[Undertaker989]

How do vendors (programmers) check to see if you have run out of time on your trail period of their software, more specifically, after you have uninstalled the software via add/remove in control panel?

ex: install software, 30 day trial period ends, software prompts you to pay, you uninstall software using method above, reinstall software, software gives you the same message.

p.s. I have registry and process monitors from sysinternals, but I need to figure out what information they collect is usufull if any is at all.

[funkgab]

its all from registry, or they have some type of time lock crap on the program itself

[Wedge_]

Most likely a registry entry hidden away somewhere, or a special file placed somewhere that indicates the trial has expired. You should also grab FileMon from SysInternals if you don't have it already (it shows you file access operations).

[Undertaker989]

filemon....damn... I forgot about that one. I'll check it out.

p.s. I fully plan on buying this software, but not just yet. I want to get more of my game made before I purchase a liscense for the game. They have various different liscenses that costs various amounts and I don't know which one I need yet b/c I haven't gotten far enough into development.

[Undertaker989]

just an update...I'm thinking that software enforces trial periods by "hooking" valid OS files much like a rootkit. I have tried using the above utilities on the machine in question, and I couldn't find anything that stuck out w/in 40 minutes of analysis...

I am going to install it on another box and compare logs now...if they are identical, I'm going to see how to analyze further.


Do you think an easier route would be using a decompiler would work to see what the installer does?

[PapaBigFace]

I have had some luck just setting my system clock back to the date I first installed the trial, on some things it will act as if no time has passed in the trial period.

[Undertaker989]

Ok, I installed the software (3dgamestudio) on a share drive and ran it from my affected computer w/ the registry monitor running and a filter set to the executable filename in question. I found the registry entries that it accessed, FINALLY, removed them, reinstalled the demo, and BAM! works.

Now I gotta figure out how to get around the trial check when I goto compile a map, but I'm sure its the same procedure as I did above b/c I now know their methods of authentication.

Thanks for the help guys.