iLok Client Install Software Problem

[soapbox]

As a Pro Tools LE user upgrading to version 6.0 and then 6.1 on OS X, I decided to set up an iLok account first. (I'll need it for my Serato Pitch 'n Time plug-in and perhaps for others as well.) Unfortunately, I got stuck in the mud while trying to use the iLok Client Install software. I'm posting my plight because I hope that some kind soul here has the answer to my problem...

Step 1: Inserting my iLok in my USB hub went smoothly.

Step 2: Setting up an iLok account was no problem. It's as easy as filling out any Internet form.

Step 3: Downloading the iLok Client Install software that allows iLok.com to see my iLok was no problem (although curiously, the Mac download option didn't specify if it was for OS 9 or OS X).

Step 4: Installing the software (under Mac OS X 10.2.6) that allows iLok.com to see my iLok seemed to be no problem.

Step 5: Getting iLok.com to believe that I had installed the software that allows iLok.com to see my iLok - BIG PROBLEM!

Step 6: Troubleshooting the fact that iLok.com doesn't believe that I had installed the software ... well, there's a FAQ section:

iLok FAQ:
Are there any known issues where iLok.com reports an error indicating that the client software is not installed even though I know that I installed it?

Chances are that you are using a browser that is not supported. Currently iLok.com only works with Internet Explorer on both Macintosh and Windows platforms. Please make sure you have the latest version of Internet Explorer and configure your preferences so that it is the default browser.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Okay, but my system was already set up this "correct" way when the problem occurred!

Step 7: Search for iLok support contact info. There is no support phone number, just an e-mail address and the following cop out ... er, "message:"

iLok Support page:
While PACE is the original manufacturer of the iLok, it is more than likely you have bought nothing directly from PACE. PACE currently offers no direct technical support for end users (customers of software publishers that use PACE's technology) without direct authorization or escalation from the software publisher. Directions on how to use the iLok in conjunction with the products you have bought or received is the duty of the software vendor. This information should be provided with the software installation if not on the vendor's website. iLok Partners are links to the software publishers that support iLok.

PACE has no way to immediately verify your status as a customer with a particular vendor nor does PACE have the authority to redistribute products on behalf of our customers, the software publishers. YOU MUST CONTACT THE COMPANY YOU BOUGHT/RECEIVED YOUR SOFTWARE FROM FIRST.

1. Read the online help and FAQ
2. Make sure it is not a problem with the software publisher's product.
Such as: correct CDROM, proper installation, proper version, etc.
3. Try to reproduce the issue and verify that it is an issue with the software vendor.

If you continue to have problems, please submit a full report of your issues to [email protected].

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Step 8: E-mail iLok.com and wait.

Step 9: Reconfigure browser settings. Oh that's right, did I mention that connecting to iLok.com messed up the way I had Internet Explorer set up? (Apparently, it returned my browser settings to its factory defaults.) It reset my home page to www.apple.com, added the button bar, and reset my browser color to Bondi. Perhaps it did more that I have yet to discover. It did this repeatedly as I tried steps 3 - 5 above several times.

Has anyone else here experienced this problem? If so, any help about how to resolve this dilemma would be much appreciated - I have no idea how long it will take to get an e-mail response from iLok.com.

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Update: On a hunch, I tried rebooting under OS 9 and then starting over from "Step 4" above - PROBLEM SOLVED! It's an odd thing for Mac customers to find that OS X users are newly required to use iLok, but that the iLok site itself apparently only interfaces with "iLok Client" software that requires OS 9!

I have no idea what unfortunate users on OS X only Macs will do to fix this problem ... boot up Classic and try their luck? Even for dual boot users like me, it's an inconvenient workaround to install software in OS X and then reboot under OS 9 each time we wish to register an authorization at iLok.com.

Please let me know if there's a better solution than my workaround.

Thanks,

Geoff

[soapbox]

Update 2: Less than 24 hours after e-mailing iLok.com, I received the following response:

Dear iLok.com user,

We have just updated the iLok.com website with a new version of the iLok Client Helper software. This update is for those users who are being asked to install the latest version of the iLok Client Helper even though that step was just taken. In order to take advantage of this update, please log onto your iLok.com account and then choose the 'Download' link from the navigational bar found on the upper section of iLok.com. Once the updated iLok Client Helper has been downloaded and installed, users experiencing this issue should not experience it any more.

Best regards,

Pace Anti-Piracy Tech Support

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I downloaded and installed the updated iLok Client Helper. It worked as advertised. Now I can communicate with iLok.com via OS X. Also, this time my browser settings remained intact.

Best,

Geoff