A bout ActiveLock ???

[Lyla]

Hi all.

I visited there site but i couldn't find any info/details on how it works!

Could anyone please tell me about it?
Links would be fine, too.

Thanx.

[r0ach]

In my own opinion, ActiveLock is the best 'Software Protection' ActiveX component available to small developers.

ActiveLock allows you to make Trial versions, crippleware, and demos.

As i said, when you install software using ActiveLock, the software is assigned an unique Software Code (SC) and the Date is recorded, using System-Unique information. This is used by the Key Generator provided with ActiveLock. Each time you run the program, ActiveLock increments a counter by 1, and records the Date. This is used when you want to write Trial versions, or demos.

For example, to check for a trial you will put the following code in the startup:

If Not (ActiveLock1.RegisteredUser) And ActiveLock1.UsedDays > 30 Then
MsgBox "Your evaluation period has expired!",,"Trial over"
End
End If

A demo only allows a certain amount of executions:

If (ActiveLock1.Counter > 10) Then
MsgBox "You have used this program 10 times.",,"Trial over"
End
End If

Crippleware, however, will disable certain features until user is registered:

If Not ActiveLock1.RegisteredUser Then
cmdSave.Enabled = False
Else
cmdSave.Enabled = True
End If


Now, how does it all work???

Well, it's difficult to explain. The SC is used to generate a Registration Key (RK), which will be recognised, by the ActiveLock component, as valid. In other words, your RK will not register my copy of the program.

The SC & Password (specified by the software developer) is converted, encrypted, calculated, etc. using a rather complex algorithm, and the result is the RK. All this is done with the Key Generator. This RK is then sent to the user, who types it into his registration window. Then ActiveLock, will generate a similar RK, using the same algoritm, and compare that with the one entered. If they match, ActiveLock sets the RegisteredUser property to True, and saves it in the registry. BTW, all values saved to the registry are encrypted. If they don't match, ActiveLock will leave RegisteredUser False.

I cannot tell you how the RK is generated, 'cos then ActiveLock would be useless, and besides, I don't know how. :)

A simple (too simple) example of RK generation, would be to take the user's name, one character at a time, convert it to ascii, and then to Hex, and then putting it into a string backwards.
example:

' Very simple Registration Key generation
Dim intCount as integer
Dim strChar as string
Dim strRegKey as string

' Clear strRegKey
strRegKey = ""
' Loop through username to get each char
For intCount = 1 to Len(txtUsername)
' Get each char
strChar = Mid(txtUsername, intCount, 1)
' Convert char to ascii
strChar = Str(Asc(strChar))
' Convert ascii into Hex
strChar = Hex(Val(strChar))
' Add char to start of strRegKey
strRegKey = strChar & strRegKey
Next
txtRegKey = strRegKey


I'm not entirely sure what type of info you guys want. Try to be a bit more specific.

ActiveLock Web Site (http://www.insite.com.br/~nferraz/activelock/)

------------------
r0ach(tm)

[Lyla]

Hi r0ach

Thanx for the Tips. You said:

"This RK is then sent to the user, who types it into his registration window. Then ActiveLock"

Who sends this RK?
As a developer, Do I have to be a memeber of ActiveLock?

If you may, Can you be more specific/Simplified in the whole process?

Thanx again for being helpful.

Lyla

[r0ach]

Hi,

ActiveLock works like this:

When a program is run for the first time, ActiveLock generates a Software Code, prolly using the Time, and some other System-unique information. It then stores this, the current date/time, and 1 (for first execution of app) in the registry (encrypted). This Software code is used to generate the Registration Key for the program. Because the Software code uses system-unique info, it prevents someone from using the same software on a different System. The Registration Key is generated using a Key Generator, supplied with ActiveLock. So, you might think that downloading the ActiveLock package will enable you to register any program using it! Not true. The creators of ActiveLock thought about it too. When you create software using ActiveLock, you enter a password, unique to the software. Without this password, ActiveLock's Key Generator will be unable to generate the correct key.

Phew, this is a lot of info, and i'm still not done. :)

Are you planning on using ActiveLock, or putting them out of business? (With putting them out of business, i mean; Do you want to write a similar, better one?) Let me know, and I'll tell you more. BTW, all the above info is from me, and may not be entirely correct.

------------------
r0ach(tm)

[markwestcott]

You say you have more info. Could you post this on the message board please?

[Juan Carlos Rey]

First of all, ActiveLock is freeware.

From the user point of view, Active Lock works so:

When your app starts, a splash screen is shown. You can put there a logo, etc.
In that screen, there is a text box in which the software code is shown, ex. "BC304AD". (You define at design time the number of digits, I guess form 1 to 16). Off course this code is different for each user.

The user sends this code to you, the developer, via mail, e-mail, a form in your Internet page, by phone... Well, you enter this code in an exe that is submitted to you when you download ActiveLock, and you ingress a password of your own as well (so nobody else can attain the code - that password is set at design time). Now you press a button, and a unique code is generated. You now submit that code to your user, he/she enter this code in a text box in the splash screen, and the app is now "registered", enabling all the options you want. From then on, the splash screen is never shown again!

Off course this enabling code is also different for each user, as is a combination between the code generated when installing the program and your password.
Oh, My! this explanation is rather messy but I am so tired and sleepy!

Good Night to you all!


[This message has been edited by Juan Carlos Rey (edited 01-17-2000).]

[r0ach]

Yes, that's about it.
ActiveLock is free. When you download the ocx, you also get the KeyGenerator, which you use to generate the RK, using the SC supplied by each registering user. The KeyGenerator creates a key, that will be recognised by the software, as correct. Any other key will fail.