Unable to Activate SF18 Pro after a reformat of my computer

Charles-Pavlovic wrote on 1/19/2026, 1:47 AM

The Activations appears with an Error Code: -24 stating that the Serial Number has already been registered to another email address.

I am using the initial email address as contained on my order from Magix along with the Serial Number contained in the email from Magix, yet when logged in to the Magix website using the same email address on the order, I don't see any registered Products.

I also have multiple Sony Vegas software products which were intially purchased through Sony and are registered against an older email which I no longer have access to.

I can log in using that email address in the Magix website as I have a record of the credentials, yet the SF 18 Pro upgrade isn't listed in the Registered Products list, but the older SF 10 Pro is.

I even tried installing SF10 Pro, but Windows 11 won't allow the download/Installation of .Net 2.0 so I am at a loss of knowing where to go from here.

I have now logged multiple Support tickets with Magix, yet am only presented with AI bot responses that do not help in situation.

I have read some of the other posts but not sure if I have missed a step as I'm a little overwhelmed by something which in my opinion should be a simple task.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Comments

SP. wrote on 1/19/2026, 5:50 AM

@Charles-Pavlovic Apparently, you registered SF 18 Pro under a different e-mail address under which you purchased it. Otherwise it would be listed in your customer account. This also explains Error -24. It could be as simple as a typo you made back when registering the software the first time. If you are not able to remember the e-mail address, Magix customer support are the only ones who can rectify that. As you mentioned, they are extremely hard to reach, because they barely respond. You'll mostly get AI bot responses that don't help at all. There is nothing we can do about this, because we are all users like you. You could try to contact the parent company of Magix. The e-mail addresses are office@rmep.li or office@rmep.com or info@russmedia.com They switched customer support to an AI bot system in summer 2025.

You should still be able to log into your old Sony customer account if you simply enter your old Sony e-mail address and password. These accounts where transferred to Magix. Doesn't matter if you no longer have access to the e-mail address as long as you're able to remember it. You can change the address in the account settings as soon as you are logged in.

Windows 11 should allow the installation of .NET 2.0 via the Windows Feature panel. There you can enable .NET 3.5, which includes .NET 3.0 and 2.0.

You can read here how to activate old Sony software: https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/activation-of-sony-creative-software-era-applications--149297/