Authorization

[HoboTramp]

I inadventently authorised my PC without Adobe ID, now I want to authorize it with Adobe ID, so I can transfer my ebooks to my eReader.  How do I do this?

[sjpt]

Unfortunately, books you have already accessed while working without ID will not easily be accessible after the authorization.

Before you try to reauthorize, read note ### at end of message.

You may be able to reauthorize directly using menu/Help/Authorize Computer.

If this won't work, try ctrl-shift-D (cmd-shift-D if on Mac) while in Library mode to deauthorize.

Then reauthorize.

##############

This is a vicious trap that Adobe lays for unsuspecting customers.

They do give very mild warnings, but not nearly strong enough.

When you register 'without ID', ADE creates an anonymous/implicit ID with limited powers (eg can't be used to share with other devices).

Whenever you first load a DRM book, that copy of the book is associated with whatever ID the computer is registered to at the time.

Any book you load while this anonymous ID is active gets associated with that ID, and can't be read on any other device.

When you properly register your computer with a real ID, that old anonymous ID is lost.

Now you don't have any devices that can read the book.

The only way I know round this is to use a DRM stripper such as epubee BEFORE you deauthorize the device.

I do NOT advocate using such code to get around the valid limitations placed on a DRM book.

However, where the problem arises only because of the ineptness of Adobe's ADEPT DRM infrastructure and its implementation,

such a measure is totally justifiable.

[HoboTramp]

Hi SJPT,

Thank you for your reply.

I agree with your comment about the "vicious trap", in my haste I

authorized my PC without Adobe ID, because I could not remember what

this was and thought I could change the authorization setting later.

Anyway, I cracked the problem, I deleted the ADE program using Control

Panel, Uninstall.

Then I went into the WIN 8.1 registry using regedit and found the ADE

section and deleted it.

Then I reloaded ADE and was able to authorize the PC correctly this time

including my eReader.

cheers

Hobotramp

[sjpt]

Glad you sorted it; it seems you were lucky enough not to have books you had purchased and accessed while unauthorized.

In that situation, cmd-shift-D should have been enough without reinstall and registry hacking; but never mind you have a good result.