Re: How to retrieve serial number of OS or CPU for copy protection?

From: Slava M. Usov (stripit.slough_at_gmx.net)
Date: 09/11/04

  • Next message: Craig Kenisston: "Searching on groups of enumerator's members" 
    Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 22:21:17 +0200

    "R.Wieser" <address@not.available> wrote in message
    news:#q1zw1#lEHA.3612@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

    [...]

    > > > > Option three: find a job that will provide you with this software.

    [...]

    > But what are the chances to that ? When you enter a company where there
    > are more people doing a job like yours, or to replace someone, you will
    > have to adapt to whatever is allready there ....

    If you cannot find a job that will pay you for using the software that you
    have learned to use, then why do you need to have that software? The only
    software that you need is that for home use, and you get that software when
    you buy your PC.

    [...]

    > What I ment is that such a "super dongle" which, as far as I understood,
    > cannot be tampered with, as it's an (allmost) self-enclosed piece of
    > firmware, only accepting input, and providing output, would look like a
    > play-station, would take a lot of space.

    Hardly. I imagine that you can package a decent CPU with lots of ROM and
    some RAM within a PII cartridge easily. Looking at the modern mobile phones,
    it can probably be much less than that.

    [...]

    > Well, I've worked with micro-controllers which where fitted with a
    > "disable reading-out of the contents" -bit (you could leave it clear, or
    > set it in software). The controllers where based on EPROM technology,

    So, do not make it EPROM. The entire ROM (with its contents) can be printed
    in the silicon.

    [...]

    > Ofcourse, if that specific processor could be bought, I do think that some
    > people would just place the ripped code in a new procesor,

    If you consider again that the CPU I'm talking about is printed together
    with ROM and RAM, then it might be difficult to "reprogram" it. Your only
    option would be to get a CPU with the same architecture and instruction set,
    which may not be available. The latter can be made harder if the
    architecture and the instruction set of the super dongles changes for each
    game. Then you would have to buy either a very high performance generic
    "emulator", which will cost a lot more than a few games, or buy a "blank"
    super-dongle for each game, which will probably cost more than the game
    itself.

    > (much like chip-cards that are used to unscramble sattelite-tv receiver
    > signals can be bought empty, and the code that should be put in it is
    > available within certain circles ...)

    Right. Which forces you to spend money and effort, which is a lot less
    comfortable than downloading a cracked game. Do you think that the number of
    "cracked" sat-TV receivers is comparable with the number of "regular"
    receivers?

    S

  • Next message: Craig Kenisston: "Searching on groups of enumerator's members"

    Relevant Pages

    • Re: How to retrieve serial number of OS or CPU for copy protection?
      ... The entire ROM can be printed ... If you consider again that the CPU I'm talking about is printed together ... option would be to get a CPU with the same architecture and instruction set, ... super-dongle for each game, which will probably cost more than the game ...
      (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vc)
    • Re: How to retrieve serial number of OS or CPU for copy protection?
      ... The entire ROM can be printed ... If you consider again that the CPU I'm talking about is printed together ... option would be to get a CPU with the same architecture and instruction set, ... super-dongle for each game, which will probably cost more than the game ...
      (microsoft.public.dotnet.framework)
    • Re: How to retrieve serial number of OS or CPU for copy protection?
      ... The entire ROM can be printed ... If you consider again that the CPU I'm talking about is printed together ... option would be to get a CPU with the same architecture and instruction set, ... super-dongle for each game, which will probably cost more than the game ...
      (microsoft.public.win32.programmer.kernel)
    • Re: How to retrieve serial number of OS or CPU for copy protection?
      ... The entire ROM can be printed ... If you consider again that the CPU I'm talking about is printed together ... option would be to get a CPU with the same architecture and instruction set, ... super-dongle for each game, which will probably cost more than the game ...
      (microsoft.public.vsnet.general)
    • Re: How to retrieve serial number of OS or CPU for copy protection?
      ... The entire ROM can be printed ... If you consider again that the CPU I'm talking about is printed together ... option would be to get a CPU with the same architecture and instruction set, ... super-dongle for each game, which will probably cost more than the game ...
      (microsoft.public.dotnet.general)