Echo Boy, iLok and Windows 7

Hoping I can get some advice here.
 
I bought this plugin during a sale and had heard good thing about it.  What I didn't see until after the purchase, was that it uses iLok.  Soundtoys support tells me that the newer versions do not need the iLok dongle so that's a plus but I would still need an iLok account and I'm guessing I'd need to use their License Manager as well.  In reading their FAQ on the Manager, it needs an update patch to Win7 which I don't have installed and which appears to cause possible problems. 
 
Here's my question to anyone who has this plugin, (or any Soundtoys plugin, I guess), and a similar setup and didn't have an iLok account previously:  Were you forced to use the iLok License Manager to install the plugin or were you able to download the installer directly from Soundtoys and just use the iLok account for authorization?
 
Sorry, this sounds complicated.  Thanks for any help.
 
Paul
 
 

Thanks Splat Chat.
 
There's a big discussion about this very thing over on KvR.  I'm not the only one who got caught off guard.  lol
 
https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=515024
 
Paul

I have Echo Boy and I use it on two different windows 7 64bit machines - I use a physical iLok, which is really useful for me as I move between the two machines and just take my iLoks with me. And of course for my Laptop.
The latest version of the iLok software has cured some of the strange behavior you used to get occasionally with the iLok software - since the last big iLok update that I can remember, which I think was say 6 months ago (give or take) iLok has been 100% rock solid and no issues.
Nigel