SOLVED: Beware New iLok (HD?) Authorised Software Installations

[Compyfox]

Oh joy, another iLok hate thread. We didn't have one since when... last Friday or so? So much hate, so much bias and sometimes blatant misinformation being forwarded, which sadly happens most of the time with these threads.

Also, can the OP please change the topic title to something that is not all caps, all doomsday like and actually write "iLok/HDD" rather than iLok (HD?)"? I think at this point (and the linked threads, It's clear that the issue seems to revolve around the HDD activation.


For those that don't want to read a (slightly pissed off) rant:
CTRL+F in Firefox, insert TL;DR or just scroll down.




Just to see what the fuzz is all about, I actually downloaded the most recent iLok manager, and installed AiR Music Technology's Xpand!2 that I picked up a week ago (and didn't install/activate yet). But directly to my iLok USB key, not my HDD (I keep C/R to a minimum, burned myself too often with it - from sudden HDD failures to companies that just mess up C/R completely). All via the built in "registration manager" from Air Music Technology, to see if it f*cks up my licenses. And I do have PLENTY of that on my iLok2 USB key (Eiosis, Slate Digital, UVI, Brainworx, Line6).

I can confirm that the Manager v3.0.3.1468 (EDEN3) installs the infamous "Bonjour Win64" routines. Which clocks in at about 2MB and installs as "service". But I can easily remove that thing via the "Program Installation" panel in Windows 7. The iLok Manager will still run after that. Then again, I never had issues with it being on my HDD so far - blame Apple for this "Quicktime/iTunes" parasite.

Installation went smooth, in fact - I merely "upgraded" and did no new installation.

After that, I installed the most recent Xpand!2 version from AiR Music Technology, went with the "license manager" on first initialization, said "install on my iLok USB key", done. Air Music Technology wanted to over-install an earlier iLok Driver, but thankfully installation tools are intelligent enough these days to ignore that. I rebooted my rig twice so far, no license has been gone or went corrupt. In fact, I used my rig for 3 hours after the license manager upgrade, did another reboot and checked the project again. Just for sh*ts and giggles. Nothing broke.



Then I dug through all the links posted again, read more closer than just "blah blah blah, iLok is at fault, blah blah, Windows 10, blah, HDD installation might be at fault". In fact: most of the time, it seems to really only be down to the HDD (aka: Hard Disc Drive, not HD aka High Density!) activation and Windows 10. Why doesn't that surprise me at all? I mean, Windows 10 is still new, it's doing random updates, has a strict UAC (User Account Center, even if you have an Admin account!) and you try to use Call/Response on a HDD that can get easily corrupt. I mean, have you read the last 3 iLok threads on KVR alone recently?! My favorite one is the one user that blames Pace/iLok for his corrupt MacBook Pro that "won't see an USB stick connected, because <insert reasons>", and therefore lost his licenses instead of contacting the devs in question to get them reinstated. ("iLok is sh*t! ZDT doesn't work and is a ripoff, boo hoo!")

But no - it's always iLok to blame. Always iLok is at fault. Yet nobody even bothers to contact the developers in question so that they can fix this in the first place (heck on the Air Music Tech page the devs even said "we see this for the first time" and requested further info to get to the root of the problem! but not via a Support Ticket mind you, via a random forum!), reset your licenses and then be gone with it.



"OMG! iLok is sh*t! Another company that enforces us to go this route. It's only hurting the legit users" , "it's always iLok, every update makes things worse", "iLok doesn't care about their users, their CP scheme is intrusive".

I'm so sick of this crap. Like seriously!


This time I updated to the most recent (daily) version and tried to actively BREAK my iLok installation to see if this is really down to the Manager/Drivers, or if there is some weight behind the constant criticism. I can't confirm the HDD thing, since I don't use the HDD activation (only did that twice for both iLok at Syncrosoft each - realized "too risky", stuck with the engine that it was made for in the first place: USB key). But other than that - nothing happened!

Though I do have to emphasize that I fully understand that things can get messed up, and it does not mean that issues do not happen at all! It just annoys me how this is constantly addressed in form of hate posts (yes, I'd also love to see an independent "hate subforum" for CP schemes at this point, it's really getting annoying and destroys so many good threads).


So all these hate comments as of late can be boiled down to a couple of things:

a) early adopters (most recent OS, most recent updates - a cesspool for possible issues), even if there is no update needed
b) refuse to use the system it was made for (USB key) due to <insert various lengthy and often nonsensical reasons>
c) maybe also user error and no HDD image backups (seriously, did any of you create a HDD backup and roll back, just to see if the "corrupt licenses" are non-corrupt again?!)
d) maybe ProTools related (which seems to always have issues since they dropped the HD-mandatory DSP cards)



But no, blaming the iLok first is always the easy way out. Doesn't mean that it's perfect and that server outages didn't mess up things (the real "iLokalypse" comes to mind, which was down to "early adopters" really adopting way too early during a server hiccup - even if they didn't need to, the new manager was available a couple of weeks prior, you could still activate licenses, no driver/manager update was necessary!), as it happened for about 3 hours for Slate Digital after they released "The Monster" (even though already existing users DIDN'T NEED to re-activate their tools, just reinstall - so: user error) - and parallel to that, there was still the Air Music Technology blowout sale.

Honestly, with such threads, I sometimes really wish the complainers a massive server failure from a big company that also suddenly drops of the face of the planet, but used C/R or even online checks. Oh wait... that already happened: Camel Audio. Though here you had half a year to "cope and swtich". Other's didn't get off so easy (was it Kingston Audio that also nuked the C/R for Kjaerhus back in the days?!).







TL;DR:
I can't confirm what was written and complained about in here. At least if we talk USB key activation. Since HDDs are prone to fail at some point (even new ones), I always go the route of what this particular CP system was made for in the first place (USB key).

Also, most of the time Pace (comapny)/iLok (product) is not to blame, but the developers in question. iLok only offers the drivers and license storage. The developers still forward/activate/deactivate licenses remotely to the global server, which then Pace/iLok only forwards. I wish more people would understand that.

However if the server "connecting everything" has a failure, then there is room for valid complaints. But this really happened rarely in the last 10-15 years I've been working with this CP system (7 of that in my own studio environment).

[aMUSEd]

So what's the common denominator - is it system updates or PACE updates that should be avoided? I installed the most recent PACE update just before I updated to El Cap a few days ago, which did no harm to me, so there must be more to it than that (I use the dongle though, not HD licensing)

[Compyfox]

So what's the common denominator - is it system updates or PACE updates that should be avoided? I installed the most recent PACE update just before I updated to El Cap a few days ago, which did no harm to me, so there must be more to it than that (I use the dongle though, not HD licensing)

Honestly, I think there seems to be two main issues always popping up

1) drivers are not made for HDD activation
2) "rights management", ultimately corrupting licenses on HDD

[lnikj]

@Compyfox

Not really following all that you say ... I was just trying to help people.

a) I think most people understand what HD means.
b) I have expressed no hate whatsoever, merely tried to alert others to a problem that has messed up my and other's systems in the hope that they can avoid the same.
c) If PACE don't support soft iLok 100% then surely they should never have released it?

If you can show me where I have expressed 'hate' then please do so. Thanks.

[rifftrax]

I'm so sick of this crap. Like seriously!

What if other people are just as sick of the kind of anti-rant you just made?

Food for thought. In summary everyone is a whiner boo-hoo.

[Compyfox]

Oh, there is "no hate, because I didn't express hate" - that argument again.

What you did, was SCARE TACTICS, lnikj.

Thread with uppercase letters, huge warning of an issue that recently popped up and is worked on. Suddenly, everything went down to sh*t. Good fodder for people that love to jump on these threads. Good job.



To answer your points:

a) maybe, but you have to understand that there is "ProTools HD", which is now the embodiment of the iLok movement. This can confuse users, especially new users of this CP scheme that are "scared off" with such threads


b) again, scare tactics


c) invalid argument IMO - the "users" insisted on HDD activation years ago, iLok delivered as "tacked on feature". 99% of the time it's working. If there is a hiccup, suddenly all hell breaks loose and Pace/iLok is to blame. Both Syncrosoft and Pace/iLok were initially created for physical copy protection keys: read LPT (early days), now USB keys

If you now come with the <insert reason against USB keys> argumentation, I guess I'm going to flip a table out of the first floor. Always wanted to do that... might be relaxing for a change.




Otherwise - not going further into that topic - I vented, end of story for me. Such hate threads are always like "I'm not in the wrong, the company is - they f*cked up" (instead of dropping actual Support Tickets, at the right places!). Then this thread can go several ways. Route A: "I don't have this problem - shup up", Route B "I have this problem, this system sucks!", Route C - at first relaxed/constructive argumentation, then finger pointing and egomania (recent example: rifftrax)

You can and will never win this type of comment war. You can only point out the nonsense resolving around it. At some point, the cat pics drop, then the threads are closed, people get reported and temp banned - nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. However a couple of hours later, the game repeats - outcome: the same. Roll the dice. Hope you've got some spare D20's.



Tried grabbing a cup of hot Cocoa (or whatever beverage) and a different approach first (see last post: Image roll-back comes to mind)? If it's still not working for you in the end, then vent if necessary.

Else - enjoy the rest of Sunday.

[rifftrax]

Bro. lol seriously. Maybe time to take a break

[Fleer]

Got to hand it to Compyfox. He's always right, even when he's wrong. Love it.

[robotmonkey]

I'm so sick of this crap. Like seriously!

What if other people are just as sick of the kind of anti-rant you just made?

Food for thought. In summary everyone is a whiner boo-hoo.

Exactly. Sorry to say but what a load of BS. A lot of words but nothing to say about the problem. Threads about this problem are popping up in various places including various developers forums.

The way you try to cheerlead for Pace is beyond laughable.

Two spectacular f*uckups by Pace in less than two weeks, people have to cancel sessions and you try to whitewash Pace. Can't even believe it.

[lnikj]

If somebody else wants to argue with compyfox then please do. My life is too short.

[Fleer]

Here's wishing him a tranquil Sunday evening. And ourselves, of course.

[simmo75]

My i-Lok (HDD) was working fine until i installed the Adaptiverb demo, now none of my plugins work in Ableton Live 9.6 or Reaper on mac. So Zinaptiq emailed me back, saying its a PACE/i-Lok issue, absolutely not them to blame.

Compyfox, my studio uses 50 licenses and we had to cancel our sessions today. I'm $350 down from this error personally. Pace/iLok don't have telephone support and haven't replied to our emails.

I don't really care who's to blame, I just want it fixed as i can't afford this and want to be able to work, tomorrow ideally!

[SirkusPi]

As someone who considers himself pretty pro-iLok and actually agrees with Compyfox that Pace gets blamed too quickly, I found lnikj's warning entirely proper and appropriate. Even as an iLok supporter, I think it can only be good for people to be warned about this latest problem. I'm fortunate not to be experiencing issues right now (Mac and dongle user), but if a bug was affecting that combo, I'd certainly want someone to call it to my attention.

[robotmonkey]

c) invalid argument IMO - the "users" insisted on HDD activation years ago, iLok delivered as "tacked on feature". 99% of the time it's working. If there is a hiccup, suddenly all hell breaks loose and Pace/iLok is to blame. Both Syncrosoft and Pace/iLok were initially created for physical copy protection keys: read LPT (early days), now USB keys

That's the stupidest excuse for Pace I've read in long time. You either do HDD authorization and not f*uck up or you don't do it. Plenty of companies manage to do former. Also Pace Eden is touted by devs and Pace itself as a completely *new* framework meant specifically for HDD authorization so the argument is invalid anyway.

[simmo75]

Ok, i'm unable to do a license transfer now.... Unbelievable! (HDD- MAC)

I keep getting "One or more activation locations unavailable"

Can anyone help please?

Cheers