I've already demoed H9/Ensemble/Anthology XII subscriptions for one month, and it seems that even creating multiple accounts to try a new demo cycle, iLok/Eventide is able to see they've been demoed once already, and when attempting to activate the new demo, it doesn't offer the possibility to 'Activate' the trial on the Local Computer.



Usually in this window, if it's the first time, they will allow 30-day trial and won't say "An iLok USB is required for activation".

Is there a way to delete the .info file of iLok(?)/Eventide(?) folder(s) somewhere on Mac to be able to demo their plugins again, or is the Local Machine MAC address stored inside of iLok servers, meaning I can never demo the same product ever with the same Machine?

Thanks.

 

You should learn how to use Time Machine. it sounds like you are going to need it.

 

Would that not defeat the whole purpose of a 30 day trial?

 

why do you think iLok "hardware-based activation" is called "hardware-based activation"?

you just don't understand how the iLok activation system works. try using a time machine for this purpose before giving such advice.

yeah... If it were that simple, this question wouldn't be here

 

I certainly do. It's what he will need when he screws up his entire system by installing random things.

 

I think that was funny haha, good one.

But seriously guys I was always keen to figure this thing out, is the granted iLok period of time and end time based on the date of:

- iLok servers
- my "hardware-based" computer clock
- anything else?

So @Talula you confirm there's nowhere on the computer we can delete this record/log to make a fresh start?

I guess it's not worth f*cking things up with a reinstall or TimeMachine since it would't work anyway?

 

If the license is on your PC and not in the cloud, yes you can. But I think it's against the rules of the forum if I tell you where I keep them and how you can always have 30 days.
I repeat, as long as the license is on your PC and not in the cloud

 

He's right ( that said @clone), there's something to that

 

eventide software doesn't support iLok cloud:

https://www.eventideaudio.com/faqs/

 

Yes Ryck like Talula said I was about to tell you, because I precisely checked that yesterday, Eventide doesn't support the cloud iLok (when you're in iLok app, you can see, as you Activate, that Eventide plugins don't provide the Cloud option).

It's only on the computer, so my question is, where on a Mac can we delete it? I understand you can't tell me here publicly, but if you could tell me by inbox, I would owe you man!

 

Q: Is it possible to keep trying 30-day demo of Eventide plugins with Mac/iLok?
A: NO

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 4, 2022

I confirm. I removed the associated files where the licenses are stored

- Run the "Uninstall License Support" application
- Drag the following items to the Trash:
• Macintosh HD > Library > Preferences > com.paceap.eden.clientdb.v1.01.sdb
• Macintosh HD > Users > your_user_name > Library > Caches > com.paceap.iLokLicenseManager
• Macintosh HD > Users > your_user_name > Library > Preferences > com.paceap.iLokLicenseManager.plist
- Restart your Mac

rebooted, no success

iLok somewhat seems to still remember me. Using different iLok/Eventide accounts won't change a thing... :/

So the answer must be that iLok stores the MAC/physical address?

I would need either the ability:

- to change the MAC address? it seems possible in Terminal, but if I do this, I will probably crash my computer, right? xD
- or in order for the DEMO LICENSE NOT TO EXPIRE, to use a program that stops the timing of all executables? someone has a clue on this?

F*ck that sh*t

 

If you get a new dongle for each new activation it works, but hella expensive demos

 

I read these questions ... the answers to these questions are elementary, but you do not want to include logical thinking.

an account is required to use iLok. no matter what activation method you use: information about each license will be associated with your account from the moment you register a license code or the developer sends a license to your User ID. information about license activation or deactivation is synchronized with the records on the servers. data is also transferred there, which in one way or another helps to identify a computer from millions of others. and if you think that the basis of identifying a computer in our time is the MAC address + hard drive serial number, or that the records of the number of remaining days of the evaluation period are stored in some folder accessible to the user, then you know very little about what information is sent every device on the Internet, and what are anonymized digital profiles. just google "facebook pixel" - it's enough to reconsider your views on "anonymity on the Internet."

any user of apple products registers an account for himself - this is an identifier and it is unique. your apps, which can be updated and added to, are also part of your unique digital profile. a list of the most visited sites and search queries, news you are interested in and musical preferences. your style of communication on the Internet, the same mistakes and typos - all this is also unique data. your router with a unique serial number and a small set of IP addresses allocated by the provider, in addition, it also transmits information about the wireless network and devices connected to this network (smartphone or PC and the number of devices, for example). there can be a lot of such data and separately they do not carry any particularly important information, the more of them, the easier it is to identify a computer. I do not know what data is collected for iLok, but these are not banal serial numbers of devices that can be changed. and they collect and use this data absolutely legally and with the consent of each of the users.

you can install the Wireshark application and see how many requests your computer sends and receives in 5 minutes, for example, even if it is just turned on and not in use.

Firstly, the activation of any license occurs via the Internet. when starting iLok License Manager, the user must connect to his account - without clicking on the "sign in" button, you can see only those licenses that are stored in the user's iLok Cloud. to manage licenses in iLok Cloud, to display, activate or deactivate a user's licenses, and to register new licenses, the user MUST also be connected to the account via the Internet to exchange data.

Evaluation and subscription licenses contain the exact expiration date of the license. disconnecting the computer from the Internet after activating the license is simply pointless - it will not stop time. changing the date in the system is also useless. iLok is not a standalone application, but several constantly running services that monitor the state of the system.

trying to find some files that somehow can "say" that the trial period is over is also useless. modern operating systems work with data at various levels, some of which are simply inaccessible to the user. you can search for information about the once popular Armadillo protector, used to protect executable files and dynamic libraries of the Windows family OS - metadata about the number of launches and the remaining trial period were stored in Alternate Data Streams - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(file_system)

if someone else thinks that he came up with a brilliant idea that will make it possible to bypass the complex protection of the iLok system ... well, okay, let him think that during the entire existence of iLok no one thought about something like that, but the iLok system over the years has not become more reliable and more difficult.