Registry Que'

[BaZZa400]

I have had a look and can not find a previous post.

Hi All
I would like to a scan of the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software Reg' key to find how many time a Data value is recorded.
I want to devise a CD protection scheme.
I want the user to email me his common User Name and his Windows User Name.
I then want to create a disk with all Passworded Zipped files.
I then want to only continue AutoRun of the CD Rom if the Uses Name is correct.
Now to stop the user from just changing the user name on another computer to the valid user name for that CD rom
I want to check if the Reg' has say three or more entries of the same registed user name.
My Reg' file has over twenty listings of my user name.

Sooooo Can I scan the Reg' key for a user name?
If not can I export the Reg' key to a text file and scan that?

Many Thanks
BaZZa400

[JimS]

Re: Registry Que'

When one of your customers buys a new computer, don't you want to be the first piece of software they load up?

-just wondering if their might not be a better way.

Will you know the name of the user?
When I've done something similar, I posted a (hidden) text file with all valid user names, on the Web, then used the Download Web File action to get the file, then parsed it for the correct username.

Bad thing about my method is that it requires the customer to be online, but this can give a way to force registration, and automate the whole thing.

Now, if I could just figure out how to get the file to transfer in ASCII format rather than binary, oh well it works.

Hope this helps

[Corey]

Re: Registry Que'

To transfer a file in ASCII simply zip it using Winzip or Winrar, and use an unzip action as needed to get at the *still ASCII* goodies inside upon download. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[JimS]

Re: Registry Que'

Oh yea! I forgot to mention the most obvious thing. You are aware that AMS has password protect available don’t you?
Indigo Rose has multiple example projects that show you how to password protect stuff in their online help files at:

http://www.autoplaystudio.com/webhelp/AMS4.htm

try searching on ‘password’ no quotes

I suppose this isn’t 100% hack proof, but I’m not able to hack through it. I would imagine that anyone smart enough to get by this, could circumnavigate your proposal also. Not to knock your idea.

Back to your suggestion, could you scan for known keys? What programs are you sure will be loaded on your customers computer? Better yet, a table of possible correct keys, then they might need say at least 3 of the correct keys.

Sounds like MS activation scheme. Do you work for Microsoft?

-Just kidding

If you figure out how to scan the registry, be sure to post it here, it just might come in handy someday. Good luck!

[JimS]

Re: Registry Que'


Yes, thanks Corey. This works great if you can zip the files before hand. It’s a bit harder I think, if you want to transfer a file that is of a bit more dynamic structure.
I have a live database on my site that I’d like my customers to be able to extract data from, by downloading the comma delimited database file, and parsing it on the local machine. AMS has all the tools to make this happen, except binary transfers screw up the formatting.

The dynamic structure of the database, or of a list of registered users, is difficult to always provide a zip version of the latest data. I suppose that it is possible with some server side script, to have the server update the zip file automatically every day, or hour, or something, but with a data file that is very large, it seems like a lot of unnecessary overhead on the server, when simple ASCII mode transfers would fix it.

Your way works perfect when I know ahead of time the contents of the text (ascii) file. I distribute program upgrades using zip files and have no problems, like you say.

I’m going to experiment with trying ftp:// rather than http:// maybe that will help.

[Corey]

Re: Registry Que'

I can only speak for PHP but it's a cinch to make a zip file dynamically using PHP, see the following article "creating zip files on the spot"

http://www.planet-source-code.com/vb...7&lngWId=8

That being said I'm not sure your method is the best possible method. For example it's easier to simply query your database from your app than to download the database as a string and query it there, but hey whatever works, as long as you're getting the results you need we're happy...

We'll be putting out a "U-do-it project" CD-ROM on using remote databases with your AMS apps at some point (PHP, MySQL) but not for several weeks minimum. It will be a great aid for users doing this sort of stuff.

Suffice to say that, using PHP, creating zip files on the spot, as with most other tasks, is as easy as pie, maybe even easier. PHP is gnarly.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[JimS]

Re: Registry Que'

Thanks Corey, that zip trick is neat. I’ve heard that PHP is all that and more. Aarg! another language to learn. I’m using a PHP script I found, as an accumulator to give my registered customers sequential user numbers, and I’m playing with a PHP Top Site script, but still just tinkering. Heck, this week I’m having enough troubles with JavaScript.

If I can query files right over the Web, without downloading them first, then I agree with you, that’s definitely the way to go. I was too dense to even try it that way. I saw the Get Web File command, and didn’t bother to look any further. I guess that’s why they pay you the big bucks.

Thanks, as soon as I get my JavaScript woes out of the way, I’ll be excited to give it a try.

[Corey]

Re: Registry Que'

It's all just more rocks in the stream. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] But just a heads up, I've learned lots of hard stuff in my day but PHP wasn't among it. PHP was soooooo easy to learn it isn't even funny. It actually makes sense unlike it's idiot cousin ASP...

Buy "Core PHP" by Leon Atkinson, give up a few weekends of social life, and WHAMMO, you're a PHPist.

If I had a dime for every person I turned onto PHP (I was a PHPer from the very beginning almost, since several years ago) who wrote me an email a month later raving about how easy it is to learn I would have enough for a new skateboard (current board is beyond HAGGARD). *Functional* PHP is easier to learn than *functional* Flash. It's also easier to learn than *functional* Photoshop. Yes it is.

So keep that in mind when you're going over your *Big List Of Things to Say Argggh About" tonight. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[BaZZa400]

Re: Registry Que'

An online txt file is not the way for me.
I have a collection of files that rely on Acrobat; Explorer; WordProcessor and or a Graphics Program to use. Now we all know that there are a million and one of each of these out there in the real world. So I don't think that I could scan for each entry.
What I have found by looking is that there are some common settings in the reg' file that could be checked. The following is for Win98se
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MS Setup(ACME) \User Info "DefName"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Nico Mak Computing\WinZip\WinIni "Name"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon "username"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Ahead\Nero - Burning Rom\Info "user"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Elaborate Bytes\CloneCD\Key "name"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Nico Mak Computing\WinZip\WinIni "Name"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Windows\CurrentVersion "RegisteredOwner"


Not knowing much about the REG file I noticed that what seams to be all of the values are repeated in the
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\ section.
So I supose that one could do a search for the data in two places to make sure that they match.

Although a scan of the REG file would be easier.

And no I don't work for Microsoft.

BaZZa400

[BaZZa400]

Re: Registry Que'

Most of the files are pass worded zips that are viewed via the AutoRun Menu. And yes a straight passworded zip can be easy to *****. That is why you put an encrypted ZIP in side of a RAR file or the other way around. The code breakers can not work through a program to get to the other. OR you use a combination like : tH1S-1S_n0t-G00d : Up Down Alph-Nurmic-Dashy things.

If I don't check the users name someway then the user can just give the CD rom to their friend. I have tried a few CD protection scheme and ccould not get them to work for me and I don't want to pay big dollars for one. I don't make that much from the CD's

[ovm]

Re: Registry Que'

Be very careful using the registry key information. Only a few key locations are identical for all the different Windows versions.