Thanks for the fast reply. I checked my Magix account, but didn't see any download option. Did I miss something or do it wrong? Did I look in the wrong place?

Update: I checked again and found the download option. I downloaded SF7 again, no problem. But "Sony" still asks for registration, which will not work. This is the same result I got when I reinstalled/repaired SF7 from the original upgrade file I got and saved on my PC. I guess that's it.

@bzan That's odd. I would have guess that Magix changed the installer to connect to their servers instead of Sony's servers.

Of course, you would need a complete reinstallation, not just a repair.

I have only tried a repair. I will consider an uninstall and reinstall. I downloaded the .exe file from the website. I can't do it now. My only concern is that I will lose SF7 if the reinstall still asks for a Sony registration, which has not worked so far. Of course, I could always reinstall SF5 from the original installation disc - assuming that would work without a Sony registration. SF5 would probably be enough for editing only. I don't know what advantages or fixes I would lose if SF7 failed.

As I recall @bzan, early versions of SF had to be installed from a disc (or virtual disc) which 'asked' for the activation serial during installation. All versions need a serial code entered in one way or another. I am not sure if SF-7 activation serial was entered locally during installation or on-line afterwards.

rraud, thanks for getting back. I bought SF-5 in 2004. It came with an installation disc that asked for the SN, which was included. I *think* I registered that online as well with no problem. Not sure anymore. Some time later, I contacted Sony support for some reason. They said there had been problems or bugs with SF-5, so they gave me a free online upgrade to SF-7. I got a new "*HQ" SN. I downloaded SF-7 as instructed and activated the installation with the new SN, which worked. I have kept the downloaded SF-7 program files and upgrade instructions in my software archive. Still there. I did a "repair" of the SF-7 a couple of times now in the hope that that would reactivate my "Save as MP3" ability (it expired the other day). In any case, the repair did nothing. I was asked for the "new" SN, which I used. Then I got the old Sony registration request, which failed. I have checked my Magix account, and the SF-7 is registered with the correct "HQ" upgrade SN. SF-7 is still working, but without the Save as MP3 function. That's the state of affairs. That's why I'm wondering what would happen if I uninstalled and reinstalled SF-7. My fear is that I might be locked out permanently and lose the program.

UPDATE: I took the plunge and uninstalled and reinstalled SF-7 from my archives. Installation OK and the program works. But MP3 rendering is still blocked. I don't think I can fix it. Solution as proposed at the beginning: edit with SF and render MP3's with another program, in my case, Audacity. Thanks for the help and support. I guess we can consider the case closed, although I don't understand why I can't get an MP3 fix for SF-7, considering that MP3 is now open source. Magix support says my software is too old. Frankly, I don't think that's a good excuse.

You might try the 'reset/clear cache' procedure, which has resolved MP3 issues before... I am not sure about SF-7 though. Magix versions of SF has the 'Reset' tool in the 'File' menu, but Sonic Foundry and Sony versions do not. It can be done though just the same.., hold down the 'Ctrl+Shift' keys, whilst launching SF, which will open the reset/clear cache utility.

Otherwise you can upgrade to the current version of SFAS-17 or SFP-18. You can get a discount using your SF-7 serial code when purchasing the upgrade.

You can also use a third-party MP3 encoder, just save your files in the PCM Wave format and encode them afterwards. I personally like WinLAME RC3 UI/encoder which is significantly faster than most encoders in SF. It is also batch capable and you can add HPF (high pass filters), LPF and other parameters which are not available on most MP3 encoders by editing a preset's code.

btw, what do mean by the correct "HQ" ?