I completely forgot until just now that I also had a similar thing when I was resetting my last PC and wanted to deauthorize Sibelius, the notation software. I used Finale for many years, and loved it, because I could exactly replicate the Cherry Lane style of guitar notation, but I had a friend who has an incredible ear and transcribed popular music for a living, and he really sold me on switching to Sibelius. I did think there were some benefits, especially for weird stuff, like writing out figured bass for theory study, but now I wish I had just stuck with Finale. I had a ton of my own writing that I had transcribed over the years using Sibelius.
Anyway, this was years ago, so I'm trying to remember exactly, but I was getting some sort of error in removing the authorization; it was getting stuck somehow. I realized that Avid, who makes Sibelius, had switched to a subscription model, and they were no longer supporting the version I owned outright (version 7 if I remember correctly). I couldn't find any straightforward way to contact their support at all, just to be able to handle the authorization for a copy I already owned. I tried all sorts of sideways methods to contact them, and I finally found a way after a lot of effort. I couldn't wait until the end of time for a response, so I just reset my PC as I wanted, not having touched the Sibelius authorization. A month later, I got a lackluster email from someone with their tech support. Man, was I livid. It's like they were trying to repel me as a customer; incredible.
It's funny that for all these companies who act this way, there are tons of others that don't. The options for notation software are all over the place, especially for guitarists. Hell, even Reaper has its own notation software built-in now. Do they really think they're so far ahead that customer loyalty is something they can leverage as if it were gang "protection" money? Pay us so you will be protected from being locked out entirely. Man, the nerve of people. I don't expect free upgrades forever, and free this and free that, and free support for every little issue forever, but I do expect authorization to be supported so I can at least continue to use what I own!
