Hello everyone,

We purchased a SolidWorks 2020 perpetual license legally a few years ago.
Unfortunately, due to a hardware failure, the computer where SolidWorks was installed became unusable and the disk containing the installation was damaged.

On top of that, we no longer have:

• the original installation media
• the serial number

However, we do have the official purchase invoice, and the software was originally bought from the authorized distributor in Türkiye.

Our intention is very simple and honest:
We want to install and continue using the SolidWorks 2020 license that we already paid for, on a new computer.

When we contacted the local authorized distributor, we were told that they could not help us recover the 2020 license. Instead, they offered an upgrade to SolidWorks 2025 for approximately 5,000 USD.
While we understand commercial upgrade offers, accepting this would mean that the 2020 license we already purchased becomes effectively unusable, despite being legally owned.

We are not trying to get free upgrades or bypass licensing rules.
We are only trying to understand:

• Is there an official way to recover a lost SolidWorks serial number when the invoice and ownership proof are available?
• Is it normal that a perpetual license becomes unusable solely because installation media and serial number were lost?
• Shouldn’t there be a way, through Dassault Systèmes or the VAR, to reissue access to a license that was already paid for?

We are simply trying to follow the correct and legitimate process, and any guidance from experienced users or Dassault representatives would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time and support.