Symptoms

When starting the program, the following error occurs:

ABBYY FineReader PDF will be terminated: A sharing violation occurred while accessing C:\ProgramData\ABBYY\FineReader\<version>\Licenses\Licensing.cnt

Cause

Some licensing files are corrupted or in use by third-party software (antivirus).

Resolution

To resolve the issue and reinstall the program, please follow the steps below:

1. Uninstall the program using standard Windows methods Start > Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.

2.  Delete the following program folders:

For FineReader PDF 16 version:
C:\temp\FR16
C:\ProgramData\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Program Files\Common Files\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Program Files\ABBYY FineReader 16

For FineReader PDF 15 version: 
C:\temp\FR15
C:\ProgramData\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Program Files (x86)\ABBYY FineReader 15

Note: the ProgramData and AppData folders may be hidden. To show hidden folders, consult the following article: Show hidden files.

3. Temporarily disable the antivirus software installed on the computer.

4. Download the latest distribution kit for your version of FineReader PDF: FineReader download links.

5. Start the installation process by right-clicking the downloaded file and selecting Run as administrator.

6. After the installation, enable the antivirus software.

To prevent the repeating of the error in the future, it is recommended to add the following program folders to the exceptions of the antivirus software installed on the computer:

For FineReader PDF 16 version:
C:\temp\FR16
C:\ProgramData\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Program Files\Common Files\ABBYY\FineReader\16
C:\Program Files\ABBYY FineReader 16

For FineReader PDF 15 version: 
C:\temp\FR15
C:\ProgramData\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\ABBYY\FineReader\15
C:\Program Files (x86)\ABBYY FineReader 15