Determine USB HDD Serial Number (NOT Volume Serial!)

[Matthew Connor]

Hi all! I'm sure many of you rolled your eyes at the subject trying to
recall how many times youv'e heard this question. But bear with
because I THINK my question is at least slightly different from the
typical post.

I would like to obtain the manufactuer's embedded serial number (NOT
the volume serial that changes with each format) of USB drives. I
found some very handy code to obtain a regular SMART-enabled IDE
drive's information in VB6 here:

http://vbnet.mvps.org/index.html?code/disk/smartide.htm

However, when I run that code, it does not give me any information
about, say, a flash drive that is connected to my USB port. Do all USB
drives (both external hard drives with movable parts as well as flash
memory drives) have an embedded serial number that can be accessed? If
so, how can I obtain that information in Visual Basic .NET? In not
VB.NET, how about any other language?

My ultimate goal is to be able to give out some USB thumb drives or
external hard drives and be able to uniquely track them. ANY thoughts
towards my goal would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Matthew

 

[Lucas]

Hi all! I'm sure many of you rolled your eyes at the subject trying to
recall how many times youv'e heard this question. But bear with
because I THINK my question is at least slightly different from the
typical post.

I would like to obtain the manufactuer's embedded serial number (NOT
the volume serial that changes with each format) of USB drives. I
found some very handy code to obtain a regular SMART-enabled IDE
drive's information in VB6 here:

http://vbnet.mvps.org/index.html?code/disk/smartide.htm

However, when I run that code, it does not give me any information
about, say, a flash drive that is connected to my USB port. Do all USB
drives (both external hard drives with movable parts as well as flash
memory drives) have an embedded serial number that can be accessed? If
so, how can I obtain that information in Visual Basic .NET? In not
VB.NET, how about any other language?

My ultimate goal is to be able to give out some USB thumb drives or
external hard drives and be able to uniquely track them. ANY thoughts
towards my goal would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Matthew

Depending on the quantity you are handing out, you can assign a
product ID or some other marker to each program uniquely IDing it. If
you have any interactivity with webservices you could possibly
HTTPRequest the information to a single URL hit transmitting some type
of My.Application.Info creating some type of iteration or log system
via the web.

 

[Matthew Connor]

Depending on the quantity you are handing out, you can assign a

product ID or some other marker to each program uniquely IDing it. If
you have any interactivity with webservices you could possibly
HTTPRequest the information to a single URL hit transmitting some type
of My.Application.Info creating some type of iteration or log system
via the web.- Hide quoted text -

Hi! Thanks so much for your input! Unfortunately, I still need to go
the original route for reasons I did not lay out in the original post.
It's an attempt at an anti-piracy mechanism to keep people from
copying the software to another disk...so I need a fixed, reliable
number on the drive itself.

Thanks again!

Matthew

 

[Lucas]

Hi! Thanks so much for your input! Unfortunately, I still need to go
the original route for reasons I did not lay out in the original post.
It's an attempt at an anti-piracy mechanism to keep people from
copying the software to another disk...so I need a fixed, reliable
number on the drive itself.

Thanks again!

Matthew

Certainly possible through the route I explained. With the software
"checking in" during an initailize state you could send an Internet
HTTPRequest to check your end for use. No internet check no use.
Once it has been checked, the same ID gets no access and a big NO-NO
message.

 

[Smokey Grindle]

what happens if the software is on a RAID array? just wondering...

 

[C-Services Holland b.v.]

Matthew Connor schreef:

Hi! Thanks so much for your input! Unfortunately, I still need to go
the original route for reasons I did not lay out in the original post.
It's an attempt at an anti-piracy mechanism to keep people from
copying the software to another disk...so I need a fixed, reliable
number on the drive itself.

Thanks again!

Matthew

Aladdin has a hardlock that's also a flashdrive which you can split into
a part that shows as a CD and a part as flash.
http://aladdin.com/HASP/srm-protection-keys.asp
Then look at the HASP HL Drive.

 

[tmWin]

Hi all! I'm sure many of you rolled your eyes at the subject trying to
recall how many times youv'e heard this question. But bear with
because I THINK my question is at least slightly different from the
typical post.

I would like to obtain the manufactuer's embeddedserialnumber (NOT
the volumeserialthat changes with each format) ofUSBdrives. I
found some very handy code to obtain a regular SMART-enabled IDE
drive's information in VB6 here:

http://vbnet.mvps.org/index.html?code/disk/smartide.htm

However, when I run that code, it does not give me any information
about, say, a flash drive that is connected to myUSBport. Do allUSB
drives (both external hard drives with movable parts as well as flash
memory drives) have an embeddedserialnumber that can be accessed? If
so, how can I obtain that information in Visual Basic .NET? In not
VB.NET, how about any other language?

My ultimate goal is to be able to give out someUSBthumb drives or
external hard drives and be able to uniquely track them. ANY thoughts
towards my goal would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Matthew

Dear Mr Connor,

I think we have the same idea about it. I have been in this maze, I
have done it and it works. I am now living in a country without any
copyright law enforced. And I have done this approach and it works and
non of my cutomers complaint about it. I am sure that you are not on a
wrong way about ensuring your copyright. Now, my approach is tested
with both VB6 and VB.Net.

I know three ways of getting what you want. I mean any hardware serial
number, including HDD (Fixed Disk), Flash drive, Portable Hard Disk.
There are two hard ways and the one you are talking about is one of
them.
I used the easy way and its now bug free.

Of course, there are some facts that should be taken care about
choosing sticks.
Some of them are ...
The USB stick should be genuine from famous company.
It should follow the standard given from USB org. (You can find it on
their web)

I would like to help you with some information but I want to know if
there is any hole in my approach especially if there is more then one
Flash attached. Moreover, I want to discuss about multiple license
using the Network Drive approach.

If you (or anyone in this discussion) are interested, please feel free
to personally mail me.

TMWin
(e-mail address removed)