The Hardware Information Does — Not Match With Your Dongle Please Contact Autodata ((new))

Troubleshooting Guide: "Hardware Information Does Not Match With Your Dongle"

✅ Troubleshooting Steps (for user/technician)

8) Preventive measures

• Keep backups of any licence or purchase emails and dongle registration info.
• Avoid using USB hubs; plug dongle directly to PC.
• Keep AUTODATA and dongle firmware up to date via official channels.
• Use a dedicated machine for AUTODATA to avoid driver conflicts.
• Record system and dongle serial details on receipt to speed support.

5. Disable Automatic Windows Updates

A major Windows feature update (e.g., going from 21H2 to 22H2) can reset hardware IDs. Set your diagnostic PC to "Semi-Annual Channel" or defer updates for 30 days.

📞 Example message to AutoData support

“Dear AutoData Support,
I am receiving error: ‘The hardware information does not match with your dongle.’
Dongle S/N: [XXXXX]
No hardware changes were made recently (or: I replaced my hard drive).
Please advise how to re-sync the dongle to my current PC hardware.
Thank you.”

If you need further help identifying whether the dongle is genuine or how to extract the current hardware ID, let me know and I can guide you step by step.

The error message "The hardware information does not match with your dongle, please contact Autodata" indicates a security verification failure between the Autodata software and the physical USB license key (dongle). This typically occurs due to corrupted driver settings, incorrect software installation, or hardware identification conflicts. Primary Causes

Driver Conflicts: Windows may automatically assign an incorrect driver if the dongle is plugged in before the software is installed.

Corrupted Registry Settings: Mismatched information between the computer's registry and the dongle's unique hardware ID.

Outdated Firmware: The dongle’s internal software or the Sentinel driver may be too old to communicate with your current version of Autodata.

USB Power Issues: Windows may disable the USB port to save power, causing the software to lose the connection to the dongle during operation. Troubleshooting Steps Restart and Reinstall Drivers:

Disconnect the dongle and uninstall any existing Sentinel drivers.

Restart your computer—this is a critical step for modern Windows versions (7/8/10) to clear temporary hardware states.

Reinstall the software or the specific Sentinel driver before reconnecting the dongle. Keep backups of any licence or purchase emails

Run as Administrator: Always right-click the Autodata shortcut and select "Run as Administrator" to ensure the software has sufficient permissions to read the dongle's hardware ID.

Adjust Regional Settings: Some versions of Autodata require your computer's Regional Settings to be set to English (United States) to correctly parse license information.

Check USB Power Management: Open Device Manager, locate your USB Root Hubs, and under "Power Management," uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". Official Support

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you should contact the Autodata Support Team directly to verify your license status or replace a faulty dongle. Dongle Error Codes - GRAFIS Software eGbR

Request

Please advise how to reset or update the hardware ID linked to this dongle, or provide a replacement license/reactivation if the dongle is tied to now-changed hardware.

Contact info:
Name: [Your name]
Company: [Your company/shop name]
Phone: [Your number]
Autodata license/account number: [if any]

Attachment: Screenshot of error message

The error "The hardware information does not match with your dongle" typically occurs when the Autodata software (often version 3.45) fails to recognize the security license linked to your computer's unique hardware ID. This can be caused by regional setting conflicts, lack of administrative privileges, or driver issues. Quick Fixes & Troubleshooting 1. Enable Compatibility Mode

This is the most common solution for modern operating systems like Windows 10 or 11.

Right-click the Autodata desktop shortcut or the executable in C:\ADCDA2. Select Properties > Compatibility tab. changing USB ports

Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and select Windows XP (Service Pack 3). Check the box for Run this program as an administrator. Click Apply and then OK. 2. Adjust Regional Settings

Autodata 3.45 is highly sensitive to system date and language formats. If your regional settings are not set to "English (United States)," the software may fail to validate the license.

Open the Control Panel and go to Region or Regional and Language Options. Change the Format to English (United States).

Ensure your system date format matches the US standard (MM/DD/YYYY). 3. Reinstall or Reset the Sentinel Driver

The software uses a Sentinel protection driver to communicate with the virtual or physical dongle. If the driver is corrupted, the hardware check will fail. Unplug any physical USB dongles if present.

Uninstall the current Sentinel Protection Installer via "Apps & Features".

Reinstall the driver (often named SentinelDriver or found in the installation folder) by running it as Administrator.

Restart your computer—this is a critical step for the driver to initialize properly on Windows 7, 8, and 10. 4. Regenerate the License (If using an Emulator)

If you are using an emulator rather than a physical dongle, the virtual license might be tied to a different hardware ID (UID).

Run the GetUid64 or GetUid utility as Administrator to generate a new unique ID. lack of administrative privileges

Use this new ID to generate a fresh registry license file (.reg). Run the new registry file and restart the emulator. Summary Table of Error Causes OS Incompatibility Use Windows XP SP3 Compatibility Mode Language Conflicts Set Region to English (United States) Permission Denied Run both the installer and the app as Administrator Driver Corruption Reinstall Sentinel Protection drivers and reboot Autodata 3.45_Free for All - Страница 10

3. Run the dongle management tool (if available)

Some AutoData versions include a utility like HASPUserSetup.exe or Sentinel HASP/LDK. Run it to update drivers and view dongle info.

Expected Behavior

The dongle should be recognized, and Autodata should launch without hardware mismatch errors.

Sample Email Script to AutoData Support:

Subject: Urgent: Error 0xXXXXXXXX - "Hardware info does not match with dongle" - License Key #[Your Dongle ID]

Dear AutoData Support,

Our workshop is currently unable to access AutoData due to the error: "The hardware information does not match with your dongle. Please contact AutoData."

Dongle S/N: [Insert number] AutoData Version: [e.g., AutoData 2018 v3.45] Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 22H2 Recent changes: We replaced a faulty RAM stick last week (no motherboard change).

We have already tried reinstalling Sentinel drivers, changing USB ports, and testing on another PC (same error). Please advise on how to reset the hardware binding or provide a license reset file.

Thank you for your urgent assistance.