Change your Format drop-down menu selection to .

The bridge between the USB port and the software—the Sentinel or HASP driver —may be outdated or corrupted. If the software can't "read" the dongle clearly, it assumes the hardware is a mismatch.

A Virtual Machine (like VirtualBox or VMware) creates a static, simulated environment. The hardware properties inside the VM never change, meaning the emulated dongle will never trigger a hardware mismatch error.

If you are an currently facing this error, try these immediate steps before contacting support:

The file that acts as the "dongle" (often named ad_inst.exe or a .sys file) is frequently flagged as a virus (false positive) by Windows Defender or other antivirus software. If this file is deleted or quarantined, the hardware info will not match.

Follow these troubleshooting procedures in sequence to fix the hardware mismatch error. 1. Disable Windows Defender and Antivirus

Locate the specific registration script, usually named Reg.reg , Register.reg , or 32bit_Data.reg / 64bit_Data.reg .

and check for any errors under "Universal Serial Bus controllers" or "Non-Plug and Play Drivers".

Look for a file named or HardwareID.exe in your portable directory.

I'll also search for "Autodata dongle driver".'ll open result 5. forum thread mentions manually starting the dongle emulator.