Product Registration Options

[Xion]

So...methods for product registration

I need to throw something into my latest app to...lets say deter general copying and distribution. I think most of us are familiar enough with how most protection schemes work and I'm not talking about crack proof (hah like such a thing exists) but what works for a good clean no hassle method?

Do we like web activation? A lot of my clients probably wont have internet access...
Hidden Registry? Oh vista and win7 would love that...bing! allow reg access? bing! you arent admin...bing! you are dumb

HDD key based reference, allow web activation or phone...use a 25digit key...suppose?

what a pain

[SNiiP3R]

I have tried it all bro, and all my programs ended up being cracked (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) They pretty much can skip all the steps and go straight to key check section of the code. What they do next is, change where the program jumps to when the key fails.

[Xion]

Yeah, you know thinking about it from the debugging standpoint, Jumps are easy to place but if the function had a secondary var inside that was set to detect such jumps, then 3 or 4 different functions to do checking at random points of the programs use...thats an aweful lot of patching...

[SNiiP3R]

I had this other idea, but its not fully finished in my head just yet lol. Basically you create an additional executable file or a dll file. You connect your main program to your 2nd executable via TCP/IP protocol, which you can design and secure yourself. You can use this connection to check your main's program md5 to verify data integrity as well as send registration information via secure connection. If something goes wrong with the main program, for example, md5 checksum fails, the 2nd exe disables controls. Basically, the idea is to make your program work together with the external executable via local secure connection. This way, they would have to crack your main program, crack your external exe and of course figure out how to crack your protocol lol just an idea

[Xion]

cracking protocol...do not temp me with such talk! Except if its on a local connection then why not use an OLE method to talk to each other? i like two exes for the anti-disassembing. Hmm

I do like the FileInfo object. I can use it to check the creation times of anything including my key files and the application itself.
Dim oFInfo As New FileInfo(Application.ExecutablePath)

It has a length like File gives, but Creation Time and a few other nice ones...
Debug.Print(FI.CreationTime)
Debug.Print(FI.Length)

Now only if it could check the crc of the exe hah

I also came accross My.Application.Deployment.IsFirstRun

Nice for knowing when to generate a new trial license file, and resets only for updates i think, but I wonder if an uninstall reinstall resets it. I kinda doubt it does.