thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall) (08/18/89)
Before I start I will say that I admire Microsoft's policy of not copy- protecting its business software. This is very professional and makes life easier for a lot of people. Now here is the weird thing. What if you make a mistake when you are typing in the name with which you register the program? It is a confusing dialog for beginner Mac users. What if they don't know that <tab> sends them to the next text rect? What if they think <enter> does because they have used other non mac computers in the past? In fact, <enter> activates the OK button! And this is exactly what happened to a woman who came in to our area today wanting us to change her screwed up name. How do you do this? I can use FEdit or MacSnoop to find the name, but how is it formatted? Does anyone know? It doesn't work if you just change the letters. I guess it's missing some delimiter, but I don't know what it wants. Someone must have done this before...I'm sure it must happen all the time. Microsoft refuses to support this, but I'm not quite sure why. Registration names have little to do with serial numbers. Thanks... Thomas Summerall thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu
cm2n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Christopher A. Maloney) (08/18/89)
If you use a product like Fedit and choose the zero datafork option it will give you the startup customization screen again. I've only done this with Word 3.0 and some of the Claris Software but I believe it should work in most cases. Of course this should only be used in the case where you accidently screwed up when typing your name and were running off of the Master Disk instead of doing the sensible thing and making a copy of the locked master before running it. Chris Maloney cm2n+@andrew.cmu.edu (ARPA) r746cm2n@cmccvb(bitnet) Disclaimer: These opinions are mine and only mine. You can't have them and neither can my employer or my school. So there. NYAHHH.
garths%glass@Sun.COM (Garth Snyder) (08/18/89)
thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall) writes: > How do you do this? I can use FEdit or MacSnoop to find the name, but how > is it formatted? Does anyone know? It doesn't work if you just change the > letters. I guess it's missing some delimiter, but I don't know what it wants. > Someone must have done this before...I'm sure it must happen all the time. Use your favorite file editor to set the logical length of the data fork to zero. The next time you start the program, you'll be asked to re-enter your name. Disclaimer: This is the way it works on my Microsoft products (Excel 1.04 and Word 3.01). It may have changed since those programs were released. Other companies that have name registration use different storage systems. -------------------- Garth Snyder Sun Microsystems, mail drop 14-40 ARPA: garths@eng.sun.com 2550 Garcia Avenue ALSO: garth@boulder.colorado.edu Mountain View, CA 94043 --------------------
xdab@tank.uchicago.edu (David Baird) (08/18/89)
As long as you never start the program on the master disk from Microsoft (or other companies) you can copy a new copy of the program to the hard disk, or floppy, and then enter the correct information when the "new" copy is started. REMEMBER NEVER TO START A PROGRAM ON THE ORIGINAL DISK. ALWAYS MAKE COPIES TO WORK WITH.
truesdel@ics.uci.edu (Scott Truesdell) (08/18/89)
thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall) writes: >...What if you make a mistake when you are typing >in the name with which you register the program? ... >...And this is exactly what happened to a woman who came in to our area today >wanting us to change her screwed up name. >How do you do this? I can use FEdit or MacSnoop to find the name, but how >is it formatted? Does anyone know? It doesn't work if you just change the >letters. I guess it's missing some delimiter, but I don't know what it wants. >Someone must have done this before...I'm sure it must happen all the time. The remedy is extremely simple, provided you have a legal copy along with the distribution diskettes as supplied by Microsoft. Make a new copy of the software from the original diskettes. If she has "installed" her name on the original diskettes, shame on whoever is supporting this person for not properly educating her on the importance of maintaining pristine original disks! --scott -- Scott Truesdell
ack@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Andy J. Williams) (08/18/89)
In article <15075@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall) writes: > > [ Someone's name gets mistyped in MS work peronalize-it dialog > >How do you do this? I can use FEdit or MacSnoop to find the name, but how >is it formatted? Does anyone know? It doesn't work if you just change the >letters. I guess it's missing some delimiter, but I don't know what it wants. >Someone must have done this before...I'm sure it must happen all the time. Well, under optimal circumstances, it wasn't the master disk. You never should use the master disk for anything other than keeping a new clean copy out of the way so if you mistype the name, or lose it, or get a bad virus, etc. you have a clean copy to replace it with. However, It's been a while since I've done this, but I think there is a length byte before each of the two lines. (Don't quote me on this). > >Thomas Summerall >thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu -ajw Andy J. Williams '90 | <hello> | ack@dartvax.dartmouth.edu 31 North Main Street | set $NAME='inigo_montoya' | Systems Programmer Hanover NH, 03755 | You kill -9 my ppid | Kiewit Computation Center 603-643-2177 | prepare to vi | Dartmouth College
rubinoff@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Robert Rubinoff) (08/19/89)
Why would anyone care if they spelled their name wrong? All it does is sit on the screen for a second when the program starts up; it doesn't ever show up in anything permanent. Robert
gmw1@CUNIXD.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Gabe M Wiener) (08/19/89)
In article <13779@netnews.upenn.edu> rubinoff@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Robert Rubinoff) writes: >Why would anyone care if they spelled their name wrong? All it does is >sit on the screen for a second when the program starts up; it doesn't ever >show up in anything permanent. Because, gentle reader, it would get incredibly annoying to constantly see your name spelled wrong every morning when starting up the program! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-\******/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Gabe Wiener -- Columbia University \****/ "This 'telephone' has too many \**/ shortcomings to be seriously INTERNET: gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu \/ considered as a means of BITNET: gmw1@cunixc /\ communication. The device is CI$: 72355.1226@compuserve.com /**\ inherently of no value to us." WUI: 650-117-9118 /****\ - Western Union memo, 1877 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/******\=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
sac90286@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kubla Khan) (08/21/89)
I had the same problem with MS Word (version 4.something). All I did was drag the offending copy of Word into the trashcan, and drag a fresh copy off the original floppy into the old Word's place. When I started it up, it again asked me to personalize my copy of MS Word, and everything proceeded as if I had never made the typing mistake. Since I was expecting the original floppy to be permanantly marked with my (misspelled) name, you can imagine my surprise when this technique worked... Scott Coleman kubla@uiuc.edu
d88-sli@nada.kth.se (Stefan Lindmark) (08/21/89)
In article <13779@netnews.upenn.edu> rubinoff@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Robert Rubinoff) writes: >Why would anyone care if they spelled their name wrong? All it does is >sit on the screen for a second when the program starts up; it doesn't ever >show up in anything permanent. Quite annoying, if the name was so garbled, that it looked so *very* much like the name of another company that one could suspect piracy. But I am sure that is not what the discussion is all about? :-) -- Stefan Lindmark, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden Email: d88-sli@nada.kth.se Snail-mail: Don't even bother... "Wearing your asbestos-suit too often may be fatal to your health"
boz@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (John Boswell) (08/22/89)
About changing the personalization in Word...Quite simple! Just delete your current copy, and start with a fresh copy from your master disk. The first time you run it (the new copy), you will be asked to personalize it. ************************************************************************* John Boswell boz@eleazar.dartmouth.edu Dept. of Chemistry boz@dartCMS1.BITNET Dartmouth College, Hangover, Nude Hampster 03755
chaz@pnet51.cts.com (Chuck Larson) (08/24/89)
In article <15075@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>, thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.ed mmerall) writes: > > [ Someone's name gets mistyped in MS work peronalize-it dialog > >How do you do this? I can use FEdit or MacSnoop to find the name, but how >is it formatted? Does anyone know? It doesn't work if you just change the This is quite easy. using FEdit or something like it, set the logical EOF of the data fork of the application to 0 (that's zero, of course.) The name/organization is the only thing in the data fork, and if it is 0, the program will ask you for the name/organization again, just like the first launch. Claris products also works like this, if I'm not mistaken. <chaz> [this is my first non-local post, so please pardon the lack of an edifying signature file...I will figure this stuff out sooner or later... :-)] UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!chaz ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!chaz@nosc.mil INET: chaz@pnet51.cts.com