Subject:Beware!

Posted by: Mr. Bull

Date:1/11/2008 9:20:39 AM

I saw this topic posted once before in the forum. I wanted to tell all of you since Sony denies anything about it.

I bought Sony Sound Forge 8.0 about 3 months ago. Since I live in the sticks I don't have access to the Internet all the time so I did not register my copy of 8.0d. Just recently when I fired up the program the EQ was not working and so was wave hammer function where as they had worked before. So I registered my copy with their format on another computer and brought back an access code that I entered into Sound Forge. After that it still did not work and so I then started working with the tech guy over the phone. We the uninstalled and reinstalled the program three times over the phone and still nothing worked. We established that it was not installing the complete version and that many of the plug-ins were missing although they had been working before.

After being on the phone with tech support for two hours he told me that it must be something wrong with the registry. Since I had my computer custom built I called my guy and asked him what the problem could be. After dropping the computer off at his house for a week he told me that Sound Forge 8.0d had a protective file inside that lodged itself in the registry outside the Sony files that are removed when doing a complete uninstall. So every time I uninstalled the program through the registry it did not completely uninstall the program and all of its security features. This allowed the program when reinstalled to recognize that the program had been installed once before and would not allow you to use the program over and over again with full features without buying the program. The problem with this was that after registering the program it did not disengage the protective file that was logged in the registry. This file is impossible to remove without completely deleting the registry since it is buried inside of some other unrelated folders. My Tech guy told me that sometimes expensive programs have a file like this in their system, that if they are not registered within a certain amount of time they or do not have internet access to communicate with the home web site it renders the program useless to protect Sony from unauthorized use of programs. He mentioned that Adobe products and Auto Cad have these files in them and when they execute they are almost impossible to get rid of without doing a complete system overlay.

After mentioning this to tech support they completely deny anything of this exists. I spoke to three different tech support people. They then sent me a force register program that supposedly forced the program to open the missing plug-ins. That did not work as well. I also registered online. All of this of course did not work.

I then demanded an upgrade to 9.0. I was then told they would not do that unless I installed the trail version to make sure that the program worked. Sure enough it worked. The EQ worked and all the other tools that had been shut down worked as well. I then called them back and they continued to tell me that it was something inside my computer that was making 8.0d not work. Well after some negotiating they gave me a serial # that allowed me to use 9.0 indefinatly. After registering 9.0 I opened 8.0d to see if it worked. Sure enough! 8.0 was then working too. All the plug-ins and extras were BACK!!!

It seems as though 8.0d and 9.0C share the same basic protective file that when upgraded fixes the 8.0d registration issue. Since 9.0C is basically the same as 8.0d but with a few upgrades its would seem as though the basic construct is the same.

Sony continues to deny they have any protective file in their program. It was only through my own perseverance that I solved this problem since Sony was of little help. If you have any problems with Plug-ins not working this may solve the problem for you.

Subject:RE: Beware!

Reply by: Kennymusicman

Date:1/11/2008 12:07:58 PM

Crikey. You get a free upgrade to v9, and still sound really pissed off!

Registry keys are left by many programs, and not quite as badly as you make out. It's not some conspiracy. Virtually no program uninstalls without leaving some garbage in the registry.

A little bit of time with regedit and "find" with your friend would have removed all the offending strings in the registry without any hassle. a reputable registry cleaner would work too - with about 5 seconds worth of effort.

Subject:RE: Beware!

Reply by: Mr. Bull

Date:1/11/2008 1:16:30 PM

I'm upset with Sony for not divulging the correct information. The problem is that I spent almost two weeks trying to figure this out. This could have cost the lay person alot of money to figure out since they told me that it was my computer that was messed up.

Not to sound mad but Yes, it is a conspiracy. Tech support denies they have anything like in the program, which is a lie. The problem too is that after it executes then it won't go away even after you get confirmation #'s that should get rid of the files that are messing up the registry. Which is funny that they have no idea that their programm is causing the problem.

We did run System Mechanic but not a registry cleaner maybe that is a registry cleaner, I don't know. Regardless of the amount of time it takes to remove the strings it really sucks that it took me so long to figure out.

I don't really care about having the upgrade. I did not want 9.0. I would have been happy with 8.0.

Subject:RE: Beware!

Reply by: musicvid10

Date:1/12/2008 8:44:49 AM

If you registered electronically from another machine using your serial #, it likely created a registration code unique to that machine's hardware ID.

The purpose of a hardware ID is to prevent crackers from registering many installations of the same software using the same registration code. So, every time you install a Sony Media product on another machine, you must re-register it in order to use it past the trial period.

Unique hardware IDs are as common in this world as animal crackers, and Sony Media is among the most generous in the industry as to how many times you can register the software without raising a question. In fact, through eight years of machine, hard drive, and OS changes I've never had a registration refused, except once they gave me a significant free upgrade, too. Sorry, mr bull, no conspiracy exists beyond your impression.

Subject:RE: Beware!

Reply by: Mr. Bull

Date:1/12/2008 12:26:49 PM

I did register from another machine, however, to be able to do so I had to fill out the register form on the machine that has the program installed. This is all explained in the registration process. The Program gives you two options, Register online or on another computer. So I had to fill out the registration form put it on a jump drive and send that file to Sony on another computer. So the Hardware ID for the original machine is attached to that file. Sony then generates a # that is consistent with the original machine. Sound like you did not know that. I also registered it over the phone with the tech three or four times using different methods. That should have solved the problem according to your argument.

I'm sure you have never had problems registering. I did, and this is a problem that exists on this program and Sony Tech support denies it. It also seems that there are a few other people that have posted here in the past that have had the same problem. What else can I say? That's my experience.

If it’s not a conspiracy then it’s unprofessional and deceitful.

Subject:RE: Beware!

Reply by: musicvid10

Date:1/12/2008 9:10:53 PM

**Sound like you did not know that. **
Yes, I did know that because I have had to register manually once before on a new machine, and it worked. I was just checking to see if you knew that.

**That should have solved the problem according to your argument.**
It did for me, and I don't see how you could construe my response as an argument.

**I'm sure you have never had problems registering. I did, and this is a problem that exists on this program . . . **
That's a direct contradiction in statements on your part, because if others have not had problems registering, it is not necessarily a problem that exists with the program.

**It also seems that there are a few other people that have posted here in the past that have had the same problem."
Yes, there have been a few other people that have posted here that have had registration problems, not necessarily the same as yours, including me, and those few have generally been satisfied with the solutions offered them by Sony Customer Service. Why their concession to you of a free upgrade to the latest version, which you have stated solved all of your problems with both versions, which you are apparently able to use, is beyond me, but then, you are the customer.

**If it’s not a conspiracy then it’s unprofessional and deceitful.**
I'm not sure if that's a softening of your position, but I would beg you to describe in detail how their response to your concerns were unprofessional or deceitful, because I see little evidence of that other that your reported statements of someone who built a computer for you. Maybe Sony does have a conspiracy against you, but please don't include me in that theory. There are enough people out to get me already. So will you please, please post the filename so I can at least sleep tonight?

In other words, in over 7,000 posts in this forum (and I've been here since the beginning), why do I not recall one other post charging that "Sound Forge 8.0d had a protective file inside that lodged itself in the registry outside the Sony files that are removed when doing a complete uninstall"?

FYI, that statement is complete caca. But then, you are da' bull.

Sorry you had the problem, but charging conspiracies, unprofessionalism, and deceit over an admittedly resolved issue is a bit strange, don't you agree?

Subject:RE: Beware!

Reply by: Mr. Bull

Date:1/13/2008 8:58:41 AM

Look. I'm not going to argue with you or call you names which it looks like you are trying to get me to do. I am also not going to respond to all of your replies just the one I think are the most pressing.

Sony made me whole when they gave me the upgrade. OK

"because if others have not had problems registering, it is not necessarily a problem that exists with the program."

If its not a problem, which I think it is, it's a situation that can arise under certain conditions that can only be resolved through a registry cleaner or an upgrade. Which they deny the situation can even happen or just don't know about it.


"I would beg you to describe in detail how their response to your concerns were unprofessional or deceitful..."

My expectation of tech support is that they would have detailed knowledge of how the program works and protocol for situations that can arise with the program.(after all Sony did write the program) They had protocol but nothing deeper than doing an uninstall. When that did not work I was blamed for the problem. I have gotten better response from this post than I did from tech support.
By the end they were at a loss and I was the one who suggested getting an upgrade not them.
Not knowing how to solve customer’s problems and blaming them for the situations is unprofessional.

"Maybe Sony does have a conspiracy against you, but please don't include me in that theory. There are enough people out to get me already. So will you please, please post the filename so I can at least sleep tonight?"


Don't flatter yourself.

Subject:RE: Beware!

Reply by: musicvid10

Date:1/13/2008 9:28:15 AM

**Sony made me whole when they gave me the upgrade. OK**

Thanks for ending the discussion there.