iLOK warning

[ztrauq]

iLok, eLicenser (which is being phased out anyway) and Codemeter are the "unholy trifecta" of DRM nonsense that I have decided are simply not worth it at any (plugin) cost. I don't love C/R and software "managers" either, but those three are the only ones that have created so much hassle and time spent fixing them (not to mention iLok activations gone when a workstation crashed) that I have intentionally replaced all software I had that makes use of them.

[HarmoSound]

I use ILOK dongle for years now and I never had any problems !

[neverbefore]

I have had veryfew problems with iLok - where I live has poor internet at times so the cloud system can go down for an hour or so - but that is pretty rare. Otherwise the only hassle is having to ask a few companies to reactivate your licenses if, like me, you hadnt noticed a new computer will trash the old licenses (which makes sense and was a drag but not as bad as replacing a computer)

[BONES]

When I had a problem with a couple of iLok licenses, they just deactivated all my licenses, which allowed me to reactivate them in a minute or two. The whole thing was sorted overnight. I don't understand why they'd make you jump through hoops if you were corresponding with them from the same email you use for your account.

[jens]

When I had a problem with a couple of iLok licenses, they just deactivated all my licenses, which allowed me to reactivate them in a minute or two. The whole thing was sorted overnight. I don't understand why they'd make you jump through hoops if you were corresponding with them from the same email you use for your account.

I don't understand why they treated you differently from their usual, documented procedure (which I explained previously in the thread).

[lfm]

Otherwise the only hassle is having to ask a few companies to reactivate your licenses if, like me, you hadnt noticed a new computer will trash the old licenses (which makes sense and was a drag but not as bad as replacing a computer)

It does not make sense to me, if having a usb iLok dongle.

You cannot have that on more than one computer at a time, why would licenses be trashed???
- you use software on one machine and dongle is there
- not able to use on another machine at same time

Challenge/response is another matter, then computer id change and stuff and that is only way vendor have some control how many licenses are used.

Seems the newer iLok online thingy is some challenge/response rather than hardware dongle principles.

[strovoknights]

My iLok2 dongle failed just the other day.
The iLok2 recovery process requires me to ship the iLok2 to USA, pay for the repair, and wait for the license to be restored.
I will not be able to use my license until the iLok2 dongle is restored.
I found this waiting period to be ridiculous, requiring an unpleasant hassle even though I am an authorized user.

I tried to find out if there was any way to bypass the iLok2 repair process.
I learned that putting the iLok2 in a zip lock and refrigerating it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes may temporarily restore it.
This worked for me and I successfully transferred all the licenses from the iLok2 dongle to my account.
I then purchased iLok3 and have been able to use it reliably.
The bottom line is that I would still rather buy a new iLok dongle than pay for a repair.

[ramseysounds]

I didn't think you need a physical dongle for ilok anymore?

[MadDogE134]

sorry for your luck but maybe if you are insistent on using ilok protected plugs which are usually far more expensive than the ilok dongle itself... then you may want to invest in a dongle and put all of your licenses on it. there are only a few ways a dongle will go tits up and ALL of them are 'acts of God' (things beyond our control) and are few and far between. (nothing lasts forever) even had a lightening strike kill my computer but luckily components burn long before getting to the dongle and damaging it. had to rebuild the computer but reinstalled ilok manager and plugged in my ilok and all was fine.

hope you get it sorted and that you may learn from the experience. some folks i know actually have two dongles and many plugs give you 2 or more activations so they ALWAYS have a backup if there IS an 'act of God' instance and there is a loss of a dongle.

cheers and good luck

[cprompt]

My iLok2 dongle failed just the other day.
The iLok2 recovery process requires me to ship the iLok2 to USA, pay for the repair, and wait for the license to be restored.

My understanding in these situations is you report the dongle lost or stolen rather than broken. You still have to beg for replacement licenses and buy a new dongle but it's quicker than sending the dongle off and waiting for a replacement.

[BONES]

I don't understand why they treated you differently from their usual, documented procedure (which I explained previously in the thread).

Neither do I. I was expecting weeks of misery but it was anything but. Maybe there was some evidence of files being corrupted or something? What they did for me made sense, though, what they seem to make others do makes none at all to me.

You cannot have that on more than one computer at a time, why would licenses be trashed???
- you use software on one machine and dongle is there
- not able to use on another machine at same time

1) You shouldn't be using it on more than one machine at a time anyway.
2) You can install your plugins on a million different computers and it will work on any of them, which is far less restrictive than only being able to install and authorise a license on one or two computers.

Say, for example, that you hired a big studio for a week and you didn't want to rip out your home set-up and take it to the studio. You could take a thumb drive with your installers to the studio, install your plugins on one of their computers, plug your dongle in and do your work. When 3DS Max used dongles, that's exactly what I did when I was freelancing. It may seem limiting for anyone who doesn't mind violating their license but if you are earning your living from it, dongles can be a very convenient way of getting the most out of your investment without having to worry about being accused of piracy.

I didn't think you need a physical dongle for ilok anymore?

I think some software still wants you to have a dongle and I can see why some people might prefer it. I work from a laptop, so USB ports are very precious, but if I was working on a desktop machine, I'd probably prefer a dongle - if your computer isn't very portable, at least your licenses can be.

[Tronam]

I've been fine with machine authorization over the past few years since all the plugins include 2 or 3 licenses each, so I always leave a backup on the server in case I ever need it. If I was still doing music production on my gaming PC I'd most likely switch to the physical dongle because of how often I upgrade and tweak my system. I'd hate to forget and then accidentally render my PC unrecognizable to iLok.

[Zmusic3]

iLok has always seemed to me a "make me take more steps" situation as opposed to serial numbers / product keys

[mothra]

I actually gave in and bought a dongle a week ago heh. Just got a new M2 Pro Mini and didn't want to sit there and unauthorize and reauthorize everything from my Intel Mini to the new one. Just stopped at Guitar Center on the way home from the Apple Store, dragged all my licenses to the key, problem solved and now I can still fire up the old one if I need to get something off it too without having to worry about it.. I am ALWAYS forgetting one or two of them when I move machines so no more of that!

[BONES]

I think maybe iLok have changed the way they deal with these issues. I just got one of my machines back after a warranty repair. It wasn't charging consistently so I wanted to get it fixed before the warranty expired. I backed up my drive but didn't think to deactivate my iLok licenses and, sure enough, they replaced the mainboard and I got a new SSD as well.

I contacted iLok about deactivating all the licenses on that machine and they are taking care of informing the vendors of the situation. I got an email overnight saying Softube have said "OK", and they'll deactivate those licenses now. Eventually I should get everything back, although I'm really only interested in getting Vacuum Pro back now, there's really nothing else on iLok that I care about. Softube was the one I was most concerned about.