Self deteting EXE

[hypheni]

This will fail when the user installs the program, enters the license data and sets the system clock back to 1970...

Thats why I mentioned at last Assuming the user is Novice.

[hypheni]

by aamir121a you can put an if statement at the start of your program, to get an OK form the licensing server before the main windows is displayed

if the server is offline where its stored ?

[JohnW@Wessex]

This can give encryption, time limits and licence key support.
It's not free though.

http://www.sofpro.com/pcgw32.htm

[Xupicor]

I presume most of us here would be able to get through simple application security, I mean, there's regmon/filemon, wireshark, there are debuggers and disassemblers... To start with.

With *easy* home-made security you can stop average Joe, maybe power user, but probably not good programmer. If your application will be a big success, become known to the most of the world - there will be people that will want it for free, and they will find people that will crack it, if not for anything else then just for the challenge.

You can make them work harder and for a longer period of time, though. But, that most probably won't come easy or cheap.

[Martin O]

In reality PC gaming industry is at the forefront of such technology

Also the pro-audio music software industry. I think they are more concerned with piracy because their software is more expensive (in the area of $500, as opposed to the average game which is $50), and targeted to musicians, who generally don't have a lot of money. Applications I'm talking about are things like: Cubase, Sonar, Native Instruments, Waves, etc. The different companies use different approaches. Some use a hardware dongle, (basically a USB key). Others use things like license servers. The dongles are from companies named (IIRC) Syncrosoft & iLok.

And yes, bottom line, even with these sophisticated anti-piracy mechanisms, it all still gets cracked eventually.

[aamir121a]

this has been a very informative and good discussion thank you all who posted

[hypheni]

But still my question is not answered.

How a software track its trail period locally. With no network support how it check for 30days trail.?

[GNiewerth]

But still my question is not answered.

How a software track its trail period locally. With no network support how it check for 30days trail.?

The easiest way:
The installer creates a registry entry containing the date of installation (maybe the prgram itself when it´s first run). Upon every start you check the current date against the date stored in the registry.

[aamir121a]

One thing you ought to know about this forum , not all questions get answered. However I will try to answers this for you. the solution lies in two parts

1. Do it yourself, by executing inline assembly the program can get BIOS date , or ticks since 1970 ( unix systems use this) , the store this information in registry as enxrypded hash first time you install the application or you can also get time from time server , and then check against current time every time the application starts ( again not local system time either BIOS or NET time) , if you are doing local time it is too lame. Once the evaluation time is up they would ask you to either manually or through the internet to activate the product , so the long and short of this is , these products do need a internet connection to work or you manually email them some hardware based hash generated by the application in response a key is generated which locks the product to your hardware. Most developer usually go through third party technology , lets face you are more interested in developing an applaction which people would pay for , rather than develop protection technology

Second option is to go through a third party , and use there activation technology , I think someone posted the link to the same ( it is expensive) , in this day and age copy protection is field in it self.



the game prince of Persia ( latest one) will want to connect to the internet through out the entire game play , if the internet connection is lost the game pauses ,

[hypheni]

I'm talking about the first option. I know the issues.

Just wanted to know anyone had tried to get the registry value of any software where the info is stored.

Check my previous post. I just asked in registry where these settings are stored ?. If anyone knows good. Else leave. Simple.

[VictorN]

I just asked in registry where these settings are stored ?. If anyone knows good. Else leave. Simple.

There is no such a predefined place for "these settings" in registry. You are free to save it where you want to.