Troubleshooting & FAQ

This page covers common issues you may encounter with Necron Vault Manager and provides answers to frequently asked questions.

Dongle & Key Issues

Dongle Not Detected

Symptoms: The gatekeeper screen stays visible even though your USB dongle is inserted.

Solutions:

1. Try a different USB port — some ports may have power or driver issues
2. Check the drive is mounted — open File Explorer and confirm the USB drive has a drive letter (e.g., E:\)
3. Look for key files — the dongle must have a *.dat file at the root. If the drive is empty, it hasn't been provisioned yet
4. Restart the app — the USB watcher detects hotplug events, but a restart forces a fresh scan
5. Check Windows Device Manager — ensure the USB drive is recognized as a removable device

"Dongle Not Registered" Error

Cause: The server rejected the dongle during startup verification.

Possible reasons:

• The dongle has been deactivated from your account settings
• The dongle was never registered with the server
• Your subscription has expired (Pro tier)

Solutions:

1. Check your dongle list at necronsolutions.com account settings
2. If deactivated, you'll need to use a different active dongle
3. If subscription expired, renew from the account page

Software Key Not Working (Free Tier)

Symptoms: Free Tier login fails or reports a key mismatch after logging in through the Gatekeeper.

Possible causes:

• You're logged into a different Windows user account than the one that created the key
• The key protection was corrupted (rare, can happen after system restore)
• The key files were deleted or moved

Solutions:

1. Log into the same Windows user account that originally created the software key
2. If files are missing, you'll need to create a new account (previous encrypted data is unrecoverable)

Vault Issues

Vault Shows "No Locations Online"

Cause: None of the vault's configured storage locations are accessible.

Solutions:

1. Check that the physical folders exist on disk
2. If using cloud locations, ensure the cloud sync client is running and signed in
3. For external drives, make sure the drive is plugged in and mounted
4. Check for drive letter changes — Windows may reassign drive letters after reboot

Integrity Check Reports Damaged Files

Cause: One or more encrypted files failed verification, indicating corruption or tampering.

What to do:

1. If other locations have good copies, the integrity check will automatically repair from the good copy
2. If all copies are damaged for a specific file, the file cannot be recovered
3. Check for cloud sync conflicts — some sync clients create duplicate files that may confuse the integrity checker
4. Run the integrity check again after repairs to confirm everything is clean

See Vault Integrity Check for the full process.

Cannot Create Vault — "Nested Locator" Error

Cause: You selected a folder that's inside another vault's storage directory.

Solution: Choose a different folder that's not inside any existing vault's storage directory. Vault locations must be independent to prevent conflicts.

Vault Browser is Slow

Possible causes:

• The vault has a very large number of files (thousands of nodes)
• The primary location is on a slow disk or network drive

Solutions:

1. The vault browser reads only metadata (not file content) — it should be reasonably fast even for large vaults
2. If using a cloud-synced primary location, consider adding a local folder as a higher-priority location for faster reads
3. Try closing and reopening the vault to trigger a fresh index build

Encryption & Decryption Issues

Encryption Fails with "Pad Exhausted"

Cause: Your key pad has been fully consumed. Each encryption operation uses a unique byte range from the pad, and the pad is finite.

Solutions:

1. The pad is 20 MiB by default — this allows encrypting a significant number of files
2. If you've exhausted the pad, you'll need a new key (new account or contact support)
3. Check the capacity bar on the dongle status card in the sidebar for current usage

Decryption Fails with "Key Mismatch"

Cause: The file was encrypted with a different key than the one currently loaded.

Solutions:

1. Check that you're using the correct dongle (the one that encrypted the file)
2. If using a SLAVE dongle, ensure it was created from the same MASTER that encrypted the file
3. Different accounts have different keys — you cannot decrypt another user's files

File Format Not Recognized

Cause: The file doesn't have a recognized Necron encrypted file header.

Supported formats:

• NCV2 — current standard format with encrypted filenames
• NCV3 — newer format with per-file objects
• OTP1 — legacy format with .ncrn extension and plaintext filenames

If the file doesn't match any of these, it may be corrupted or not a Necron-encrypted file.

App Issues

App Won't Start or Crashes

Solutions:

1. Check that your system meets the minimum requirements
2. Check the Windows Event Viewer for crash logs
3. Reinstall the app — download the latest version from the website

Note: Necron Vault Manager runs as a standard user process and does not require administrator privileges. If you see a UAC prompt, it is not coming from the app itself — check for other software or group policy settings that may be intercepting the launch.

Dark Mode / Display Issues

Solutions:

1. Ensure your graphics drivers are up to date
2. Try toggling dark mode off and on from the settings
3. Resize the window or restart the app to force a layout refresh

Network & Server Issues

"Server Unreachable" During Login or Verification

Cause: The app cannot reach the Necron API server.

Solutions:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Verify that api.necronsolutions.com is not blocked by a firewall or proxy
3. Try again in a few minutes — the server may be undergoing maintenance
4. The app requires internet for initial login and dongle verification, but operates offline afterward for encryption/decryption

Email Verification Link Not Working

Solutions:

1. Check that the link hasn't expired (verification links have a limited validity window)
2. Try copying and pasting the full URL instead of clicking (email clients sometimes truncate links)
3. Re-register with the same email — the system is idempotent for unverified accounts

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Necron Vault Manager on multiple computers?

Free tier: Your software key is bound to one computer and user account. You cannot use the same key on another machine.

Pro tier: Your dongle works on any computer with Necron Vault Manager installed. Plug the dongle into the new computer and launch the app.

Can I share encrypted files with someone else?

No. Encrypted files are tied to your specific key material. Only dongles with the same key identity can decrypt files. There is no shared encryption or public key exchange mechanism — this is by design for zero-knowledge security.

What happens if I plug in the wrong dongle?

The app will read the dongle but won't be able to decrypt vaults that belong to a different key. You'll see your vaults as empty or receive key mismatch errors when trying to decrypt.

Can I encrypt files larger than the pad size?

Yes. The pad is used for key derivation, not consumed directly. The encryption algorithm can handle files of any size. Pad consumption depends on the number of files and the encryption format used, not necessarily the file size itself.

Is my data safe if Necron's servers go down?

Yes. The server is only used for account authentication, dongle verification, and subscription management. All encryption and decryption happens locally on your computer using key material from your dongle or software key. If the server is unreachable, you can't log in fresh, but an already-authenticated session continues to work.

How do I transfer my vaults to a new computer?

1. Install Necron Vault Manager on the new computer
2. Pro tier: Plug in your dongle and launch the app. Cloud-synced vault locations will be available once the cloud client syncs.
3. Free tier: Your software key cannot be transferred. You'll need to decrypt all files on the old computer first, then re-encrypt on the new one with a new key.

Further Reading

• Getting Started — installation and first-run guide
• Vault Integrity Check — verify and repair vaults
• Best Practices — prevent common issues
• Glossary — definitions of technical terms