How to create a serial number for a software?

[sheperson]

Hi,
I have been working for several months on a sofware and now it is
finished.
I have a problem now and it is this:
Because I live in a country which there is no copyright law in it
(Iran!!!!). As soon as I give the software to some customers, the
software will be copied illegally and I don't want this happen.
Now I wonder if anyone could help me on how to create a lock or a
serial number for the software.
I want my software to generate a code based on the hardware used and
then when the customer enters that code in my web site, the web site
gives a valid serial number which activates the software (or something
like that).
Any help or idea will be appreciated.

 

[Peter Duniho]

[...]
I want my software to generate a code based on the hardware used and
then when the customer enters that code in my web site, the web site
gives a valid serial number which activates the software (or something
like that).
Any help or idea will be appreciated.

Google can find you lots of information. In this newsgroup alone it's
been discussed to death, including very recently. Search for things like
"license", "copy protection", "obfuscation", "unique id", etc.

The bottom line: what you're talking about is basically the same as
Microsoft's "Product Activation" anti-feature, and even they can't get it
to work perfectly.

A better approach is to write software that motivates people to want to
motivate _you_ to keep writing software by paying you for it, and to
provided added value for the cost of the software in the form of customer
support, documentation, and other added benefits.

Do not forget: whatever copy protection you incorporate, someone will
figure out a way to bypass it. At that point, the only people who could
possibly be inconvenienced by the copy protection will be your paying
customers (and make no mistake, if you have any significant number of
customers, copy protection _will_ inconvenience at least some of your
customers).

Pete

 

[sheperson]

[...]
I want my software to generate a code based on the hardware used and
then when the customer enters that code in my web site, the web site
gives a valid serial number which activates the software (or something
like that).
Any help or idea will be appreciated.

Google can find you lots of information. In this newsgroup alone it's
been discussed to death, including very recently. Search for things like
"license", "copy protection", "obfuscation", "unique id", etc.

The bottom line: what you're talking about is basically the same as
Microsoft's "Product Activation" anti-feature, and even they can't get it
to work perfectly.

A better approach is to write software that motivates people to want to
motivate _you_ to keep writing software by paying you for it, and to
provided added value for the cost of the software in the form of customer
support, documentation, and other added benefits.

Do not forget: whatever copy protection you incorporate, someone will
figure out a way to bypass it. At that point, the only people who could
possibly be inconvenienced by the copy protection will be your paying
customers (and make no mistake, if you have any significant number of
customers, copy protection _will_ inconvenience at least some of your
customers).

Pete

Hi,
Thanks for the help.
I know there is always someone who will bypass those protection
methods, but there is not much of those ones around here. So if have a
medium level of protection for my software it will work for me. Just I
am puzzled where to start from.
Thanks again.

 

[Chizl]

There is a few ways you can do it.. They way I like to do it, is take the
person's name that is registering, encrypt it using your internal password,
then hash it. The hash would be the serial used for the client to enter
along with their registration name. This way it's unique person customer
and you can verify it easily on the client side.

[...]
I want my software to generate a code based on the hardware used and
then when the customer enters that code in my web site, the web site
gives a valid serial number which activates the software (or something
like that).
Any help or idea will be appreciated.

Google can find you lots of information. In this newsgroup alone it's
been discussed to death, including very recently. Search for things like
"license", "copy protection", "obfuscation", "unique id", etc.

The bottom line: what you're talking about is basically the same as
Microsoft's "Product Activation" anti-feature, and even they can't get it
to work perfectly.

A better approach is to write software that motivates people to want to
motivate _you_ to keep writing software by paying you for it, and to
provided added value for the cost of the software in the form of customer
support, documentation, and other added benefits.

Do not forget: whatever copy protection you incorporate, someone will
figure out a way to bypass it. At that point, the only people who could
possibly be inconvenienced by the copy protection will be your paying
customers (and make no mistake, if you have any significant number of
customers, copy protection _will_ inconvenience at least some of your
customers).

Pete

Hi,
Thanks for the help.
I know there is always someone who will bypass those protection
methods, but there is not much of those ones around here. So if have a
medium level of protection for my software it will work for me. Just I
am puzzled where to start from.
Thanks again.

 

[sheperson]

There is a few ways you can do it.. They way I like to do it, is take the
person's name that is registering, encrypt it using your internal password,
then hash it. The hash would be the serial used for the client to enter
along with their registration name. This way it's unique person customer
and you can verify it easily on the client side.

]
I want my software to generate a code based on the hardware used and
then when the customer enters that code in my web site, the web site
gives a valid serial number which activates the software (or something
like that).
Any help or idea will be appreciated.
Google can find you lots of information. In this newsgroup alone it's
been discussed to death, including very recently. Search for things like
"license", "copy protection", "obfuscation", "unique id", etc.
The bottom line: what you're talking about is basically the same as
Microsoft's "Product Activation" anti-feature, and even they can't get it
to work perfectly.
A better approach is to write software that motivates people to want to
motivate _you_ to keep writing software by paying you for it, and to
provided added value for the cost of the software in the form of customer
support, documentation, and other added benefits.
Do not forget: whatever copy protection you incorporate, someone will
figure out a way to bypass it. At that point, the only people who could
possibly be inconvenienced by the copy protection will be your paying
customers (and make no mistake, if you have any significant number of
customers, copy protection _will_ inconvenience at least some of your
customers).
Pete

Hi,
Thanks for the help.
I know there is always someone who will bypass those protection
methods, but there is not much of those ones around here. So if have a
medium level of protection for my software it will work for me. Just I
am puzzled where to start from.
Thanks again.

Hi,
That's so nice. Thank you.
I have seen some programs generating a code based on the hardware of
the customers. If anyone could tell me how to do that it would be much
better.
Thanks again.

 

[Chizl]

There is a few ways you can do it.. They way I like to do it, is take
the
person's name that is registering, encrypt it using your internal
password,
then hash it. The hash would be the serial used for the client to
enter
along with their registration name. This way it's unique person customer
and you can verify it easily on the client side.

On Jan 11, 6:32 am, "Peter Duniho" <[email protected]>
wrote:

[...]
I want my software to generate a code based on the hardware used and
then when the customer enters that code in my web site, the web site
gives a valid serial number which activates the software (or
something
like that).
Any help or idea will be appreciated.

Google can find you lots of information. In this newsgroup alone it's
been discussed to death, including very recently. Search for things
like
"license", "copy protection", "obfuscation", "unique id", etc.

The bottom line: what you're talking about is basically the same as
Microsoft's "Product Activation" anti-feature, and even they can't get
it
to work perfectly.

A better approach is to write software that motivates people to want
to
motivate _you_ to keep writing software by paying you for it, and to
provided added value for the cost of the software in the form of
customer
support, documentation, and other added benefits.

Do not forget: whatever copy protection you incorporate, someone will
figure out a way to bypass it. At that point, the only people who
could
possibly be inconvenienced by the copy protection will be your paying
customers (and make no mistake, if you have any significant number of
customers, copy protection _will_ inconvenience at least some of your
customers).

Hi,
Thanks for the help.
I know there is always someone who will bypass those protection
methods, but there is not much of those ones around here. So if have a
medium level of protection for my software it will work for me. Just I
am puzzled where to start from.
Thanks again.

Hi,
That's so nice. Thank you.
I have seen some programs generating a code based on the hardware of
the customers. If anyone could tell me how to do that it would be much
better.
Thanks again.

I would suggest if your going that way to use the HardDrive, not Nic or Mac
address information.. Since the users is less likely to swap out the
harddrive than anything else..

Look into GetVolumeInformation()
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/articles/20021019.asp

 

[Chizl]

Better yet:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/hard_disk_serialno.aspx

There is a few ways you can do it.. They way I like to do it, is take
the
person's name that is registering, encrypt it using your internal
password,
then hash it. The hash would be the serial used for the client to
enter
along with their registration name. This way it's unique person customer
and you can verify it easily on the client side.

On Jan 11, 6:32 am, "Peter Duniho" <[email protected]>
wrote:

[...]
I want my software to generate a code based on the hardware used and
then when the customer enters that code in my web site, the web site
gives a valid serial number which activates the software (or
something
like that).
Any help or idea will be appreciated.

Google can find you lots of information. In this newsgroup alone it's
been discussed to death, including very recently. Search for things
like
"license", "copy protection", "obfuscation", "unique id", etc.

The bottom line: what you're talking about is basically the same as
Microsoft's "Product Activation" anti-feature, and even they can't get
it
to work perfectly.

A better approach is to write software that motivates people to want
to
motivate _you_ to keep writing software by paying you for it, and to
provided added value for the cost of the software in the form of
customer
support, documentation, and other added benefits.

Do not forget: whatever copy protection you incorporate, someone will
figure out a way to bypass it. At that point, the only people who
could
possibly be inconvenienced by the copy protection will be your paying
customers (and make no mistake, if you have any significant number of
customers, copy protection _will_ inconvenience at least some of your
customers).

Hi,
Thanks for the help.
I know there is always someone who will bypass those protection
methods, but there is not much of those ones around here. So if have a
medium level of protection for my software it will work for me. Just I
am puzzled where to start from.
Thanks again.

Hi,
That's so nice. Thank you.
I have seen some programs generating a code based on the hardware of
the customers. If anyone could tell me how to do that it would be much
better.
Thanks again.

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

I would suggest if your going that way to use the HardDrive, not Nic or Mac
address information.. Since the users is less likely to swap out the
harddrive than anything else..

Less likely, but still something that happen.

Arne

 

[Chizl]

Less likely, but still something that happen.

Arne

Yes so could any of the hardware. HardDrive or Motherboard is usually the
last to go..
I did find another site so you can choose your hardware of choice..

Very nice..
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/system/GetHardwareInformation.aspx