Lost identity key

My iMac has started to refuse to do captures, giving me a "Capture requires an identity key" error message. The Qrecall Preferences, though, still show my Key Status as "Valid Permanent Key." The key on this machine was installed in 2011, when the computer was new, and I haven't had amy problem with it till this week.

I've tried re-entering my key but when I do I get a warning that I'm entering a new key and that will create a new owner for all subsequent captures. This archive contains backup volumes for both this my MBL (owner "ralph") and this iMac (previous owner "merna" but currently showing up as "Ralph Strauch," and I don't know where that's coming from. Should I just go ahead and put my key back in, them merge the old iMac volume with whatever new one gets created after I run a backup?

Ralph

Ralph Strauch wrote:My iMac has started to refuse to do captures, giving me a "Capture requires an identity key" error message.

You are most likely encountering a bug in macOS that occasionally prevents one process (the capture) from accessing the preferences of another app (the QRecall client app). Usually a system restart will fix this.

I've tried re-entering my key but when I do I get a warning that I'm entering a new key and that will create a new owner for all subsequent captures.

You're probably entering a different identity key without realizing it. Here's how to find out.

First, get the serial number of the key you have installed now. Open QRecall > Preferences... and go the Identity Key pane. While holding down the Option key, click the Enter Key... button. When the key entry dialog appears, the "key" field will show the serial number of the currently installed key. Make a note of it before canceling the dialog.

Now log into your www.qaccount.com account using this Magic Account URL. This link will cause your account page to display the serial number of each purchased identity key. Compare those numbers with serial number found in the Identity Key pane.