Wait! I think that I just got it to work! I had to sign up for a Sony ebook store account and it authenticated my ereader. I can now open other files, turn on/off my ereader and not be blocked from the drm'ed book. I used the same email address as I used for adobe, but the ereader software already seemed to be aware of my computer's authentication information because the store site didn't ask for an Adobe ID.
So maybe if the first poster hasn't signed up for a sony store account (if one is available), maybe doing that will help?
But Adobe Digital Editions in my mac still does not see my ereader, but I came across this quote in a different thread: "By the way, ADE for Mac does not recognize the Sony ereaders. That's why ADE on your work laptop wouldn't see it. On the Mac, you have to use the Sony Reader Library software to transfer files. It's not like a Windows PC where you can use ADE to transfer files to your ereader."
(from thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=106465)
So... if you're using a mac, you might be stuck until they fix this...