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Activating VMware Fusion fails with the error: Invalid Serial number
Symptoms
Cannot activate Fusion
Activating Fusion fails
You see the error: Invalid Serial number
Resolution
This issue occurs when Fusion does not recognize the license key you have entered as a valid serial number.
To resolve this issue, try each of the following steps, in order:
Check the number of characters in the serial number:
For Fusion 3.x, the serial number consists of 25 characters.
For Fusion 1.x and 2.x, the serial number consists of 20 characters.
Ensure that the serial number you are entering has:
No letter O; use the number 0 instead.
No letter I; use the number 1 instead.
If you have purchased a CD, verify that the serial number you entered matches the license key provided (usually on the CD sleeve).
Verify that the serial number entered matches the license key provided in the VMware account management portal. For more information, see Locating VMware Serial Number online (1005509).
Restart your Mac, and try entering the serial number again.
Note: Virtual machines are not deleted when you reinstall Fusion.
Additional Information
VMware Fusion 2.0.7 is a maintenance release for VMware Fusion 2 and is a free upgrade for VMware Fusion 1 and 2. It accepts 20-character license keys from Fusion 2.0.x and 25-character license keys from Fusion 3.x.
If you have bought Fusion 3.x, but want to use Fusion 2.x in your production environment, the Fusion 2.0.7 licensing mechanism accepts and interprets the 25-character Fusion 3.x license key along with the 20-character key from Fusion 2.0.x. For more information, see VMware Fusion 2 Release notes.
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