too many activations error

[_Penny_Reid_]

When trying to reauthorise my ADE I recieve the message
E_ACT_TOO_MANY_ACTIVATIONS http://adeactivate.adobe.com/adept/Activate 577%3A7577%3A8577

I only have ADE installed on two machines, one mac and one PC, but for my job frequently have to deactivate my PC ADE, reauthorise it using someone elses account in order to install their ebooks on their reader authorised to their account.

How can I get back into my account, with my books?

[Beth_Bakeman]

Penny, open a support webcase and we can get your activations reset pretty quickly.

To open a Digital Editions 1.5 Technical Support case, please use the contact links at http://www.adobe.com/support/digitaleditions.

[Guest]

I just followed your suggested link.  Got some fellow whose command of English was not very good.  His final answer was that he was not trained for this problen and he would submit it.  This seems to be such a common problem why can't it be repaired?  Also, how many devices can I have activated(authorized)?  I have an ereadewr, my wife has one and my grandson will rely on my PC to get his books?  How do you suggest I handle this - I hope your answer won't be to purchase two more computers.

[PeggySueHanson]

I bought an e-book because I have a progressive, terminal illness and find it difficult to make trips to the local library. It's just causing me more stress though. My e-book was giving unable to open file messages so I reset it and then Adobe Digital Editions gave me the Too Many Activations message. I have ADE installed on two computers and I get the same message on both of them.

I already had a web case for this issue some months ago an Adobe support corrected it for me but now I can't figure out how to re-open the case or file a new one.

I'm about ready to send the e-book to the thrift shop and just give up on reading.

[Guest]

Here's how to open a web case:

1. Login to your Account.

2. Go to View Support Information

3. Choose Issue Type : Using a product or service

4. Choose Additional Products - Digital Editions

5. Fill out the form. You can leave the Support Plan ID blank (says the customer service chat person)

[PeggySueHanson]

Thank you. I will try this.

[heidikmd]

I am having the problem so many others are having.  I am astounded that people have been reporting this problem for over 2 years and it still exists!  My short story (without all the time and frustration I have spent on Barnes & Nobles "Customer Agitation" line, or in the store, or on Adobe's "Customer Agitation" line).  I bought a Nook.  Open ADE, no Nook shelf. Call BN, guy tells me to deauthorize computer, then reauthorize. It worked. Got library book. Couple weeks later, tried again.  No Nook shelf.  Couldn't remember the commands to deauthorize/reauthorize, called BN. Spent an hour having my blood pressure raised by a woman who had no idea what she was talking about. Finally got the command, wrote it down.  Next time I try to get a library book, open ADE, you guessed it, no Nook shelf. Go to BN store, spent an hour with a tech savvy guy trying to fix it. Success.  Until the next day when I again opened ADE and again found no Nook shelf.  Totally reset Nook to factory.  Opened ADE, no Nook shelf, deauthorized and attempted to reauthorize, and now I have the too many activations error. Spent 35 minutes on hold with Adobe (wait time was supposed to be 7-10 minutes) for a woman who had no idea, and had a very thick accent.  I had great difficulty understanding her.  She told me there is no support for ADE available on the phone.  How excellent! Adobe has a product in wide use that has no customer support!  So I found this forum and how to open a ticket, and just did so.  3 days it will take!  Meantime, the book I checked out sits unused, with the borrowing time (14 days) ticking away.  And, like I said at the beginning, this problem has existed for 2 years?

[Guest]

Boy it sounds like you took the “subject” of each of my sentences and fit it in your own individual situation. My frustration is with Borders. When I got my first ereader(Aluratek Libre) I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a book. I was flabbergasted when B/N told me the only way I could read the book was with their ereader. Well I went to Borders and they have a wide selection of books, so no big issue. At Christmas I got myself a Cruz Velocity because my wife had taken over my Libre by now. This was the beginning of all the problems you so succinctly describe. I like the part about your finding people all over the place who had no idea what you were talking about. I found the same thing but I bet they had different names than the ones you talked with. Adobe always had a good reputation with me until this Adobe Digital Edition. They virtually have a monopoly with the epub format. I now have two ereader(Libre & Cruz Velocity) which I hoped I could view my purchased ebooks with both or either ereader. You can guess the answer, NO! An ebook can not be read on more than one ereader even though they come to the same account and same computer, etc. Deactivating and activating doesn’t solve this problem either. I’ve asked Borders for a refund for all the ebook I’ve purchased because these conditions were not disclosed to me. Bet my chances are not good for this solution either.

I notice you mention something about a 14 day borrowing time. Can you borrow ebooks? I’ve also found a good many books in pdf format. It’s not quite as good as epub but with the Digital Edition problems it is an alternative and much more easily manipulated.

From: heidikmd

Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 10:46 AM

To: Jerry Thrasher

Subject: too many activations error

I am having the problem so many others are having. I am astounded that people have been reporting this problem for over 2 years and it still exists! My short story (without all the time and frustration I have spent on Barnes & Nobles "Customer Agitation" line, or in the store, or on Adobe's "Customer Agitation" line). I bought a Nook. Open ADE, no Nook shelf. Call BN, guy tells me to deauthorize computer, then reauthorize. It worked. Got library book. Couple weeks later, tried again. No Nook shelf. Couldn't remember the commands to deauthorize/reauthorize, called BN. Spent an hour having my blood pressure raised by a woman who had no idea what she was talking about. Finally got the command, wrote it down. Next time I try to get a library book, open ADE, you guessed it, no Nook shelf. Go to BN store, spent an hour with a tech savvy guy trying to fix it. Success. Until the next day when I again opened ADE and again found no Nook shelf. Totally reset Nook to factory. Opened ADE, no Nook shelf, deauthorized and attempted to reauthorize, and now I have the too many activations error. Spent 35 minutes on hold with Adobe (wait time was supposed to be 7-10 minutes) for a woman who had no idea, and had a very thick Indian accent. I had great difficulty understanding her. She told me there is no support for ADE available on the phone. How excellent! Adobe has a product in wide use that has no customer support! So I found this forum and how to open a ticket, and just did so. 3 days it will take! Meantime, the book I checked out sits unused, with the borrowing time (14 days) ticking away. And, like I said at the beginning, this problem has existed for 2 years?

[Frustrated in AZ]

Jerry, I'm new to the Forum, but I have had some experience that might be

helpful.

First, copyright laws prohibit sharing ebooks among ereaders. So, you have

to purchase more than one copy in order to read a book on more than one

ereader. Sorry, but that's the way it is. If you download the ebook to

your computer, using the store's software, then you drag and drop it onto

your ereader. Theoretically, you could plug in another ereader and drag and

drop it onto that one too, but there are electronic 'tags' embedded in the

store's software that may prevent that.

Next, Adobe Digital Editions seems to be the 'de facto' standard software

used by bookstores - and by libraries. Epub is a slightly different format,

and you can find books to download from other sources in this format. Do a

Google search and visit a few sites to get a feel for that if you want. If

you want FREE ebooks, you can check out Project Gutenberg and a couple of

other sites that have books in epub format.

Can you 'borrow' books? Yes. Some public libraries have implemented

software that let you check out an electronic version of a book (either

ebook or audiobook) and download it to your computer. That software embeds

a clock that counts down, and you will not be able to read or hear the book

when that clock expires. It's the same as borrowing a book, but you can't

keep it longer than the checkout period - which saves a trip to the library

to return it and the overdue fees, etc. My local library had tons of

information on how that worked, what software I needed to have on my

computer, etc. In my case, it was ADE. I was able to read the book on my

computer - or transfer it to my ebook reader. ADE knew it was a library

book - no doubt from the software and tags embedded with the file. When I

was finished, a drop-down tag on the ebook let me RETURN the book to the

library via the Internet, and ADE deleted it from the elibrary it keeps.

When I reconnected my ereader, ADE deleted it from there also. Pretty neat,

actually! However, I do not know whether I could have put a copy of the

library book on more than one ereader.

Just an observation. My wife and I have Literati ereaders (a two for one

purchase). Once I got the Literati software up to the current level, and

had installed ADE on both her and my computers, we have had no problems

downloading ebooks to them. I've been able to download books via ADE from

the store (KOBO in this case) as well as the library and Gutenberg. Most of

the problems I read about on the ADE forum seem to be about other ereaders.

Maybe Literati got it right? They're on sale at my local Bed, Bath and

Beyond for under $40 right now.

Hope this helps!

Tom Bell (frustrated in AZ)

[heidikmd]

Thanks for mentioning Project Gutenberg. I had forgotten about that. Also, Google itself has a large library of ebooks, both free and for purchase.  If only these technical issues could be solved, ereaders would be really great!  I like that I can finish one book and check out another library book (assuming I can find one) without leaving home, even if the library is closed. Theoretically, I should never be without a (free) library book to read!

[heidikmd]

I find the actual reading experience with an ereader terrific.  Much to my surprise, after I read my first ebook and then returned to a real book, I was disappointed!    Unfortunately, it seems the technical aspects mean this thing is not ready for prime time!

After opening a ticket, Adobe fixed my short term problem within 24 hours, i.e., I can now reauthorize my computer. I did it, I downloaded my library book, all is well.  Unfortunately, they did not address the root problem, i.e., why does my Nook not show up in ADE each new time that I open it? That means every time, I have to deauthorize and reauthorize, which means I'm going to once again hit the "too many authorizations" error.  I sent them back a message saying this, but have not yet heard back.

Yes, libraries (at least around here, the DC area) have ebooks.  Check the web site for your local library.  Our ebooks are actually held not by our county library, but by a state consortium of libraries.  We also have agreements with other local jurisdictions, e.g., Washington, DC and Fairfax County, Virginia, where we can get library cards there even though we don't live there. The Virginia ebook system is actually at the county level.  Finding out about library borrowing is actually why I bought the Nook (doesn't work with Kindles).  I then found I was disappointed because there aren't that many  books available, and those that are are all checked out, though you can place a hold. So you have to get yourself a system where you have a number of books on hold, and when one becomes available, you check it out, even if it's not really the next book you want to read.  The system the libraries use actually seems to work well.  The hangup in the download is not the library system, it is ADE.  If I could solve that problem, I would love my Nook!

[Frustrated in AZ]

I'm with you! We're early adapters of technology that's still being

developed.

I've monkeyed with PC's and MAC's since 1982, and I'm very glad that we have

the operating systems now. It was a nightmare of typed commands as recently

as the early '90's. On the technical side, lemme put out a couple of

theories on why your Nook ain't workin' well with ADE....

Our Literati plug in via USB, and my Windows XP computer thinks it's an

external hard drive. When I installed ADE, I had my Literati turned on,

plugged into a USB port, and it was recognized by XP as a USB device. I

guess that's the time when it became an 'authorized device' to ADE. Was

your Nook recognized by your computer when you installed ADE? That 'could'

be one reason for problems.....

Sequence 'could' be another reason. When ADE opens up on my computer and my

Literati is set up as above, ADE 'sees' the Literati on the left hand side

of the screen, at the bottom of the list. I can scroll down to view what's

on it in its ADE library. So, just for fun, hook up your Nook by USB, then

use Windows Explorer to find it under 'My Computer' as a 'hard drive'

(perhaps Drive E: or something like that). Open it up and see if it shows

an ADE library folder. If it does, then ADE 'should' recognize it if it's

turned on and recognized by your computer's OS when you open ADE....

RE: the library system. Ours must be different. We're in Maricopa County,

AZ (where the weather is great!). Our library system uses ADE as its

transfer mechanism for ebooks.

When I go to download a library book, the process opens ADE automagically,

and it goes from there.

Tom

======

[Guest]

Penny,
Note that deactivation of ADE does not increase the available activation count, it just clears out the cruft on your machine. If I were you, instead of deactivating on my own user account, I would create a new user account and do the activations/deactivation from there.

As nice as our tech support people are eventually you'll get tired of having to open up support cases (or we may end up cutting you off).

--
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems

[_Penny_Reid_]

How do I create the new user account without disabling 'my' ADE?

[_Tommib_]

Hi Jim,

I have the same problem, I deauthorised and reauthorised an account several times and then got the TOO MANY ACTIVATIONS error.

Deauthorising a machine really ought to free up an activation in the same way that iTunes does i.e. you can have five computers set up with a single Apple ID, deauthorising one frees up an authorisation for another computer.

Take this scenario:

I have a PC and know several Mac users who want to use Sony readers. Because they can't authorise the device on their Mac I do it for them on my PC, In ADE I temporarily log out of my account and into theirs, then back into mine.

If I do this six times I've used up my activations, but it's all been on the same computer!

When you say create a new user account, do you mean on Windows? If Penny is not an admin this may be impossible.

Instead of threatening to cut people off who need their activations reset, perhaps you could work out a way of actually improving the authorisation system.

How about this:

When I authorise a machine, your activation server counts 1 for my account, when I deauthorise, it subtracts 1. That's how iTunes does it, works brilliantly.

Tom.

[_Caroline_Olawaiye_]

I have also had the same problem. I have one computer, use windows xp, and a sony ereader. I am unable to access purchased books because I have to "authorize" my computer each time. If you do this once, that should suffice. Anyway, in trying to activate this time, I received this response:
E-ACT-TOO-MANY-ACTIVATIONS http://adeactivate.adobe.com/adept/Activate553%3A6553%3A7553

Any help would be appreciated as I am very frustrated right now.

[D620]

I have the same problem. I am using ADE for one book on one computer. I even do not deactivate the account. Obviously an error in the software requests every now and then the activation - until the limit has been reached today. My impression is that it happens when I switch from permanent network connection to one via a VPN client.

I see two problems that Adobe is creating and needs to fix asap. First it needs to stabilize the detection of a computer's need for activation, so it does not try to re-activate the same computer all the time. And secondly if still for any reason a reactivation is required, it should not count the reactivation of one and the same computer for a second time.

If Adobe claims to replace the paper by ADE and encourages users to invest in eBooks locked by their DRM then this product needs to be absolutely stable or have a robust process to cure remaining technical problems.

When reading these posts I see the opposite. It appears that my problem is quite common. It appears as if Adobe accepts that technical problems in their program prevents customers from accessing their purchased eBooks. That books can have significant monetary value as well consequences can have when surprisingly not being able to access them. Support answers like "sorry, we cannot reactivate" appear incredible. And seeing that this program is becoming a kind of de-facto-standard with the new electronic readers hitting the market, this seems to become a global risk.

If we do not see a resolution from Adobe in our cases that is both short-term and convincing, then I am afraid everyone of us needs to decide whether this worldwide global risk does not deserve public interest.

[Guest]

Penny,
By new user I meant new user account (not ADE account) on the computer you are using.

Tommid,
No, to support your scenario you should not deauthorize your account, but instead should be doing exactly the same thing I am suggesting for Penny. Create a separate windows user account for activating your friends Sony Readers and do not deauthorize ADE on your own account.

Caroline,
Contact customer support using the support links found on http://www.adobe.com/support/digitaleditions.

[_Tommib_]

Jim,

To support my scenario what Adobe should do is provide an activation system which keeps track of the number of activations or deactivations per account.

To say one should never deauthorise an account is silly.

Like I said, if Penny is not an admin she might not be able to create a new user account.

Tom.

[_Penny_Reid_]

Indeed Tom is right, I don't have the admin status to create multiple user accounts on my PC. I am using ADE in my office as part of my job. I don't see why this process can't be made simpler, and work in the same way as iTunes?

[_Dave_Fletcher_]

This is just awful.

I activated successfully once on my home computer.

So I head to work this morning thinking I'll continue reading when I get some spare time during my day, at lunch, etc. I install Adobe Digital Editions and it complains that my "Digital Editions folder is missing". So I try troubleshooting a few things, try creating the directory as recommended in another post on this forum.

Before I manage to get it working, Adobe has cut me off with "Too many activations". So, it's counting activations that FAIL locally?!

Now I have zero activations left and one working installation on a crusty computer that I will likely reinstall or replace within the next 6 months.

So now, I CANNOT purchase more ebooks because after the re-installation I will have no access to my account.

The limited installations / activations itself is flawed. If I had not run into this now, I would have hit it 6 computers down the road. For me, that's only a couple years. So in a couple years, I have to re-purchase my whole digital library? I don't think so.

Congratulations, your DRM has caused the direct loss of a potential lifetime customer.

I used to look up to Adobe, respect you guys. Why is this so horrifically painful?

[_David_Rubin_]

Same issue for me. Attempted installation from new user; same error message. No joy from Adobe support yet, though I'm told this will be escalated up; will advise.

Is there not a method (simple or otherwise) for simply deactivating AND reducing the available activations count?

[_rajan2000_]

Dear Sir,

On my system XP is loaded and i had to activate it every time and now following massege is coming...

E_ACT_TOO_MANY_ACTIVATIONS http://adeactivate.adobe.com/adept/Activate

Please Please help me.My all ebooks are locked which i have purchased with hard earned money.

Thanking you in anticipation.I will be very grateful to you.

Best Regards,
Rajan
rajan.arora2000@gmail.com

[_Vish_N_]

This exactly is replay of what Sony did with their ATRAC music format..loaded it with DRM and prevented us simple folks from doing something restricting transfers to your own desktop of your own music..does the Adobe DE team have people from Sony working for them..this is too much of a coincidence..this exactly how ATRAC used to behave..and you know what..ATRAC lost out to MP3 and Sony killed it..Adobe..is it your intention to kill DE..there is a lesson to be learnt from ATRAC..you cannot RESTRICT or prevent the purchasers of ebooks from using them..the DRM is for illegal usage..why are you tormenting genuine buyers instead...capisce ??

[Guest]

Deactivating does not get you your activations back (on the other hand your number of activations will grow slightly over time), so if you are frequently deactivating you will run into this problem. The only way out of this is to contact Customer Support at http://www.adobe.com/support/digitaleditions/ (Click on the "Get Support" link) and open up a case, and they can increase your activation allowance.