Windows dead. Reinstall imminent. What happens to my plugin licenses (iLok)?

[ATN69]

@ATN69

Does that work with either machine completely shut down (wifi) or unplugged from
any internet connection (wired)? Because the iLok manager uses bonjure, e.g. it
should be perfectly able to access either machine over any network connection
independently of the user.

It doesn't work without internet connection. When opening iLok manager I need to sign in and iLok manager will sync with the iLok server. Without internet it will not work.

[pekbro]

If both machines have to be connected, it might be bonjure actually accessing
the other computer. As for lnikj, bonjure is notoriously bad on recent OS macs
from what I understand.

Anyway, bonjure would be my guess.

[ATN69]

Both machines doesn't have to be connected but only the one you sign into iLok. My other computer is right now in office and it's a Sunday. It's turned off but still I can access all licenses attached to that computer.

I also noticed that Inikj was on Mac. That's the difference with me.

[pekbro]

Both machines doesn't have to be connected but only the one you sign into iLok. My other computer is right now in office and it's a Sunday. It's turned off but still I can access all licenses attached to that computer.

I also noticed that Inikj was on Mac. That's the difference with me.

Hmm I dunno then, you would think the iLok manager wouldn't be able
to do that. Otherwise, a dead computer shouldn't be a problem for anyone,
if you can simply manipulate the licenses from another machine.
It doesn't make sense that so many would have such problems with
the manager other than yourself.

[MogwaiBoy]

OP here. Diagnosis from tech repair is the harddrive is corrupted and needs replacing. They will rescue my D drive partition but C: is a goner.

Gulp. Guess I will be spending months rebuilding my plugin library from scratch, contacting dozens of developers for extra licenses and re-activations etc. YAY.

[ATN69]

OP here. Diagnosis from tech repair is the harddrive is corrupted and needs replacing. They will rescue my D drive partition but C: is a goner.

Gulp. Guess I will be spending months rebuilding my plugin library from scratch, contacting dozens of developers for extra licenses and re-activations etc. YAY.

What a nightmare! Best of luck to you and hope it goes as smooth as it can.

[MogwaiBoy]

OP here. Got my laptop back... harddrive replacement and Windows reinstalled. So it's a full clean slate. My old harddrive is now an external USB drive

I have decided rather than completely rebuilding this laptop back to where it was, I'd get an i7 desktop PC I had been dithering on for months. With wife fully onboard, the order was placed! So my main system (re)build will take place when I get the desktop.

First license recovery experience:

Image-Line: A breeze!
In the meantime I re-installed FL Studio on my laptop. Image-Line allow multiple installs on different computers for personal use. All I had to do was download and run the license key registry file from my account - and download and install the latest FL Studio 20, then activate it by logging in through the About menu. This gives me back my Toxic Biohazard and Sawer licenses as well. Easy.

From what I can see Native Instruments, iZotope, Fabfilter, Plugin Alliance, Softube etc (ie: all the big devs, including those who use soft iLok) allow installs on multiple computers, so maybe it won't be as difficult as I initially thought - though I may lose an "activation" on some licenses unless I contact the devs.

[jancivil]

NI [de facto] allows infinite re-authorizations for some time now. It used to be three, and to obtain a fourth meant manually going to the site and deleting one of them bringing it back to three. That, people botching it I mean, was surely costing support time, time = money so they don't arse with it for several yrs now. What I mean is you won't run into a wall making a mistake with theirs.

I don't recall for a certainty the EULA but I think theirs can be *used* on up to three computers under it. I used to use three machines at the same time for a brief period though not needing NI anything on all three.

[MogwaiBoy]

NI allows infinite re-authorizations for some time now.

That's fantastic to hear

[jancivil]

Yeah, I have probably dozens of, on some things, there was never an issue. I edited to say 'de facto', there is probably no such policy advertised.

[MogwaiBoy]

Rob Papen:
You can log into your account on the website and de-activate certain licenses from there remotely. It specifically mentions to use it in the case of harddrive failure. Smart idea, thanks Rob.

[ATN69]

Rob Papen:
You can log into your account on the website and de-activate certain licenses from there remotely. It specifically mentions to use it in the case of harddrive failure. Smart idea, thanks Rob.

Same goes for Plugin Alliance and Lennard Digital (Sylenth1). But for Sylenth1 I found that you have a limited number of deactivations, unless you deactivate Sylenth1 from the old system. That will however be impossible if your system crash.

[MogwaiBoy]

OK so...

Laptop now has new harddrive and Windows. Clean slate.

And I got a new i7 desktop!

I can confirm that I can NOT install iLok License Manager on the new desktop, log into my account through the app and then deactivate licenses from the dead laptop. It says you need to use the dead computer to access them, or if that's not possible then contact the individual companies for a license reset.

However...

When I replaced the harddrive on my laptop and reinstalled Windows, I renamed the computer to the same as it was named BEFORE the crash. Opening iLok on my refreshed laptop, it recognises the laptop as my previously existing device location! So now I can deactivate/activate to whichever device I want.

Basically.. it looks like I am able to recover my iLok licenses.

[ATN69]

Confirmed: You can NOT install iLok License Manager on another computer, log into your account through the app and then deactivate licenses from the dead computer. It says you need to use the dead computer to access them, or if that's not possible then contact the individual companies for a license reset.

So much for Zerodowntime

[MogwaiBoy]

Confirmed: You can NOT install iLok License Manager on another computer, log into your account through the app and then deactivate licenses from the dead computer. It says you need to use the dead computer to access them, or if that's not possible then contact the individual companies for a license reset.

So much for Zerodowntime

I edited my post with some new findings... quite surprised and rather chuffed!