Moving Benson Software to a New PC
Updated August 21, 2026 · 6 min read
What's happening
A PC swap or a Windows upgrade is one of the more common ways sites lose data or hit a wall with Benson software, and almost all of it is avoidable with a bit of order. Some of what the software needs lives only on the old machine's hard drive, the new PC's software version has to be at least as new as the old one, and a couple of settings depend on which Windows user account did the installing. None of that is obvious until it goes wrong, so the short version is: talk to us before the old PC gets wiped or retired, not after.
Before anything else: contact us first
If your IT department is planning to retire, reimage, or wipe the old PC as part of the move, ask them to hold off until the software has been backed up and the move confirmed complete on the new machine. Once the old PC is gone, anything that didn't get carried over is much harder, and sometimes impossible, to recover. A quick call to us before that step protects you.
Try these in order
- Back up the Benson data on the old PC first. Use the software's own File > Backup function and save the file to a network drive or external location, not just to the local hard drive you're about to retire. See our guide on backing up and restoring test data for the full process.
- Confirm your software version supports the Windows version on the new PC. Older builds are not guaranteed to run on Windows 11. Check Help > About in the software for your current version number, and contact us to confirm compatibility before you install on the new machine. The new PC's software also has to be the same version as, or a later version than, what was on the old PC — never older.
- Install for all users, not just the account doing the install. If your site has more than one person running tests, install as an administrator so the software is available to every Windows account that needs it, not only the one that ran the installer.
- Restore the backup you made in step 1. Install completes first, then Restore brings your data across — see the licensing section below for what to expect from a physical license key on new hardware.
- Set a new daily calibration reference if the software reports it has none to compare against. This is expected after a move — see below.
The license key on new hardware
The documented move to a new PC is two steps: back up the data on the old PC, then install the software and restore that backup on the new PC. If your software uses the Plus Package — a physical USB hardware key — the key itself doesn't need a separate reauthorization step: insert it into a free USB port on the new PC, and Plus Package features enable automatically the next time you start the software. If the key isn't being recognized once inserted, see our guide on the USB security key not being recognized. If the new PC won't display or open the program at all after installing, work through that guide and our software-launch guide before assuming it's a licensing problem; contact us with the new PC's details if neither resolves it.
Per-user installs and admin rights
Software installed under one Windows user account can end up usable only by that account — other users click the icon and nothing happens, with no error message. This is almost always one of two things: the install was registered to a single profile rather than "all users," or the account trying to launch it doesn't have administrator privileges and the software silently refuses to run without them. If a new PC has multiple people who need to run tests, install the software as an administrator so it's available to every profile, and confirm each user account that needs to launch it has the necessary privileges. If you're not sure which applies, a clean reinstall done as administrator, for all users, resolves both.
"No reference audiogram to compare to" after a move
If daily calibration completes but the software reports it has no reference audiogram to compare against, this is expected the first time you run it after a PC move — the daily reference values live on the machine they were set on, and they don't automatically travel with a standard data backup. If the old PC is still available, its reference data can be pulled from it. If it's already gone, we'll walk you through setting a new daily reference on the new PC. Either way, this is not a sign that your historical test data was lost — it's specific to the daily calibration reference only.
If the data restore itself fails
Moving the software is one job; moving the database is another, and it has its own failure modes — restores that time out, "access is denied" when writing the backup file, and a database engine that appears to be missing on the new machine when it is actually installed and working normally. Those are covered in moving Benson data between computers.
When to call us
- Before your IT team retires or wipes the old PC — always, even if the move seems to be going smoothly.
- The software won't open on the new PC after install and reinstalling or checking the license key hasn't resolved it.
- Daily calibration reports no reference to compare against and the old PC is no longer available.
- You're not sure whether your current software version supports the Windows version on the new PC.
Call (513) 891-0868 or email service@fosterinstruments.com as soon as the move is planned, ideally before the old PC leaves service.
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Still stuck?
If this didn't fix it, or the next step involves opening the case, recalibration, or anything that could affect accuracy — stop and call Foster. We'll get you sorted or schedule service.