I just want to verify that avid support is not available for PT 11.3.1, right?

[BillytheB]

Hi, I'm an educator and have an educator license for PT 11.3.1. Until recently it has been completely fine for my uses. Recently I am getting a licensing error that is keeping me from consistently being able to use the bundled features in pro tools like the bundled plugins and mp3.dll for bouncing mixes. The main application runs without issue but any plugin is a crapshoot from session to session. If I stop and restart Pace Licensing Service I can open my projects and use them normally for a time.

This is not unique to one machine I own and is not limited to only one project. I am considering updating to Pro Tools 2018 but I am worried that even that will not work. I was convinced by Ilok that it must be some error in my machine causing the problem so I built another. The problem persists on the new machine. Something is wrong but no one can find it. I am losing hope. No one has ever seen this problem before. My computers are both audio only. The new machine only has the OS and Pro Tools and my 3rd party plugins installed. It is so discouraging to spend over $3 thousand dollars and not fix my problem. I am incredibly reluctant to throw more money and time at the problem.

I know I own a legacy product but it would seem that it has stopped working for no good reason and the claim is that the licensing service is not running when it is. I can instantiate other plugins after I receive this error and without restarting the service.

[amagras]

Are you getting a specific error dialog? What does it say?
Please give us all the information you can about your system.

[BillytheB]

Originally Posted by amagras

Are you getting a specific error dialog? What does it say?
Please give us all the information you can about your system.

"The licensing service required to activate this software is not running. Please reinstall the software or download and run the ilok license management installer here. www.ilok.com"

Of course I have done all these things and have been in 6 week email chain with support from ilok. I am completely certain that the ilok software is installed and running correctly.

While I appreciate the desire for system specs, ultimately they're irrelevant and a thread killer. Every time I've posted them it's the last thing in the thread. It's happening on Windows 7 and windows 10. Both are 16 GB HEDT workstation systems> The Windows 7 system has been running smoothly since 2012. The windows 10 system is only a couple weeks old, fully updated and only has the ilok manager, pro tools and my plugins installed. Other than using a web browser and the various computer management software included in windows OS there has been nothing else running on the machine that's not related to pro tools. Each system is using a different audio interface (because the firewire interface of the windows 7 system wasn't playing nicely with windows 10). The drivers are updated to the latest versions. Both of my systems meet or exceed the minimum specs in every area.

This all started on July 24th when I updated my ilok management software and my slate virtual mix rack software. I have been dealing with it every time I use pro tools. It absolutely sucks and I'm exhausted from the emails, the testing, the stopping and restarting the license service to do incredibly simple things. I'm a legal software owner and I cannot use my software license in an uninhibited manner. It is disgusting.

I just want to know if there is absolutely no chance of receiving meaningful support for PT 11.3.1.

[amagras]

Here's the solution for Windows, since you refuse to share your system info I can only guess its the right for you.
https://youtu.be/A_tIsYWBZJs

[BillytheB]

Originally Posted by amagras

Here's the solution for Windows, since you refuse to share your system info I can only guess its the right for you.
https://youtu.be/A_tIsYWBZJs

Seriously, do you think in 40 emails with ilok that all of this hasn't been covered? Of course I'm on delayed start. I've jumped though every hoop that's been presented. I've posted multiple times in the various .duc forums about this. Apparently I'm the only person that has ever had this problem, ever.

What good would it help if I told you I have an Asus x299 TUF Mark 1 and a i7 7820 CPU and 16 gigs of Gskill ram? My ThunderboltEX thunderbolt 3 card? How about my Radeon 3200 video card, or my Motu 112D or my Samsung 960 system drive or my Samsung 970 Pro audio drive? What are you going to tell me? Or that Hyperthreading is turned off. That turbo is turned off. That I've followed everything that's been posted by avid and black viper to improve or enable pro tools to run at its best. If you were really some genius hardware guru it wouldn't be hard to find any of this by looking at my profile and the posts I've made recently. What have I left out? A microsoft keyboard, a kingston trackball?

I'm going back to my original question: Is support available for my product that I legally own or not? I don't understand Avid and their business model. They will sell me a thing but that thing is solely my responsibility to what point.

[amagras]

Delayed start doesn't work every time. You have to start the service manually. I bet you haven't done that, you are obviously too smart to think small...or to watch the video until the end.

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by amagras

Delayed start doesn't work every time. You have to start the service manually. I bet you haven't done that, you are obviously too smart to think small...or to watch the video until the end.

With this in mind, I would open Services and set iLok to start automatically(not delayed). Curiously, I am seeing the exact same message("The licensing service required to activate this software is not running. Please reinstall the software or download and run the ilok license management installer here. www.ilok.com") but for me, it only affects the SMACK! plugin. Everything else works perfectly. The fix in the video link did not work here and it is somewhat random(some days, SMACK! works, and some days it doesn't)

Followup 10 minutes later: I rebooted a second time after the install(of iLok software) and now SMACK! works fine.

Now I also remember a period last year, where Pace was not starting and the solution then was to open Task Manager>Services and start PACE manually(a small PITA, but worked 100%). Not really sure what fixed that issue(I was loading and swapping software like a maniac at the time)

[amagras]

Originally Posted by albee1952

With this in mind, I would open Services and set iLok to start automatically(not delayed). Curiously, I am seeing the exact same message("The licensing service required to activate this software is not running. Please reinstall the software or download and run the ilok license management installer here. www.ilok.com") but for me, it only affects the SMACK! plugin. Everything else works perfectly. The fix in the video link did not work here and it is somewhat random(some days, SMACK! works, and some days it doesn't)

Followup 10 minutes later: I rebooted a second time after the install(of iLok software) and now SMACK! works fine.

No I also remember a period last year, where Pace was not starting and the solution then was to open Task Manager>Services and start PACE manually(a small PITA, but worked 100%). Not really sure what fixed that issue(I was loading and swapping software like a maniac at the time)

Windows 10/start automatically fixed it for me. I still have Services pinned to my task bar just in case, if I ever have this problem but again I just have to click it, press P and it will go directly to the PACE service. Then right click > start manually. A lot faster.

That thing with Smack! is odd. Unless smack uses a different service I can't figure out how it can work for the rest.

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by amagras

That thing with Smack! is odd. Unless smack uses a different service I can't figure out how it can work for the rest.

Yeah, it makes me a little crazy how it works one day and not the next(and its only SMACK!)