Re: VB6 app license protection

Tech-Archive recommends: Speed Up your PC by fixing your registry

"Rick Lederman" <rick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23g$CqGZVFHA.3244@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Is there a way within VB6 to get a PC's CPU serial number, or some sort of
> other number (MAC address was suggested by somenone I know) that would be
> unique for that PC that I can base a license password on? I already
> create
> a license password based upon customer name, address, etc. but want to
> make
> them come to me before they can even install it on another machine.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rick Lederman
> Soaring Software Solutions, Inc.

There are several ways to lock an app to a specific PC. Problems come when
the end users get a new hard drive or an entirely new PC. For example, I
change hard drives more than anyone I know (6 last year, plus 2
motherboards). If I had to get new reg codes everytime, I'd get ticked <g>.
Using the MAC address isn't reliable since there are utilities that allow
people to set the address. Since I've never owned an Intel CPU, no CPU I've
ever owned had a serial number (that I know of).

You may have some luck going through a few of these. It's a fairly common
question.

Results 1 - 100 of 582 for protection (copy OR piracy OR shareware) -dotnet
group:*.vb.*. (0.40 seconds)
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?as_q=protection&num=100&scoring=r&hl=en&as_epq=&as_oq=copy+piracy+shareware&as_eq=dotnet&as_ugroup=*.vb.*&as_usubject=&as_uauthors=&lr=&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=&as_mind=1&as_minm=1&as_miny=1981&as_maxd=10&as_maxm=5&as_maxy=2005&safe=off

The "magic pill" would make it possible to give your app protection against
most hackers but still be as transparent as possible to the end user that
actually paid for the software. fwiw, I'm looking into a few myself. The
nice protection packages are too darned expensive. If I write my own (or
beef up what I already have), will the time it takes away from my real
project be worth it? Dunno. Still considering the possibilities. Don't want
to spend too much, but don't want to waste a month on a protection scheme
that Joe Cracker will take 10 minutes to bypass. It's a tough decision.

--
Ken Halter - MS-MVP-VB - http://www.vbsight.com
Sign up now to help keep VB support alive - http://classicvb.org/petition
Please keep all discussions in the groups..


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: A bit of OT advice :o)
    ... hardware arrangements that were present. ... `traditional' Mac CPUs write numbers the opposite way round to the x86 ... you need to get some data from RAM to the CPU (and you do: ...
    (uk.people.support.depression)
  • Re: The Linear Address Space
    ... > accessible registers and these addresses are a part of the I/O address ... The virtual address space exists only inside the CPU. ... and direct interfacing to hard drives is usually only done by the OS. ... to form a new, Linear, address. ...
    (comp.lang.asm.x86)
  • Re: Intel + Mac = PC? Does AMD + PC != PC?
    ... the Comm and CPU slots were dropped. ... dumbass. ... So a PC isn't a PC, but a Mac is - got you. ... So the MacIntels aren't Macs because the PowerMacs don't fit your ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: Why do Macs cost more?
    ... I was aware that there were signatures on the inside of my Mac Plus ... It used used the older 68030 CPU when the Mac ... this 'bad apple' list than the MacTV. ... they're 422 days since last refresh, ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: Help with error code
    ... bad capacitors next to the CPU socket. ... holds the CPU heatsink in place, ... Not all computers have overheat protection. ... That will help confirm either an overheating ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)