(Solved) Reactivation Pain

[scook]

The tool is called Launch Pad. The thread about it is

Prior to v1.7 it used a simple copy process to create hot backups. A change was made to CbB 2019.09 which made the simple copy process unworkable. Now the program has to do a little more work to insure the selected version runs correctly.

[Starship Krupa]

That's right, there was an issue that I ran into doing it the old-fashioned manual way.

I had a problem after copying files around too, because the developers apparently changed a resource in one version that's outside the Cakewalk Core folder that I was used to being able to copy. As with Marled's situation, CbB looked fine until I tried a certain operation. In my case it wasn't validation that fouled up, it caused a crash.

A pain indeed, but that's what I get for trying to fool the almighty BandLab Assistant. ?‍♂️?‍♂️?

Like him, I had to let the installer do its thing and the issue was resolved. Steve's utility is the better bet, but even still, all this tricky stuff we do at our own risk. Anything other than "connect to the Internet and install/upgrade/validate using BA" is "off piste," as the expression goes.

If you want to avoid hassles, just follow the instructions. Otherwise, be prepared, with a backup or otherwise. Terabyte backup drives are so cheap these days, just get one and image your system drive before you start monkeying around like us wise guys who think we know what we're doing. ?

[chris.r]

15 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

What I'm wondering about is why folks who seem to have ready access to a 'net connection are going to so much trouble to keep a computer isolated. They're not saying they won't have access to an Internet connection, it's like a matter of principle or something, and I'm curious about it. Why is it a burden to have to plug the thing in every so often?

I had a really great experience with the use of a carefully set up windows on my old desktop for as long as 10 consecutive years(!) without any hiccup or unwanted adventures. I only used it to have the load of an audio/midi work done quick and smoothly and another pc, a laptop actually, for anything else. Once proper set this pc was as reliable as a japanese car and never gave me any problem, always working perfectly because I have used it exclusively for a specified music job and it always gave me expected results. I was very satisfied from it that way, never let me down no a single once, probably it would still serve me well even today if it was 64-bit but there was time for an upgrade. For years it was easy to go that route with previous windows versions plus I had my Sonar with only serial# but now the new software is asking for online access and since windows 10 and the forced updates things have changed. It's much more difficult now. You have to put so much care to keep it offline or keep it from unnecessary updates if you have to go online even for a moment. And any forced are the unnecessary ones in this case. It's most likely that at some point one of the updates will mess up something and here's the problem because I absolutely don't want or need any changes, any new features, quality or security updates etc. on this particular machine, like you would need for a typical online pc, to have the job done. I want it to stay untouched for the next 10 years.

On my new laptop (the online one) I only have done one bigger update since I have it, from 1809 to 1903 just recently, and already had some problems to overcome. But it's fine, that's what I have this laptop for. But again, I don't want *ANY* changes to be made to my production desktop for years, just keep it working flawlessly the way I have set it. Well, I'll try and see how it goes. Soon I should have it up and working.

Not sure this will answer your question but at least I have tried.

[chris.r]

Just wanted to add to the above... it would be much easier for the production machine to set and forget if there was an offline activation option for Cakewalk, just cut it off the line and done. Otherwise I'm forced to go online every now and then and that way open to the risk of system changes and that's so dang terrifying  you never know what to expect. Basically I'm unable to go my trusty route now with the new Cakewalk policy... oh well. Heartbreaking.

[Mandolin Picker]

Consider that when you go online to update CbB, Windows will also begin to update in the background - whether you want it to or not.

I recently had an experience where Windows 10 updated the night before an event we were scheduled to live stream. The update wiped out the audio drivers. The live stream wasn't accomplished because we had no audio and couldn't figure out why until a deep dive much later. These types of incidents can make a person look very foolish, especially if it is in front of a paying client. An event like this can result in not just loss of a client, but perhaps other legal issues for failing to provide contracted services.

Yes, CbB is free, and they can do what they wish. I still wish they would make it so that you could export a file with the latest info from your CbB install, upload it to Bandlab from another computer that is on line, and get a file back that I can upload to keep my CbB running.

It would also be nice if CbB would provide a toaster message indicating that "Cakewalk will need to update in 30 days" so that you can do it before it goes into Demo mode.

Just my thoughts.......

[scook]

13 minutes ago, Mandolin Picker said:

It would also be nice if CbB would provide a toaster message indicating that "Cakewalk will need to update in 30 days" so that you can do it before it goes into Demo mode.

From the 2019.09 release notes

Quote

Cakewalk must be periodically activated via BandLab Assistant, but will no longer switch to demo mode during a session. A notification will remind you 14 days before the application needs to be reactivated

 

[Mandolin Picker]

That's cool. Missed that one

[Starship Krupa]

16 hours ago, chris.r said:

I don't want *ANY* changes to be made to my production desktop for years, just keep it working flawlessly the way I have set it. Well, I'll try and see how it goes. Soon I should have it up and working.

Not sure this will answer your question but at least I have tried.

I'm starting to get it, Chris, thanks. This concept is for people who want to  set up a dedicated, single use audio workstation with a certain set of software and leave it as-is.

This has been hard to understand because my own system does video editing and runs other programs like photo editing and audio format conversion, all of which I get by purchasing or getting for free and downloading. Also, or course, plug-ins. So my A/V production desktop is always in a state of change.

With the advent of Windows 10 and its mandated updates, your concern is that Microsoft may push out an update that will break the workstation. I had this happen to my own DAW a few months ago, so how can I not sympathize? I was getting audible clicks and pops on playback right after the 1903 update.

Unfortunately, I don't know if there's a way to do this any more. There is such an expectation from software vendors that we'll all be able to be online for registration, updates, etc. To try to build a Windows 10 system using proprietary software and try to keep it forever isolated from the Internet is a struggle. Microsoft don't want people to use their software that way. Neither do BandLab. So how do we find a way around this....

If I were trying to do what you are trying to do, I would start with Windows 10 Professional, which gives you more control over updates. And I would get a terabyte drive for the purpose of imaging my system drive. Then choose carefully when possible problems would have less impact on use of  my DAW to go online for whatever updates (Cakewalk or OS) look good. I can always look here in the forum to see what troubles people might be having with the latest Windows updates.

Make an image backup of my system drive before going online, then go for it knowing that no matter what happens, I'd be able to roll it back.  One might also be able to finesse it by installing CbB on a drive partition other than their system drive so that they won't lose the validation  if they re-image their system drive. All this is some trouble, but the trouble you take also makes your system more robust overall.

As a former IT guy, for someone with your concerns I'd recommend having a way to image your drive anyway. It saved me some grief back in the day when critical systems didn't take well to updates or their hardware went casters-up.

Good luck with the project. I don't think you need to worry about the CbB validation as long as you do your installation (and any updates) by the book.

[Starship Krupa]

4 hours ago, Mandolin Picker said:

I recently had an experience where Windows 10 updated the night before an event we were scheduled to live stream. The update wiped out the audio drivers. The live stream wasn't accomplished because we had no audio and couldn't figure out why until a deep dive much later. These types of incidents can make a person look very foolish, especially if it is in front of a paying client. An event like this can result in not just loss of a client, but perhaps other legal issues for failing to provide contracted services.

What I said to Chris about imaging the system drive, I'm starting to think that anyone running a professional production audio system on Windows 10 should be doing it. This is just terrible.

I don't know for sure if it would have helped in your situation, but if being able to take the system back a day or a week in time would have saved the gig, then it might. You say you didn't find the cause until doing a lot of digging.

And maybe we need to start "riding" it, adopting practices where we check our schedules and go into Windows 10 Update & Security Settings and make sure that updates are paused during critical times. Stop expecting Microsoft to push out stuff that won't break our systems and make it part of our routine to work around them and anticipate the possibility of downtime.

Even Windows 10 Home now allows me to pause updates for up to 35 days in the future, so maybe we need to start using that more.

[chris.r]

42 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said:

I'm starting to get it, Chris, thanks. This concept is for people who want to  set up a dedicated, single use audio workstation with a certain set of software and leave it as-is.

Yes. I was doing it for years and it was a great experience.

46 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said:

With the advent of Windows 10 and its mandated updates, your concern is that Microsoft may push out an update that will break the workstation. I had this happen to my own DAW a few months ago, so how can I not sympathize? I was getting audible clicks and pops on playback right after the 1903 update.

Unfortunately, I don't know if there's a way to do this any more. There is such an expectation from software vendors that we'll all be able to be online for registration, updates, etc. To try to build a Windows 10 system using proprietary software and try to keep it forever isolated from the Internet is a struggle. Microsoft don't want people to use their software that way. Neither do BandLab. So how do we find a way around this....

Thanks for your advices. There is a way by using former windows version, I have bought win8.1 license for that purpose but I thought I'd start with win10 to take advantage of Cakewalk's better integrity with it and see how it goes. If at some point I would decide to swap for another DAW then perhaps I'll change for win8.1 and start over again. Just thoughts.

[Mandolin Picker]

On 11/11/2019 at 1:29 PM, Starship Krupa said:

And maybe we need to start "riding" it, adopting practices where we check our schedules and go into Windows 10 Update & Security Settings and make sure that updates are paused during critical times. Stop expecting Microsoft to push out stuff that won't break our systems and make it part of our routine to work around them and anticipate the possibility of downtime.

Even Windows 10 Home now allows me to pause updates for up to 35 days in the future, so maybe we need to start using that more.

After this experience we only allow updates from Sunday evening to Tuesday evening. We pause updates starting Wednesday (rehearsal day) and keep it paused through Sunday afternoon. This will hopefully prevent changes from any settings made on Wednesday.

Today Windows did their November update. For the past 30-45 minutes we have been going back in and turning off stuff (again) and uninstalling apps (again).

BTW, how did you get 35 days? Our version only allows pausing of updates for 7 days.

[Starship Krupa]

1 hour ago, Mandolin Picker said:

BTW, how did you get 35 days? Our version only allows pausing of updates for 7 days.

When I click on Advanced options, down at the bottom under Pause updates it gives me the option to select a date up to 35 days in the future. This is Windows 10 Home v. 1903.

Down below this is where you can click on Delivery Optimization to stop your system from becoming a torrent server for Windows updates.

[Mandolin Picker]

Thanks. I missed the 'Advanced' section when going over this. That will help prevent having to redo settings every couple of weeks. ☺️

I did see the Delivery Optimization options and took care of that earlier.

[studioguy1]

Suddenly vsts like Overloud Breve reverb are not working.  So much for paid for life b.s.        Now, any mix I did previously with that and other plugs will not play correctly or the tracks are blocked because of those plugs.    I will not say that I am annoyed, because if I said what I am thinking right now, I would be banned from this forum.  So, I will try and calm myself down and chalk it up to being screwed again.  Very, very annoying people.

 

[Starship Krupa]

Why do you think your missing plug-in issue has something to do with "paid for life" or whatever? BREVERB as far as I know doesn't have a registration that expires. Have you gone into preferences and made sure that a plug-in path didn't somehow get deleted?

[Yvonne]

?

[Yvonne]

On Bandlab's Cakewalk download page please clearly indicate that this DAW is free to  utilize (& access the users private work)  only under the condition that at least biannual online reactivation occurs . . .or all the composers personal work on Cakewalk will not be accessible by the owner of those compositions without online Bandlab reactivation at least every 6 months !

[Greg Graves]

Load the Assistant, click the tab, select refresh activation.  I'm posting this because it said SOLVED and I had to read all this stuff, rather than get a simple answer. 

As far as being 'offline', why would you want to do that?  What if you need some help?  Or Addictive Drums goes deactivated?

[user 905133]

1 hour ago, Greg Graves said:

Load the Assistant, click the tab, select refresh activation.  I'm posting this because it said SOLVED and I had to read all this stuff, rather than get a simple answer. 

Not sure this will answer all your questions, but it might be more direct  for some of the basic questions than reading through a multi-page thread that has a bit of discussion related to the original poster's now solved issue and then some.