About older versions of the program

[corttex]

This is a hypothetical situation where the disk is fine, but I just want to restore the OS to a previous state, and I can't do it without the Internet or an emergency disk because the software is outdated. I don't know if other similar programs work on this principle - time limited, which I find a bit strange for this type of software.

[Froggie]

I don't know what's causing that msg you're receiving... a periodic timeout or a "call home" that tells it it's outdated.  Since their releases seem to be random, it may not be a timeout.

You might try removing the software, then re-installing it with your firewall blocking the main app that does the work.  If it's the call home that's causing the problem, that problem should disappear.

[corttex]

I think blocking with a firewall doesn't help because it is time limited. Let's say that for some reason I prefer an older version of the program that still works well, but I can't use it.

[aldist]

I think blocking with a firewall doesn't help because it is time limited. Let's say that for some reason I prefer an older version of the program that still works well, but I can't use it.

You are right, a firewall won't help because the time bomb is encoded in the binary.
This is a normal precaution of the developer to prevent you from using the free version when the paid version is released.
ISO is not covered by the time bomb.