So, I installed the update for Dorico 4 and, when I try to run it, it asks me to go to the Activation thingy and follow the instructions. There are no instructions! It just shows that my Dorico 4 is activated.
So, right now, I am totally banjaxed! The best I can do is fall back on Dorico 3.5.
HELP!! Anyone?
I suspect this means you need to update to the latest version of the Activation Manager - the current release of SAM is 1.3.1. You can install that either by running SDA (which installs SAM automatically) or by downloading it from Steinberg Activation Manager | Steinberg
Thanks Richard. It appears that was exactly the problem. It took me several attempts to find the right SAM to download and install, and several ways to try to make the installer work once Iād downloaded it.
In the good old bad old days, installers used to check that pre-requisite software was already installed and take care of it if it wasnāt. Why donāt Doricoās installers do that - especially when updating? It seems crazy for the user/licensee to have to chase around for bits and pieces of pre-requisite software.
Still, Dorico updates are dead simple compared to trying to do any kind of update from IBM!
One again, thanks. Iām up and running again.
Here, the Steinberg Download Assistant should be your friend. It should know what you have, which updates are available and allow you to download and install from within a single app.
We expect that our users will be downloading Dorico using the Steinberg Download Assistant, and so we have made it so that SDA itself will automatically download and install the most recent version of SAM (as well as some other software: SLM and eLCC). Indeed the point of SDA is to try and make it clear to users exactly which installers they need. I suspect you have downloaded Dorico directly from our website, and while thatās absolutely fine it does mean you wonāt benefit from this guidance.
Richard, I donāt want to get confrontational here but āWe expect ā¦ā?
Just tell me when it was made clear to Dorico users that the SDA was what we should all be focussing our attention on? I certainly missed that post!
And why do you not announce SDA updates with the fanfare you do with Dorico?
As they say, āforewarned is forearmedā. I have now been forewarned with regard to spurious āupdateā notices about Dorico. Iāll immediately check for SDA updates.
Now, hereās the key question ā¦ what other ātrapsā have you set for me nd not told me about?
Native Instrumentās Native Access is the same way (at least in my experience). You never know there is an update until you run it to check for a Kontakt update.
Also if you check the Dorico Resource webpage and click the āLatest Installersā link, it does take you to a page with the text: Choose the Steinberg Download Assistant for your platform to access product downloads and redeem Download Access Codes.
Itās something I have gotten used to as NI, VSL, and Dorico (Iām sure others) all use this same kind of procedure.
I canāt give you chapter and verse, but I remember being told about the Download Assistant. I suspect I read it in the release notes / instructions, which I think makes sense because there is generally a lot to talk about and it doesnāt assume that all users are part of the forum.
Anyhooā¦ I am suggesting that as the first, most practical thing to do when any new release comes out. I also take the time to briefly review previous version notes that are included, especially with the big supporting changes that were in the 4.0 major release. They took the time to write itā¦ Lead a horse to water and all that, most of the traps in my life have been self-set.
Can confirm.
āMOSTā but not āALLā!
The ones that catcha worst are often laid by those who donāt properly think through what they are doing. I mentioned IBM earlier - what a disconnected shambles for a mighty international corporation. I always end up having to phone or āchatā to do the simplest update.
Many Moons ago, I was an engineering manager responsible for, amongst other things, Quality Assurance (quite different from Quality Control). I caught a lot of the obvious issues but there were always a few that escaped and created general unrest, verging sometimes on panic! All were, at the end of the day, avoidable if the ādesignerā had paid more attention to the āuserā.
Rant over!
I got my problem solved here without having to ātalkā to a robot or having to wait 20 minutes listening to inane musak on the phone.
All who responded, Iām grateful. Truly. Now I can get on with creating some music! Yay!
For what itās worth, in every post here on the forum and on the Dorico blog where we talk about a new update, I provide instructions for how to install the update, and those instructions always say ārun Steinberg Download Assistantā. For example, see the heading Installing the update here:
Or in this forum post with much the same information:
In an ideal world of course Dorico would not only let you know that an update is available but also install the update and take care of things like updating Steinberg Activation Manager as well. Weāre working towards that kind of solution in the future, but it will take us a while to get there.
This Steinberg Download Assistant doesnāt work any longer on my mac. Support says there is no solution.
What computer operating system (and version) are you running?
macOS 12.3, but Iāve sent my logs to Anja Buckley, and she confirmed that there is not solution yet.
If youāre in the unfortunate circumstance that SDA doesnāt run on your computer, then my advice would be to bookmark the pages for eLicenser Control Center updates:
ā¦and the page for Steinberg Activation Manager updates:
When an update to one of your Steinberg products, whether itās Cubase, Dorico, WaveLab or whatever, is released, be sure to go to these two pages and check whether or not a later version of these tools than you have got installed at the moment is available. If it is, install it before you install your product update.
In this way, you will replicate what SDA would do for you automatically, only with the hassle of doing it manually.
Thanks a lot David!! Now I never miss an update again. 