FAQ

We no longer offer a TSG product called “Viewer”.  Instead, we offer one product called “TSG Base”.  You can get it for free via the “Get TSG 8” link on the TSG 8 Pricing page.  It functions as a Viewer.

Get TSG Base for free if you don’t have it already, then buy time for it.
We don’t offer a range of products anymore.  We just have the free product TSG Base, and premium functionality is enabled in it through the purchase of a time block.  For example, if you buy a 30-day time block for your TSG Base licence then it will have full premium functionality for 30 days, and revert to Viewer functionality afterwards.  We don’t offer Pro, Core and HotCore functionality levels, just Premium – which is everything that TSG has to offer (equivalent to TSG7 HotCore + PLS).

The recommended way is to get TSG Base up & going first, then click “Purchase Time”in TSG’s licence dialog.  After you have purchased a time block, go back to TSG and click “Update” in TSG’s licence dialog. The licensing help document (in the Downloads section) has more information on buying premium time.

It’s okay, you haven’t broken the system.  You can buy premium time via the Customer Licence Portal once you have obtained a TSG Base licence.  It is possible to do this even before installing TSG and activating the TSG Base licence.  (It isn’t recommended but it’s possible.)  If you take this route then you will have a TSG Base licence with premium time on it – on the server and awaiting activation in TSG.  Activate it in the normal way from TSG – using the activation codes in your first invoice (the $0 one for your TSG Base licence).

No, you do not need another TSG Base licence.  Buy time for the TSG Base licence that you already have. A time purchase applies to an existing TSG Base licence and cannot be transferred to another TSG Base licence.  If you have more than one TSG Base licence then you have to be careful to buy time for the right one.  The time-purchase options are grouped by licence number in the shopping cart, and it is up to you to select one from the licence group that matches the right licence ID.  (You can see your current licence ID in TSG’s licence dialog.)

Yes it is.  All of these cost the same to you (using a 1-year Premium block as an example):  Purchasing another 1-year block for your existing TSG Base licence;  Taking out a new TSG Base licence and purchasing a 1-year block for it;  Purchasing a new ‘TSG Base plus 1 year of Premium time’ pre-packaged option.  However a drawback with the second and third options is that you now have another licence ID and password in the mix, and that can be a little confusing.

Yes you can.   Just buy them one at a time, in separate transactions.  (Don’t put more than one time purchase in the shopping cart.) Time purchases stack.  A time purchase adds time to your licence.  After buying two 30-day blocks, your licence will have 60 days of premium time.

Yes you can.  (This is like the previous question.)  If you buy another block of premium time while you still have some left then your purchase will be added to your licence.  You will not lose any of the premium time that you currently have.

You will receive the full time allocation.  For example, if you buy a 1-year block of premium time then you will receive 1 year of premium time.

Sorry, you can’t.  A TSG8 Premium licence works on calendar time and can’t be put on hold.

Just get one.  Install TSG on both PCs and move your licence from one PC to the other as required.

We (CSIRO) do not issue quotes for TSG.  Prices are as shown on the website and the point-of-sale is the TSG online store, where a purchase is made by Visa or Mastercard.

If you simply cannot purchase TSG in the normal way then contact your TSG affiliate.  (We are now selling TSG through affiliates.)  They may be able to meet your requirements.

In TSG, bring up the licence dialog using the Help -> Licence menu, then click “Deactivate” in the dialog.  That will make the licence available for activation on another PC.  Install TSG on the other PC if necessary, and run it.  (Do not register or obtain another licence for the other PC – just install TSG on it.)  Click “Activate a purchase” in the licence dialog and enter your licence details.

To install TSG Download the setup file and run it on your PC. You will be asked some basic questions during the install. Once completed a TSG icon should appear on your desktop and in your start menu. You can start TSG via either of these icons.

Once you have obtained a licence and installed TSG, activate the licence from TSG as follows:
Start TSG.  If your TSG is not licensed then it should put up its licence dialog automatically, otherwise you can bring it up using the “Help -> Licence” menu.  Click the button called “Activate a purchase”.  Another dialog will come up.  Take the License ID and Activation Password codes from your TSG Base invoice (your first TSG invoice – the one for $0.00) and enter them in the appropriate fields, then click the “Activate” button.  TSG should close and be licensed the next time it is started.

TSG requires a network connection to the licence server in order to activate its licence.
It may be that your company controls network access through a proxy server.  If so then the proxy server needs to be configured to grant TSG access to the server https://secure.softwarekey.com on ports 443 (HTTPS) and 80 (HTTP).  Speak to your I.T. support people about it.
If your TSG PC simply doesn’t have network access (e.g., it is for field work) then read the section “Licensing an off-line PC” under “More detailed guides” in the licensing help document – which is available from the Downloads page of the website. Otherwise contact TSG support.

TSG 8 can work with a TSG 7 dongle if you have one, but we do not supply dongles anymore.  Sorry.  However, a normal TSG 8 licence is easily moved from one PC to another, even when the two PCs are in different countries.

Contact us.  We can deactivate your licence remotely.  After that, you will be able to activate it on a different PC.

Please email support.
 

I get an error when I try to open up my TSG file

Each tsg file is actually made up of three different related files, the *.tsg, *.bip, and the *.ini.  (HyLogging datasets have additional files.)  If the *.tsg and *.bip files are not present together in the same directory then the .tsg file will not open. This is because the .bip file is the file that actually holds the spectral data.

Although not essential for opening the .tsg file, the .ini file is the file that contains the information on the screen display set up from the last time you opened that tsg file (your saved display settings). If it is not present in the same directory as the other files for that data set, then the screen displays will be re-set to their default options.

 

This may be due to an MS Windows limitation, related to buffer size. To circumvent this all you need to do is to click on the “Select a directory (all files in it)” button (available for all spectral formats) which will then allow import of any number of spectra into your TSG file. Just make sure that the directory only includes the spectra that you want to import.

 

If you wish to output any of the TSG plots for a report but do not want to retain the black background, then go to “File”->”Settings”. The first tab (Gfx1) has a number of options for the graphics displays; one of them is Swap B/W off screen. If you check this box then B/W will be swapped in your copied graphics (for bitmap as well as enhanced metafile graphics formats).

 

If TSG crashes or displays an error message please take a screen shot of the error message if possible. Then email the screen shot, a description of what you were doing at the time , a copy of the .tsg file you were working on and any other userful info to support.