akk2@ur-tut.UUCP (A Kacker) (11/07/86)
Maybe someone can help me with this one :
At the University of Rochester, we have a Microcomputer Information
Center which serves as a repository of both commercial and PD
software. The University community is thus able to try out a lot of the
packages before actually going out and buying it. We have some of this software
installed on hard disks on XT's and AT's. We try our best to keep anyone
from surreptitiously copying any of the commercial software, including
posting of signs against copying. What we would like to be able to is
to somehow make it difficult for users to copy anything off of our hard disks.
Two things come to my mind on ways of implementing this :
1. If only there was a way to set an attribute of the program to
'protected' a la macintosh programs, that would come up with a
message saying that this program can not be copied.
2. Another way would be to somehow modify DOS so that copying from
C: was disabled. If COPY had been an external command, a batch file
would have done the job.
Any suggestions ? All hints welcome.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atul Kacker
UUCP : {allegra|seismo|decvax}!rochester!ur-tut!akk2
BITNET : AKK2@UORDBVplocher@puff.wisc.edu (John Plocher) (11/08/86)
The easiest way to keep niave pirates from copying from C: is to
^^^^^
modify command.com to disable the copy command, and write a NEW program
called copy which dissallows copying from C:. (if filename starts
with C: or no drive and current drive is C:)
Even better, make it SEEM to work, but instead have it copy the string
"Copying this software is illegal"
as many times as needed onto the floppy so the resulting file is the
same size as the orig file on C:. Thus, the copy seems to work, a
file is there on the floppy... When the pirate gets home and looks
at the file... :-)
Even better than that, if the copy is from C:, disable ^C and ^BREAK and
ring the bell till someone from the MicroLab types in a password...
I can see it now:
Me> Copy c:dbaseIII a:
BEEEEEEEEP
MicroLab> What are you DOING?
Me> Nothing (trying in vain to clear screen)
MicroLab> This is a clear case of attempted THEFT...
NOTE: There are always ways around schemes like this (if I have my *own*
cp program...)
--
"Never trust an idea you get sitting down" - Nietzche
------------ {harvard,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!uwhsms!plocher (work)
John Plocher {harvard,seismo}!uwvax!puff!plocher (school)
------------ decvax!encore!vaxine!spark!121!0!John_Plocher (FidoNet)madd@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP (Jim Frost) (11/09/86)
In article <836@ur-tut.UUCP> akk2@ur-tut.UUCP (A Kacker) writes: >What we would like to be able to is >to somehow make it difficult for users to copy anything off of our hard disks. >Two things come to my mind on ways of implementing this : > >1. If only there was a way to set an attribute of the program to > 'protected' a la macintosh programs, that would come up with a > message saying that this program can not be copied. > I am reasonably sure you can't do that. Never caught it in the DOS Tech Ref manual :-). >2. Another way would be to somehow modify DOS so that copying from > C: was disabled. If COPY had been an external command, a batch file > would have done the job. > How about: Go through COMMAND.COM and find the COPY command. This is really easy to do with Norton Utilities. Make it anything you want, the more bizarre the better. This should disable the COPY command within DOS. Then just write your own, naming it anything you want. This way, you can restrict access better. It's hardly foolproof, but it oughta work to keep at least some people from copying things. This is simple and quick, and should help until some real guru comes along with a better way. >Atul Kacker -- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% - Jim Frost * The Madd Hacker - UUCP: ..!harvard!bu-cs!bucsb!madd | ARPANET: madd@bucsb.bu.edu CSNET: madd%bucsb@bu-cs | BITNET: cscc71c@bostonu -----------------------------------+-----------+------------------------ "Use the key, unlock the door | o/ <- Rudolf the See what Fate might have in store." -- Rush | _O_ waving penguin
broehl@watale.UUCP (11/19/86)
Why not look into some sort of software envcryption which would require the
software to be run on that machine. We have this sort of an operation on our
WatStar PC network and it is pretty thorough. I think they also have it
on ROM chips for standalone machines now as well. I don't know who to contact
but maybe I can dig it up and post something.
--
Michael A. Shiels
UUCP: { clyde, decvax, ihnp4, tektronix, ubc-vutzoo }!watmath!watale!broehl