Software iLok - license safe if HD fails?

[msorrels]

Software iLok has never had a deactivation without access to the machine. You always have had to get each vendor to issue you a new license. This is why the soft iLok is not safe at all. Maybe you are thinking of some other authorization system or perhaps the new iLok cloud stuff (which does work that way, sort of)?

[kmonkey]

I'll have a good look over the weekend and get back to you but I was definitely able to move licenses onto my new machine without first deactivating them from the old one, or having it switched on.

I am interesting in your findings.

This thread worries me because i had plan to go softilok. I have Ilok v2 at the moment. I see there is v3 key available.

I would really like to know what happens if my HDD AND my MOBO fail if i am completely softilok. Do i have option to build new computer and somehow reactivate all licenses or i am in mercy of other developers and i need to beg them to depose new licenses?

That is what i would like to know.

And no i don't want ZDT. Wasn't it the whole point of ilok that your licenses are always safe? That ZDT seems like a greedy fool fee - i mean that should be active all the time - for free

[kmonkey]

Is there any concrete and factual info on this? Can anyone really tell what happens if HDD or computer (mobo) fail? Is there some sort of license deactivation like Bones reported or there is not? Bones say there is, other say there wasn't.

If not - then we need to beg developers to depose another license in our ilok account..

Maybe it depend on developer and there are different ilok license types? Perhaps there are ones which can be deactivated remotely and ones which can't?

I tried to look at ilok but there is no such information or i can't find it. It's unbelievable that such critical task is not documented.


EDIT: correction. This is what i found on their "Your licenses" FAQ:

Because the licenses are tied to the old computer, there is no way to deactivate the licenses without access to the computer. Since we do not have the authority to distribute additional licenses, you will need to contact the software publisher for help with this.

Understand that the software publishers are the only ones capable of licensing their products. PACE merely builds the infrastructure for the software publishers to distribute their products in the way that is consistent with their licensing terms.

So i don't know how is possible Bones or someone else reported this is possible - because it is not. They probably confused this action with something else.

It's clear now. If your computer - mobo dies - you are at the mercy of other developers. You need to beg them.

This is (imho) done intentionally at ilok. The obviously want you pay them ZDT.

Propellerhead Reason is also activated via USB key or cloud (internet) license activated over internet on to your computer. If your computer dies you simply deactivate it from your user area on Propellerheads and activate on another (new) computer. So does Arturia on their own solution or e-licenser with their own solution. My point is this is definitely possible but another slack in the face by greedy ilok.

[nachenko]

This is (imho) done intentionally at ilok. The obviously want you pay them ZDT.

THIS. They say, "no, we're sorry, you can't deactivate a license remotely, the license is tied to your computer, but ZDT service offers..."

Come on, WTF?

They can generate new licenses on the fly if you paid for Zero Downtime Service in advance. And if you want to be able to get your licenses back in case of computer fault, you also need a physical dongle (50 bucks, seriously???).

OK, so I have to pay extra for the privilege of using the software I paid for.

It's official. iLok sucks.

Propellerhead Reason ... If your computer dies you simply deactivate it from your user area on Propellerheads and activate on another (new) computer. So does Arturia on their own solution or e-licenser with their own solution.

This is how adult companies behave.

[Verde]

For what it's worth, I have a soft eLicenser installed on my machine. A few weeks ago I upgraded the graphics cards and installed a new hard drive. During the next boot it gave me an error that said something like "this eLicenser has been deactivated, please contact support for help". Good that I moved my licenses to a dongle a couple of months ago. Unfortunately I didn't have a soft iLok installed or I could have compared what happens with both of them.

As far as AIR is compared, the best protection would actually be to just wait for another ultra low 1% sale (or a free giveaway) and just buy or get it again. As far as I know you can have multiple licenses of the same product in your account. So if something happens to the soft iLok and if you wouldn't feel comfortable with having only a single activation left, you could just know that there's more activations. But that is technically not a good solution anyway.

With that said, the whole point of machine activations is to either save money on the dongle or for convenience. I personally don't trust either of them, but if I have to choose, I'll take the dongle over the machine ID. I've read somewhere that even a Windows update can trigger such a machine issue, but I can't remember where I heard that.

[kmonkey]

With that said, the whole point of machine activations is to either save money on the dongle or for convenience. I personally don't trust either of them, but if I have to choose, I'll take the dongle over the machine ID. I've read somewhere that even a Windows update can trigger such a machine issue, but I can't remember where I heard that.

True that - to save on dongle and for convenience but at the stake of loosing licenses and begging companies to depose other. Having/buying multiple licenses just "in case" is ridiculous. This whole ilok machine activation and not being able to deactivate it if mobo dies is ridiculous. Other companies implemented that in their security solutions years ago. So their whole nonsense about "we are not being able to do so we are merely a company of monkeys offering other companies bananas" is fallacy.

I agree with you i believe physical key is more secure then computer ID.

I am just shocked how they get a pass on this ridicule moronic service. Talking about machine activation.

Like they added machine activation just to shut up some people. Hey we have cloud solution. But it's crippled in our favor (ZDT). But at the same time they kept ZDT (which should be active for anyone all the time!!!! for free)

[cron]

Thought I'd chime back in with my soft iLok experience since I was the original poster.

I have since lost the license I was enquiring about to the... winds of nothing? iLok decided it didn't like a Windows Update IIRC. Fortunately I was able to use the second license as I only had two Air products at the time, and all Air stuff comes with a spare license. I rarely use the very small amount of iLok stuff I've acquired since (one cheap plug and a few freebies) because my licenses get shunted back and forward between the cloud and my machine so often - every time there's a big Windows Update, or a small Windows Update, or when the breeze outside changes direction suddenly. They often don't get reactivated because I forget, or when I'm prompted to activate I think "well, I'll just have to deactivate it next time I sneeze, so I might as well use something else..."

I'm sure most people will have a better experience and that my experience of licenses spontaneously combusting is rare and everything, but I won't be buying any more because I'll just end up rarely using it. It'll end up near permanently deactivated like the rest. I appreciate C/R is a bit precarious by nature, but usually the plugin manufacturer has to go bust or something before you start losing licenses.

Oh well... Turns out Loom wasn't that great anyway to be frank

[Kalamata Kid]

Thinking about getting the ilok USB-A https://ilok.com/#!buy for $50.
Does ilok ever have sales especially on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

Doing this mostly to avoid any problems that may occur if my PC dies.
I do clone my C drive periodically.
Currently most on my software license is on my PC.

iLOK License storage location (safer?) USB vs. PC?
viewtopic.php?t=508653

[zzz00m]

Using soft iLok, I forgot to deactivate my iLok authorizations last year before I swapped in a new motherboard.

That did not work, even with the same disk! Everything was still authorized to the old system hardware, not just the disk. Since I no longer had access to the "old" machine to deactivate for myself, I had to contact every software publisher and request a license reset. Took a few days. All good now, but what a pain!

I'm not sure what happens when you swap in a new drive. To be safe I deactivated everything before a recent disk swap, and then reactivated licenses afterwards. All good! But if the drive failed first, not sure where that would lead...

[BONES]

Thinking about getting the ilok USB-A https://ilok.com/#!buy for $50. Does ilok ever have sales especially on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Doing this mostly to avoid any problems that may occur if my PC dies. I do clone my C drive periodically. Currently most on my software license is on my PC.

I was having a problem with Vacuum Pro last year, it wasn't finding a valid license, even though one was there. I contacted iLok about it and they reset all my licenses for me without any hassle or fuss. I didn't have to prove anything to them, I simply explained what was going on and they were happy to help. I think a USB dongle would be a waste of money unless you are working across multiple machines.

[n9n]

My laptop was stolen a few years back, with all my licenses installed. Since most of the licenses had 2 or 3 activations I was able to get up and running quickly with a replacement, but Altiverb only had 1 which meant I was stuck.

I had iLok licenses with maybe 10 vendors that were lost with the laptop. I wrote one note that explained what had happened, including the SN of the machine that was stolen and my iLok username, and pasted it into support forms or emails for each vendor, which took about 15 minutes. Within a day or two they had all responded and replaced my license on the back end. No problem and nothing I had to do.

I'm old so I always think about hardware vs software. After a gig in 1998 someone walked away with a suitcase that had a LOT of stuff in it, including an EHX 16 second delay, a Lovetone Meatball, a Matrix 1000 and a Sherman Filterbank. Thousands of dollars worth of stuff, some too rare to replace, all gone in an instant and not covered by insurance.

So I obviously think that 15 minutes worth of emails is fine. I personally wish that everything used iLok. I very much prefer to not have to paste in dozens and dozens of serial numbers when I need to build a new system. I use one key and leave the rest of my licenses unregistered... there if I need them.

[n9n]

iLOK License storage location (safer?) USB vs. PC?
viewtopic.php?t=508653

I would definitely store on usb.

[pekbro]

If you have a lot of ilok plugins, it's definitely worth the 50 bucks to get the dongle.

[djanthonyw]

If you backup the HD image, you can just load the HD image onto a new HD. The issue is that if the mother/logic board goes, because that's what the authorization is actually tied to.

My advice would be to activate the license, backup the drive image onto another drive, then deactivate the license. Now load the drive image that you just saved. You'll be able to still use the license and not worry about losing it from system failure or someone stealing your computer.

[Lazarus451]

I will buy iLok dongle on monday. Lost activations because of unfounded computer id change, again. It's saturday. Now I wait.