Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#225435 12/03/13 04:41 PM
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347
ROG Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347
Anyone know if the new activation can be performed for a machine which isn't connected to the internet?

The three machine limit isn't a problem for me, but I do keep my music computers well away from the internet, so that I don't need to install anti-virus and the OS is the same every time I switch on.

ROG.

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,345
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,345
ROG ... I do the same thing.... no internet on my DAW.... hence no need to have AV or FW...

However, I don't hesitate to connect a cat5 to the switch up here to authorize new software..... or even the large DL files from a vendor when I buy an update or something new.

As soon as the auth is good or the DL complete, the cable cones back out and it's life as usual round here again.

depending on the vendors.... some are simple and some are a PITA..... I have used a USB stick to grab the auth key and use it to activate the software... that works and usually only takes a few minutes..... but I've had some that were so frustrating that I went and got the cat5 and plugged it in.....

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 12/03/13 04:47 PM.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347
ROG Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347

Herb -
The problem is that my machine is too far from the router for a cable and it's not WiFi equipped.

I'm hoping that the supplied code will activate the software on first boot and that the internet will only be needed for de-activation and generating a new code. If that is the case, though, I don't see how it would stop anyone from activating more than three machines which were off-line.

Anyone able to help?

ROG.

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,438
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,438
ROG,

Check the list of Videos just posted in Tips and Tricks (at top) - the first video explains what you need...

floyd

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 91
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 91
ROG, Check out the new post by PG Music in the Tips and Tricks section. The first video in the list explains how to activate without an internet connection.

It involves calling a toll-free number and obtaining an activation number.


Richard Williams
Sydney
Australia
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 91
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 91
Sorry, Floyd beat me to it.


Richard Williams
Sydney
Australia
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347
ROG Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347
Many thanks, Guys.

Guess I should have looked there first. Not toll-free from the UK, unfortunately, but maybe if I ask it can be done via email.

ROG.

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,833
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,833
Hi ROG,

If you open up the "Support" link at the top of the page and then click on the '[more contact info]' link, there are international toll-free numbers listed.



Regards,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2025
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,345
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,345
So..... this would be the first year I recall needing an activation code. I was wondering how long until PG did this.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,415
PG Music Staff
Offline
PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,415
Quote:
Guess I should have looked there first. Not toll-free from the UK, unfortunately, but maybe if I ask it can be done via email.


Just to be clear, it doesn't have to be done over the phone - can be done via email or live chat as well.


Andrew
PG Music Inc.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347
ROG Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,347
Cheers, Andrew. That's just what I wanted to hear.

PG Support - got to be the best ever.

ROG.

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 125
A
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
A
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 125
Originally Posted By: ROG
Many thanks, Guys.

Guess I should have looked there first. Not toll-free from the UK, unfortunately, but maybe if I ask it can be done via email.

ROG.


Good news Rog, as far as I am aware it is, look at PG home page.

Your free phone number all the way from uk to Canada is

(drum roll)

00800-4746-8742

axey

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2
R
Newbie
Offline
Newbie
R
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2
Hi All,

Never posted before here, but felt motivated to due to the activation.

One of the things we see more and more everywhere is control in the name of security and safety, such as health and safety and licensing for more and more everyday activities.. In the UK this red tape is killing small and medium businesses. On the global scale corporations want more and more from people on this level, more knowledge and control.

There is another trend of more freedom inspired business and human value and artistic based interaction. The online activation for me was a very disappointing move forward. This means a customer is not trusted and has to ask to have their own software able to be used. For me this was one of the real magical aspects of PG Music, a human company, not a "lets follow corporate trends" one.

I run a software company and tie a product to the user name, and they can then cheat and copy this if they wish. It does mean of they are caught its tied to their name. However, most would not dream of this and the few who possible do would probably find another way to pirate the software. The main client base for me is the important aspect. I would not want to control my customers. It is not seen as this as this is a fairly normal practise, but this is what this is.

Very dissapinted in one of the best musical products I have experienced otherwise. I also use other musical software which doesn't involve this.

Would a dongle not be a better option?

Kind Regards

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
IMO a dongle would NOT be a better option.

Matter of fact, I stopped using any softwares that required the dongle years ago and haven't looked back.

The system now in use by PG Music is rather lenient, the user is allowed up to three authorizations on three different machines right out of the box, the authorization is tied to the machine and not the software itself, such that even after authorizing those three machines the user could still connect a USB drive with the program on it to different machines and is allowed 30 days of full featured operation there.

And PG Music has graciously stated that anyone with a special need to authorize more than those three machines can contact Sales and Support and perhaps work out the situation.

Same fine folks as last year, same great service, it is long past time that PG protects their innovative intellectual property IMO.


--Mac

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,030
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,030
I have found that you can update any of the older PG drives to 2014 and if you stay on the one partition on your computer such as windows 7 that already has biab installed on it, then when you open biab on the pg drive it will tell you that biab is already activated.

BUT if you have windows 8 on a different partition on the same computer, you will have to activate it once on there, using up another of your activations, even though that windows 8 partition may only be pointing to the biab installation on windows 7.

Overall not a great deal for me.

musiclover


Last edited by musiclover; 12/19/13 12:03 PM.

Musiclover

My music https://www.youtube.com/user/donegalprideofall

Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use smile
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
musiclover--

Yes, the authorization is tied to the System, so that if you are running two different OS's like that, one won't know what the other is doing.

However, you might be able to contact pg music support directly on the issue and claim extenuating circumstances, they may work with you on that such that you don't lose two authorizations because of the one machine with 2 OS's on it. Worth a shot.


--Mac

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2
R
Newbie
Offline
Newbie
R
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2
I understand the concern over dongles, but as you say its about protecting copyright. Three dongles would cost very little then, to produce. The use of the words "lenient", and "authorized", are words more prevalent in our do called free society's these days.

Remember we have paid for the software. The current tension between users as grateful renters or owners is very different. I do not expect to have to ask for permission to use a keyboard or guitar. These can be ripped off also. The problem is that the more customers buy into licencing everything, the more normalised this becomes until everything relies on online usage. This is why so many non-mac users were shocked as to the ridiculous controls of the ipad.

Its a great product all about human freedom of expression and aristry - I hope an alternative method becomes available to improve activation.

The trend now in the UK is for more and more folks to go offline, to get around the madness of all the datamining by "authorities". I like the ethic of the Freedom software movement. I'd happily pay a little more for extra dongles.

You say dongles puts you off the purchase of software, I think onine activation does this also.

Best Wishes

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 20,316
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 20,316
Hi Riverstream. Thanks for your comments. I have worked with dongled software systems as both a developer/administrator, and an end user. Believe me, it always ends up being a proverbial PITA - sooner or later.

The administration overheads are significant, and the time to resolve user's issues is high, and most often incredibly inconvenient for the end user.

We purchase one single copy of the software with one license, and PGM lets us install and run it on three different systems, no questions asked.

Try running it on 3 different machines with one dongle.

And fundamentally, PGM have an absolute right to protect their investment from piracy.

Frankly, I reckon that's a pretty good arrangement. If you want it on more machines (let's say 6), just buy another copy.

My two cents anyway.

Regards

Trevor


BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30
R
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
R
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30
The recent trend I've noticed is software developers making a combination of both options available, e.g., you have 3 activations, but one or more of those can be tied to a user-supplied USB memory device that's then usable without further activation in any computer just like an Ilok or other dongle. That would alleviate my concerns with the current system.

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support

Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins

Join the conversation on our forum.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.

From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.

Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.

If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!

Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.

Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano

Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!

Bonjour à tous,

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music

Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:

BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation

Voilà, enjoy!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!

Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:

https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025.exe
https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025RB.exe

Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!

Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.

Stay up to date—get the latest update now!

Forum Statistics
Forums58
Topics84,317
Posts777,647
Members39,617
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Floyd17230, JerryL, kottke, kaleu, Claudio Paolini
39,616 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 149
zedd 107
DC Ron 103
rsdean 94
WaoBand 90
nonchai 85
Today's Birthdays
oublaj
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5