Hey guys,

I know you all are used to iLok and similar protection. But I don't have any experience, because I avoid any products with such copy protection. Hardware is a no-go for me. However, I recently saw that some companies offer their products with iLok, but without the need of an iLok dongle. It seems that for such products you need to make an account on iLok.com and that's all.

But is it really? What exactly am I doing by creating such an account? Will there be any interference with my system (hidden files that are installed, or such things)? Why do they demand an iLok account at all, if the software is usable without a hardware iLok dongle?

It would be awesome if somebody would take the time to explain the whole process to me, so that I have enough information to decide wether it is worth it. Thanks in advance!

 

It's pretty straight forward. You create a free ilok account, and remember your ID name and password, when you purchase vsts which are used with soft ilok you'll need your username. Then you use ilok manager on your computer where you also log in with your ilok id and password. The manager will know when you purcase vsts as your puchase will be transmitted to it when you buy the products you buy with your ilok id.
The plus side is that it's really easy to authorize items and to deauthorize them when you reinstall your system for example. You just do it in two seconds in your ilok manager from your computer.
The downside is god knows what crap ilok manager install when you install and upadte it.And also you have to connect your computer to internet, it has to go online when you authorize. I use an old built, and stay away from updating it as much as I can. But to be honest it doesn't change the performance of my computer, but I'm always worried with the kind of datas they collect. Also it's a b... to uninstall completely if you wish to get rid of it, but I have too many ilok products I depeend on to uninstall it, so, no point in that.

 

The dongle is replaced by your internet connection. The iLok manager runs in the background as a service, it doesn't really affect performance but it does add a few seconds to OS start-up as loads and it does call home to check for AUTH/DEAUTH. I have not had any problems but I always wait as long as possible when a new update comes up (let the other guys test for bugs.)

 

also, its troubling me with some vst software, saying it wont work on my ilok version

which is the last working version for windows 7

 

Yeah iLok manager is easy enough to use. With regards to boot up times etc can have the ability to change which services started on Boot etc. Common problems sometimes for that specific reason as in PACE service not running in background.
Also have the options to install drivers only and other things with install. Is a bit like using an online installer with a few more options.
Some common problems to look out for are say bad machine bindings or other problems associated with frequent OS updates with device. Can sometimes lead to activation errors.
Not sure exactly of course what questionable elements come associated with the install itself but like everything there sure to be some
@spacetime Can get a few problems like that with windows 7 apparently for various software but one thing to check is say that you have all the relevant updates installed for the OS....In particular check for that say SP1 & updates KB3125574 / KB3033929 to adress issues with SHA-2 code signing....Might help and hopefully u get it sorted if it possible to fix

 

If you need to buy protected software (well, you'll not escape if you want to get legit), I find iLok the most comfortable protection.
Generally there are two variations, software or dongle protection. Most of the time, you are allowed to activate 3 machines.
For my PC I've chosen the dongle version, because I've got enogh USB ports on it and the dongle always stays at home. For my Laptop, I use the software activation. It doesn't need a full-time Internet connection. One spare activation.
I've not had any problems so far.
Ilok, in comparison, is better than eLicenser, because I'm free to use it as software- or hardware dongle. Activation/deactivation is straight forward. With eLicenser you only get one license on the USB dongle and if you forgot it at home, it's a show stopper. And you are not able to work with your laptop and PC side by side (eLicenser checks dongle every now and then).
Ilok has a low workload, mostly at the start of the protected software.
Software, bound to a machine is even more painful than iLok and eLicenser. If you lose your PC or have a disk failure, you're in trouble, bacause you most likely won't be able to deactivate the machine yourself. It may take some workdays to recover the license.

Conclusion: If I need to use a software with more than a serial# protection, I would prefer iLok as the most fexible but stable solution.

 

Thank you, guys! Lots of valuable information here. I think I will go with iLok Software. It seems to be an acceptable compromise. @twoheart your post convinced me the most, because of the comparisons. A special thanks for that!

 

@tulamide you're welcome my friend