Why is iLok license manager so SH!T ???

[Calenberger]

Also extremely high transfer fee.

The phrase extremely high is only deserved by FXpansion with their ridiculous 50$ per transfer.

[LeVzi]

a) how did I manage to create multiple accounts using the same email? No other company would allow this

Have you changed network adaptors, or other hardware that ilok
manager could mistake for a second computer?

Or made purchases/registration from different computer?

Maybe that would explain how a second account was established.
A korg user reported he had network MAC set to randomize
it's address, but Korg, which ID'd the reg based on the address,
wanted a new registration for every boot.
Hang a pirate, if you get the chance
All this extra security crapola is on them!

The advice given when setting up an OS change,
or different computer, is usually to unauthorize all
ilok products first, make the big change, then re-authorize
in the new setup. Maybe you could authorize them all to one account,
once they were unauthorized?
Good luck!

No to both, I have only made hardware changes to the PC, but everything is located under the same PC ID in the iLok. I had a free Eventide plugin that used iLok license manager so I installed it, set that up, and that was the account I used to then add things like the AIR products. But somewhere along the line, with registrations, I've created a different account , thats linked to the same PC. And it will cost me $50 to transfer the licenses to the one account, which I am not willing to pay.

But with that being said, it dawned on me, if the two accounts point at the same PC ID, then all I needed to do was login to the other account and activate it there, which I did, and lo and behold, they work. So the problem is solved, but at least I can see that yes iLok are sh!t and should never allow any multiple accounts off the same email. eLicenser is way better, you have to activate from within the software to transfer to the dongle.

Anyway, thanks for trying to explain.

[LeVzi]

as expected a user error. But the topic still says "shit".

I would love more companies would let me have more than one account for different purposes, Studios etc. with one mail account.

It is sh!t, and hardly user error, how can anyone create 2 accounts on the same email, and their software doesn't at least tell you so.

So crack on with the fanboi-ism, as a majority agree , iLok is utter sh!t and causes unnecessary problems.

[neverbeeninariot]

More polarising than Marmite...

Mmmmm Marmite

No issues with iLok here (other than I'd rather not, but Falcon...), it just works (dongled now, but even before with machine locked authentication is worked as expected).

[sureno]

so you have 2 usernames on 1 email? If this was the fault of ilok surely they will compensate this by consolidating the 2nd unintentional account that you didn’t create? I’m guessing the one account is your deliberate account username and the second is a derivative of the email used or completely random username?

What did ilok say? Did you reach out?

as expected a user error. But the topic still says "shit".

I would love more companies would let me have more than one account for different purposes, Studios etc. with one mail account.

It is sh!t, and hardly user error, how can anyone create 2 accounts on the same email, and their software doesn't at least tell you so.

So crack on with the fanboi-ism, as a majority agree , iLok is utter sh!t and causes unnecessary problems.

[VariKusBrainZ]

as expected a user error. But the topic still says "shit".

replace error with idiocy

[Ben H]

so you have 2 usernames on 1 email? If this was the fault of ilok surely they will compensate this by consolidating the 2nd unintentional account that you didn’t create? I’m guessing the one account is your deliberate account username and the second is a derivative of the email used or completely random username?

I'm guessing someone sold their iLok account to him to avoid the license transfer fees, and changed the email address but was unable to change the username.

[steve.lindqvist]

I've never had a single issue with iLok. Best thing ever. Install your software, plug-it in (hardware dongle) and your're ready. I also wish all plug-ins had the option to transfer the license onto an iLok dongle. And the Soundtoys guys are very helpful and friendly in any way, far from beeing a strange company.

[digitalboytn]

This is not true...

Tell us what third party DRM system for audio plugins is better in convenience (one-click machine-optional, cloud-optional, dongle-optional activation) and long-term and ease of availability for both developers and customers. Wibu/Codemeter/Ignition isn't, eLicenser isn't, Sentinel isn't.

You didn't mention anything about a DRM system when you made that statement,so I responded...

Anyway...

There are plenty are ways to protect a product that are a lot less cumbersome than iLok...

A serial number and a user name for example...

Any credibility that iLok had worked so hard to develop, evaporated when their DRM system was hacked...

That blew their cover for sure

[do_androids_dream]

It's like anything. If it doesn't go wrong there will be choruses of 'I love it', 'it's awesome'. When it goes wrong for those same people that will flip to frustration and the pulling out of hair. iLok has suddenly stopped working on me enough times for me to dump it. Once it was a 'missing component' type of message and another was some kind of failed update. I had to uninstall and reinstall from scratch. Another time it was a particular plugin that also used Gobbler - it was hit and miss whether it worked. I made the decision to stop using plugins with any kind of protection (except one or two license key based schemes) - and I've been happy ever since.

[Russell Grand]

Ummm, it's not..?

[Mushy Mushy]

My initial thoughts to having multiple accounts on a single email was agreement that it is shit. However thinking about it further it could be necessary in professional studios.

The alternative is to assign every computer a different email and that’s just absurd.

EDIT: As pointed out below multiple PCs can be authorised from a single account

[LeVzi]

so you have 2 usernames on 1 email? If this was the fault of ilok surely they will compensate this by consolidating the 2nd unintentional account that you didn’t create? I’m guessing the one account is your deliberate account username and the second is a derivative of the email used or completely random username?

What did ilok say? Did you reach out?

tbh I have no idea how I created 2 accounts off the one email, but I managed to recover the unknown one, and I can see more licenses there, both linked to the same email, just different usernames, and both authorising plugins on the same PC ID. So I managed to solve the issue.

I did reach out to iLok, only to be told I'd have to pay $25 for a license transfer to the other account, max of $50 , and seeing as I need to move 3, that's what id have to pay.

You don't need mutliple accounts to have more flexibility, as you can authorise multiple PC's on one account (from what I can see)

I am not actually transferring my licenses from other accounts, they are mine, I purchsed them or they were free, just no idea how 2 accounts were created using the same email. But that's the case here.

iLok imo is still sh!t, as they want to charge me $50 to fix an error when they can blatantly see it was a mistake.

[yellowmix]

You didn't mention anything about a DRM system when you made that statement,so I responded...

It was literally the first sentence in the paragraph. "If you're going to implement a third-party DRM system please use iLok."

[PAK]

eLicenser is way better

They're all horrible, but iLok is better than eLicenser in these 3 ways..

1) It allows license transfers without mailing dongles (even if the transfer fee is "questionably high")

2) If the dongle ever stops working, or gets lost, if you pay the yearly fee you can set it so that the licenses time out if it doesn't see the dongle, meaning it removes the need to send broken dongles in the mail etc. If they made this ability free (and I think they should) it would answer most concerns people have about dongles (what do I do if it's broken/lost etc).

3) A wide variety of audio companies use iLok. There's not a whole lot, outside of Steinberg, still left using eLicenser. So, if Yamaha Steinberg drop it (there's been rumours.. ) , it's pretty much dead..

The only thing I'd say about iLok is I had issues with the gen 2 dongles where they wouldn't get recognized in some computer USB ports but were fine in others. The gen 3 metal dongles are much better build quality and I've had no issues there.

Any credibility that iLok had worked so hard to develop, evaporated when their DRM system was hacked...

AFAIK, iLok 3 remains unbroken (if linked to the hardware dongle.. )
Though, because of the unpopularity of dongles, most companies choose to allow the software only activation option.