The following instructions for solutions to ProShow’s Registration Key activation situation with the “Activation Server is Unavailable” message, banners that display the "Evaluation Copy" or "Use Illegally," and publishing issues was provided by Michael Transon on the Facebook Page Photodex ProShow & Photopia Users Support.
Replace three .dnt files to resolve the "Activation Server is Unavailable" notice:
If ProShow does not accept your registration key, a three .dnt file replacing process will resolve it by bypassing the registration key requirement. Keep the three original files just in case. Go to this link and download the three ProShow files:
To use this patch:
1. Go to the ProShow installation directory, C:\Program Files (x86)\Photodex\Proshow Producer
2. Rename the all.dnt file to all2.dnt (the one already on your C drive, not the new downloaded one. Same goes for the next two files.)
3. Rename the if.dnt file to if2.dnt
4. Rename the pshow.dnt file to pshow2.dnt
5. Copy the three .dnt files from the zip into this same directory
ProShow should work after replacing these three files.
Delete the following files found in the installation directory (C:\Program Files (x86)\Proshow\Producer.) if the "Evaluation Copy" or "Use Illegally" banner displays:
proshow.cfg and proshow.phd
They will be rebuilt when you run ProShow again.
Publishing:
(1) Under the Publish menu (top left) or PUBLISH tab (top right)
(2) Select "For Computers" (do NOT select the "Video For Web, Devices and Computers," "Publish Show, " "YouTube," "Facebook," or other online options.)
(3) Select "Custom Video File"
(4) In "Type" select HD or PC, “Quality” at 1080p, and "Aspect Ratio" at 16:9 etc., or your preference.
(5) Click on "Create"
As Photodex’s server is virtually obsolete now, ProShow will not publish if you select online options such as “Video for Web, Devices…,” or “ProShow Remote App,” because this will link to Photodex's servers, which may not have your customer data transferred, or in operation at all, as explained above, and is the reason for the notices on the screen. Publishing directly to YouTube or other sites is not functional any longer for most users, so publish your shows to your computer or external drive, then upload them to YouTube, etc...
Registration Key Retrieval: go into the Windows registry by navigating the following path (right click on windows, run, then type regedit). This would take you to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Photodex\ProShow\license\install\25 (25 for Producer, 21 for Gold). Your Registration Key should be displayed under "Data".
If your access with ProShow or saved your work through their web option before Photodex closed, then your shows on their server are no longer retrievable. The Music Library is no longer accessible either, although it is still available for some users but not for most.
If none of these processes have resolved the situation for you, then I strongly recommend moving on to Photopia, as there is no other viable solution for a program with its developing company having been closed. Below is the notification of closure from Photodex in January 2020: