later point, you can always deactivate it again by typing:
netsh interface ipv6 uninstall

If you have use for IPv6 management and have some comments for the IPv6 features in NetSetMan, please send an email with your thoughts!

NetSetMan Pro has its own functions for adding a computer to a domain. Follow the short instructions to make use of it. If you for some reason have problems joining a domain, you can use the alternative method described below.

1. Check the checkbox besides "/ Domain".
2. Enter your domain name in the top field. (e.g. "domain.local")
3. Enter your user name in the field below. (e.g. "Username")
   Usually it's enough to enter the pure user name.
   If you get an error you can try entering one of the two following standards as your user name:
   a) NETBIOS: DOMAIN\user
   b) UPN: user@domain.local
   
4. Press [P] and enter the password for the user name from step 2.
   
   If you get an error message or you are not connected properly to the domain then please do the following additional steps for the alternative method (available for NetSetMan Pro 2.3.4 and later, does not work for Windows 7):
5. Download this zip-file.
6. Extract its content to the program folder of NetSetMan Pro. It will automatically detect and use it instead of its own domain functions.

Important Notes:

• In NT domains a user can only be member of exactly one domain at the same time. This means that by joining another domain or a workgroup your membership in the previous domain is lost until your system is rejoined.
• NetSetMan can only join you to a domain if your domain user account has the permission to do so.
  This user account privilege is called "Add Workstation to Domain" and must be enabled on your account. If you don't have this privilege, please ask your network administrator to grant you that.
• Using the domain feature might add a domain functional level information to the logon screen, so instead of "domain.local" you will see "domain.local (Windows 2000)". If you want to remove this information again (although it has no effect on the functionality) you need to delete the registry key "DCacheShowDomainTags" from [HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon].
• For Windows 7 and later PowerShell 2.0 is used to join a domain. You'll recognize its use by the output "PS" in the log. PowerShell 2.0 is also available for earlier Windows versions. However, it needs to be installed manually which is not recommended for novice users due to a high difficulty level.

How do I distribute the settings?

NetSetMan uses the file "settings.ini" to store all profiles and program settings. Some facts worth knowing:

1. The file is located directly in the program folder.
2. You only need to back-up this file to include all settings.
3. Each NIC on any system has its own unique ID allowing to allocate it directly. Therefore copying the settings file to another system makes the included NIC list useless for the moment.
   
   Since version 3.0.0 NetSetMan is able to update this list automatically keeping all NIC assignments valid, IF the required NICs are named exactly the same on the second system as on the first one. To change NIC names go to Windows Control Panel > Network Connections.
   
   So make sure the NIC names are the same on all systems before distributing the file settings.ini.

How do I distribute the licenses?

NetSetMan Pro saves the license information in the file "lic.dat" directly in the program folder. Some information worth knowing:

• The file lic.dat is system-bound. Instead of the serial number it contains two different hash codes. It is not possible to retain the actual serial number from this information. If you copy this file to another system, you will be required to enter the serial number once again. This makes it impossible to steal it from your system by an unauthorized person.
• Accordingly it is not possible to distribute a normal license file in your company network to all clients you own a license for. Since version 3.0.2 there's a solution for this, too. You have the possibility to create a master license file to make the distribution of a large license package in your company network much easier.
  
  Simply follow these steps:
  1. Copy the following content into an empty text file (e.g. using Notepad):

     [settings]
     RegName=
     RegEmail=
     RegLicenses=
     RegSerial=

  2. Enter the license information in each line after the according equal-sign exactly as you received it. Make sure that none of the values begins or ends with space characters!
  3. Save the file as "lic.dat" somewhere outside the program folder. This is now already your master license file!
  4. In case you have already registered the program on the current system skip this step: Copy that file into the program folder and run NetSetMan Pro. The license dialog should not appear. At the first start the master license file will be converted into a normal, system-bound license file. It can't be copied to other systems anymore.
  5. Configure NetSetMan Pro as you require it. Create profiles and set up all settings. As soon as you are done exit the program.
  6. Now copy the master license file again into the program folder overwriting the existing one. Now do not run the program anymore!
  7. This program folder now contains the program, the set-up configuration file and the master license file. It can now be distributed to other systems without having to enter the license information again manually.

Why does the registration process fail?

If after entering your license information and clicking the OK button nothing happens or the entry fields flash then the license information is not correct. Please make sure you've entered the information exactly as provided in the license email (including the same upper and lower case!).

Is it possible to change the license information at a later point of time?

No. As soon as the license information has been issued and sent it cannot be modified anymore. Please be very careful when providing your information during the order process as this information is going to be used for the license. In case your email address or your (company) name changed at some later point of time this won't influence your already existing license(s). The license information cannot be changed, but of course continues to be valid.

Is it possible to resend my license information?

The license is delivered by email shortly after your payment. With the delivery your order is completed. Please keep your license information in a safe place and create a digital and printout backup as there is no claim for repeating deliveries. As an additional service the license information is currently kept available for the customer for two years and can be resend through the customer area. This option is not available for older orders and free upgrades.

May I use NetSetMan for free working at a school / university / non-profit organization?

The Non-Commercial Freeware version of NetSetMan is free for non-commercial purposes only (= private or voluntary). In sum: You may use the product for free as long as you don't save paid time. This includes for example using the product at work or on a commercially used laptop. If you would like to use the product for commercial purposes, you are required to purchase a NetSetMan Pro license.
There is no special regulation for educational institutions. Professors and teachers may only use the Non-Commercial Freeware version if they're working in an honorary capacity, i.e. unpaid.