Artlantis asking for my installation CD

[Ignacio Azpiazu]

I am not sure if I had some crash or something that deleted my Preferences or if it is just a periodic check thing, but Artlantis (4.5.6 update, Mac OS X) has today decided it wants me to insert my original CD.

I happen to be on the road, 10,000 miles from my original CD, which I never expected I would be needing (first time I am asked for the CD). And I happen to have an urgent presentation deadline tomorrow morning, and a huge presentation deadline next week.

Do I have any workaround? Are suicide and escape my only options?

Thanks in advance for any suggestion.

[Eduardo Rolon]

Actually it is on purpose, it is how Artlantis verifies that you are the owner of the program. This has happened to me also and that is why i am forced to carry the CD in my backpack. I DO! hate that...

Sometimes I am able to open the prog from within the applications folder instead of clicking on the shortcut in the dock, but it is unreliable. If there is another workaround I don't know

[Ignacio Azpiazu]

ejrolon wrote:
This has happened to me also and that is why i am forced to carry the CD in my backpack.

Oh oh, I am in extremely big trouble then. I tried changing the date but it makes no difference. There must be an internal counter or something.

If anybody reading has access to a cracked Artlantis 4.5 Mac, please please please let me know at ignacioazpiazu@hola.com.ar (it would not be piracy, because I own a license) (and I am rather upset that I have not seen flashing neon warning signs telling me I should be carrying my installation CD with me everywhere).

[Anonymous]

Sorry I don't have a Silver Bullet for you..... gosh was that a bad choice of words for a guy who is suicidal?



Mark

[__archiben]

Ignacio wrote:
I happen to be on the road, 10,000 miles from my original CD, which I never expected I would be needing (first time I am asked for the CD). And I happen to have an urgent presentation deadline tomorrow morning, and a huge presentation deadline next week.

Do I have any workaround? Are suicide and escape my only options?

Thanks in advance for any suggestion.

make a disk image of the original CD and keep in saved on your hard drive - whenever art•lantis asks for the disk, simply double-click your disk image file and it mounts as the original CD would've. all is then well again!

this obviously won't help you in your current situation, but it will help in the future:

with the original art•lantis CD in your drive, go to ./Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility choose "New Image from <art•lantis CD>" from the 'Images' menu and save it somewhere safe!

~/archi•ben

[Anonymous]

I have always hated this form of copy protection. It goes against the fundamental principle (in my mind) that copy protection should never interfere with the legitimate use of the program.

The only remedy I can imagine for your situation is if there is someone nearby who could help you out. What city are you in right now?

[Ignacio Azpiazu]

~/archiben wrote:
with the original art•lantis CD in your drive, go to ./Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility choose "New Image from <art•lantis CD>" from the 'Images' menu and save it somewhere safe!

That is great advice! Thank you.

After spending a couple of hours with LimeWire and getting a couple of years older in the process, I ordered a new copy from ObjectsOnline, Fedex overnight --I made the order at 1 PM Pacific and had the box with me by 9 AM the next day.

So I now have an original, unregistered, Artlantis 4.5 upgrade (works for Mac and PC) for sale at half the price. For 107.50+shipment anyone interested gets the CD in its pretty plastic box with the small manual and three proof-of-purchase coupons and all.

I am hating the Abvent guys a little bit because of all this mess, but then it is a love-hate relationship. I loved them a little bit when I quickly finished a set of renderings I am very happy with and the client is wildly enthusiastic about.

Thanks everybody for the comments, input, and support.

[Anonymous]

I am Alain Picard the Product Manager of Art*lantis.
I understand that you are upset with software protection.
Nonetheless software industry have to do something for getting their work not easily stolen. I know it pulls the legs of legal users. People who buy the soft contribute to the continuation of it, trying to enhance it. (Next version will be a big changing).
For the next version the protection system will be totally review. If now you have some suggestions to do (knowing that the lighter one will be none at all) please post them here or at:

support@abvent.com

[Ignacio Azpiazu]

Picard wrote:
I am Alain Picard the Product Manager of Art*lantis.
I understand that you are upset with software protection.

I am not upset with copy protection at all (I do think that having to carry around the CD all the time is a clumsy solution, though). As I said in Abvent's website, what got me upset that I had not had red flashing warning signs on the package, on the CD, on the manual, on the program splash screen, on quitting, telling me that I should carry the installation CD with me all the time. I learnt that at a cost of a few wasted hours, a couple of days of delay, and like 50 gray hairs.