Version too old but is latest

[dyoung]

I downloaded & installed MakeMKV on 10/16, registered the free license, then used it briefly and it worked well.
I saw then the free license was valid until (I think) 10/31, so I was not surprised when I opened MakeMKV on 11/2 and it complained of the license.

I went to the forum, got the new license, registered it, restarted MakeMKV.
Upon restarting it complained the version was too old and wanted me to update, but I verified in Help > About the version is 1.17.8 which expires 2025/1/24 (82 days, at that time).
I checked the download page and the newest version is also 1.17.8.
I read the post about the issues with 1.17.7 and discs in the drives, so I tried removing the discs despite the problem my MakeMKV is experiencing being different (almost certainly would not hurt and could help).
Restarted MakeMKV, re-registered the free license, re-started MakeMKV, same result of "Version too old".
I downloaded 1.17.8 again, verified the checksum, reinstalled MakeMKV, re-registered free license, restarted MakeMKV, same result of "Version too old".

I was considering purchasing a license because the software worked well in my prior use.
I would guess a paid license would solve the issue, but I also prefer solving issues.
This should be fixed properly if it is some sort of bug instead of merely bypassing the issue for me alone.

I searched the forum for 30 minutes but found no posts regarding "Version too old" which were not solved by updating because the version installed is the latest & valid.

Thoughts?

[Woodstock]

Usual cause has been something in the drive when MakeMKV is started, so it never gets to reading the key you enter for the freebie version.