The worst licensing validation ever

[davidfl941@Hotmail.com]

I will be looking for stand alone alternatives to lightroom.  

I was on a two week trip out of any cell or wifi contact (on a underwater photo expedition) and my laptop clock was not keeping correct date and time.  Lightroom worked fine for 3 days and then I get the infinate loop of needing to connect and validate.  On top that, one of the genius developers created a link for help that goes directly back to adobe website for help.   Who thought up that idea?  You can't connect to the internet and need help so go to the website????? Genius. 

Needless to say I was without lightroom for the remainder of the trip.  I did use Bridge for a while but that too stopped working after 4 days.   

When I finally returned to limited, wifi lightroom worked again...for one day, but creative cloud needed to update.  You couldn't stop it.  You couldn't say "update later", it just tried and tried to update on a very slow internect connection and was never successful.

This is all because adobe tries to develope eloborate anti-piracy schemes that just end up hurting people who actually pay for the product and in the end, do nothing to thwart piracy.    At the very least, you should give valid customers a 30-day token that doesn't lock out if their computer date is wrong.  You could also have a count to limit the number of times someone logs in to lightroom to say, 60, so people just want reset their clock to previous date.   I'm sure one of those  genius developer's names listed when Lightroom first comes up you could find a more elegant solution to piracy than trying to connect to the internet to validate!!!

Thanks, but no thanks.  I will be cancelling my subscription and looking at DarkTable, Capture One, or just Canon's own software.  

(Moved to the LR Classic forum by moderator)

[GoldingD]

One possible cause/issue/resolution. The Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop App (ACCDA). When you were last connected to the internet, did you sign out thru ACCDA? If you leave ACCDA signed in, even if you are about to be without internet, then, as long as your accreditation due date and grace period has not come due, Lightroom Classic will not stumble on no connectivity.

[davidfl941@Hotmail.com]

I signed in and made sure everything was updated the day before I left.

[Rob_Cullen]

"...and my laptop clock was not keeping correct date and time..."

I think that explains why you have had this problem. Perhaps Adobe cannot be responsible for your laptop battery and time. A new battery is suggested.

[davidfl941@Hotmail.com]

Thanks for the smart ass reply. Truly unhelpful. I set the time and date manually.

[Rob_Cullen]

Sorry to come across that way. I wasn't trying to be smart, just helpful.

From the Adobe help page- https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/activation-deactivation-help.html

"Is your computer's date and time correct?

An inaccurate computer system clock can cause activation problems. Did you reset your computer’s date and time recently? Check that your computer's system clock is set to the correct date and time."

[GoldingD]

I signed in and made sure everything was updated the day before I left.

And, you did not sign out, correct?

PLEASE USE THE BLUE BUTTON WHEN REPLYING TO POSTS.
Helps to show posts in date/time order, improves visibility (as not hidden in a reply to a reply), and is easier to use

[davidfl941@Hotmail.com]

I don't think I did sign out.  Is the validation so precarious that if you sign out of the creative cloud application a day before you disconnect from the internet it requires a call-back to adobe via internet for validation after 3 days?  Again, the validation scheme needs to be improved, especially something simple as clicking on help when the pop-up ask you to connect to the internet, and it opens a browser to an adobe web page when it knows you are not in the internet.  Really horrible design.  The very least it could do is give you 30 days or 30 uses before it blocks you out completely.

[GoldingD]

I don't think I did sign out.  Is the validation so precarious that if you sign out of the creative cloud application a day before you disconnect from the internet it requires a call-back to adobe via internet for validation after 3 days?  Again, the validation scheme needs to be improved, especially something simple as clicking on help when the pop-up ask you to connect to the internet, and it opens a browser to an adobe web page when it knows you are not in the internet.  Really horrible design.  The very least it could do is give you 30 days or 30 uses before it blocks you out completely.

Just an oddity, perhaps bug, I tripped on. Had an issue while visiting family, no internet, no lightroom. Now I have been on Photo Vacations with no internet, no issues. This time, noted I was signrd out. Snagged my cousins wifi via cell, connected to the wifi, signed in, Lightroom was back. What the heck, disconnected from the wifi, did not sign out, lightroo still worked.

Got home, experimented. Keeping Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop App in the signed in status, lightroom would work with and without internet. agghh forgetting rest of the test/experiment signed out, then no internet. Fairly sure this is not the way it is supposed to work. But a lesson learned is do not sign out.

They have updated Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop since then, actualy a major update, so this may now all be mute.

Go and experiment

Git home

[davidfl941@Hotmail.com]

Thanks for the response David.  It's probably a combination of things, my laptop clock having to be manually set, and ACCD brining out update in the middle of my trip didn't help.  My experiments troubleshooting Adobe's software validation schemes are a lesson in frustration.  I think I will spend my time now evaluating alternatives.  After paying the monthly fee for 18+ months and having it fail and lock me out when I needed it most is just bad software design.   Old stand-alone lightroom didn't require you to connect to the internet unless you wanted updates.  The current crop of alternatives to lightroom are gaining tracktion probably because of this ill conceved and executed validation process.

[Rob_Cullen]

I wish to respectfully make some final comments on this forum thread-

I feel your frustration, as this 'lockout' has happened to me (once only), and the information may be helpful for others reading- and  respect your decision to seek software alternatives.

Using the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop App:

To [Sign In] means to 'Activate' all Adobe software.

To [Sign Out] means to 'De-Activate' all Adobe software. (Renders it useless) There is rarely a need to Sign-out (and I never do).

Resetting a computer time/date clock will Sign you Out, and De-Activate all Adobe Software. ("reset their clock to previous date" was used by a few as a means to use Trial software perpetually, Adobe put a stop to this.)

If you remain Activated you have- as quoted from https://helpx.adobe.com/au/creative-cloud/kb/internet-connection-creative-cloud-apps.html

"In offline mode, annual Creative Cloud members get 99 days of grace period; month-to-month members get 30 days of grace period. For details, see the table below."

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/using/activate-deactivate-creative-cloud-apps.html#topic-4

[GoldingD]

Using the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop App:
To [Sign In] means to 'Activate' all Adobe software.
To [Sign Out] means to 'De-Activate' all Adobe software. (Renders it useless) There is rarely a need to Sign-out (and I never do).

Ahh, that prompted me to look that up on the web, I do not have a trustworthy link, but I see how that functions. It is about being allowed two concurrent installs of the applications for one user, if you are signed into just one you can go and sign in to a second computer, Ok, a third? No, that violates license. Want to work on a third computer?Deactivate one of those two. How? Sign out.  So signing out immediatly deactivates app use on that computer allowing you to sign in on the third. So never ever sign out

Some links that people would trust specifically on sign out/in for activation would help.

And yes, OP issue was the laptop time.

ADOBE: Just great, not, now all reply buttons are blue? Do not like this gray background, fix it, ((yes I know, venting)

[davidfl941@Hotmail.com]

The clock time on a computer shouldn't be the determing factor as to whether or not you are a valid user.  Computer times get reset or are off - especially when disconnect from the internet on long trips.   I understand the 'old' system people used to set their clocks back to avoid 30-day trial running out.  But now Adobe installs several services and start-up applications where someone would have to set the clock back AND find all the services and application in order to bypass it.  They could choose a better scheme.  For example issue an encrypted token good for a time period, or number of uses (whichever is the most liberal)  That way if someones clock gets set to a future date, lets say the accidently put in the wrong year when manually chaning it, it won't lock them out.  A message can pop up like it does now and explain they need to connect to validate and will only have 30 uses until then. The checking time scheme was a hold over from 90's to prevent piracy.  I'm sure with cloud based subscription software there are better ways of doing this instead of relying computer's time alone ad the determing factor.   In my case I set the date/time before I opened any application, when once or twice the computer went into sleep mode, and lightroom lightroom open, the clock changed to incorrect time and lightroom (or some adobe service running) probably figured I didn't have a valid license for that time period. Resetting the clock didn't resolve the probably as some something was triggered to prevent it from working until I connected to the internet again.  I didn't need to open ACCAD for it to validate.  I was on a VERY slow/bad internet connection and ACCAD decided it wanted to update before it did anything so continually tried to download a new application, unsuccessfully, because my connection was so bad.  There was no check box or switch to allow "update later".  I'm sure other people offline or with very slow internet (like a cell phone hotspot) that opened ACCAD at the time experienced the same issue.  

Also, address the issue of help link when the message that says you need to connect to the internet then tries to take you to the internet and Adobe's help site.  Really?  You can't connect to the internet so we Adobe provides a suggestion/solution on Adobe website?  Adobe couldn't take the time to actually imbed some help in the pop-up?  

ADOBE: Photographers travel.  They are not connected to the internet for extended periods of time.  Come up with a better solution for software validate and quit penalizing your legitimate customers in the pursuit of preventing those people who want to pirate your software.  The pirates will always find schemes to get around it, and your legitimate customers will be frustrated with your schemes don't work and prevent them from using your software when they most need it!

[Rob_Cullen]

I like you suggestion of an "encrypted token"- Put the suggestion to Adobe as an 'Idea' at https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family

I also find the Adobe Help site totally useless- it rarely provides useful answers pertaining to the search. Google is far better!

For special circumstances Adobe may provide long-term activation, but that would require a direct chat with Adobe.

All the best for future endeavours.