Legacy Apps and Copy Protection
Have you been putting off dealing with your old programs? You're not alone. When it comes to migrating old legacy applications to new hardware, it seems like there's always at least one unexpected challenge that pops up.What do you do when an important program is no longer supported? What if the company that created the software no longer exists? What about copy protection devices? Does the software even run on modern hardware?
With the right strategies, modernizing doesn't have to be a difficult process.
Document the Current System
As thoroughly as possible, document the current system's hardware and software environments. The information you gather now will often be invaluable later on in the project. It can help you resolve any issues that might surface further down the road. This is especially true if it's not possible to use both the old and new systems simultaneously.
For applications running under a DOS environment, use a system information tool like MSD to gather details about the computer's hardware and software.
Contacting Software and Hardware Vendors
Sometimes you'll get lucky: the vendor will still exist. Don't worry if you're not as lucky, though. Here are some strategies for dealing with defunct vendors.
Hire a consultant. This is, of course, a shameless bit of self-promotion. All kidding aside, there could be someone out there that already knows how to achieve what you're trying to accomplish. Some places to look include Google, Craigslist, Monster, etc. Also, try searching for a users' group for the product.
Copy Protection Mechanisms
Whenever possible, it's best to avoid bypassing the original copy protection.
By various means, it may be possible to defeat the copy protection mechanisms used by a particular program. A note of caution, however: there may be serious legal ramifications to bypassing copy protection. I am in no way advocating the infringement of someone's copyrights or intellectual property rights. Under certain circumstances, though, this may be you're only option. For example, if your system's vendor is out-of-business and your application is mission critical, then your alternatives may be very few.
The details of the methods used to bypass various copy protection techniques are outside the scope of this article. Some general methods include decompiling and modifying the program, and using software to fake out hardware keys. Before you ask, no, we don't have any special techniques for bypassing any sort of copy protection. We like to consider of ourselves as white hats.
As thoroughly as possible, document the current system's hardware and software environments. The information you gather now will often be invaluable later on in the project. It can help you resolve any issues that might surface further down the road. This is especially true if it's not possible to use both the old and new systems simultaneously.
For applications running under a DOS environment, use a system information tool like MSD to gather details about the computer's hardware and software.
Contacting Software and Hardware Vendors
Sometimes you'll get lucky: the vendor will still exist. Don't worry if you're not as lucky, though. Here are some strategies for dealing with defunct vendors.
Hire a consultant. This is, of course, a shameless bit of self-promotion. All kidding aside, there could be someone out there that already knows how to achieve what you're trying to accomplish. Some places to look include Google, Craigslist, Monster, etc. Also, try searching for a users' group for the product.
Copy Protection Mechanisms
Whenever possible, it's best to avoid bypassing the original copy protection.
By various means, it may be possible to defeat the copy protection mechanisms used by a particular program. A note of caution, however: there may be serious legal ramifications to bypassing copy protection. I am in no way advocating the infringement of someone's copyrights or intellectual property rights. Under certain circumstances, though, this may be you're only option. For example, if your system's vendor is out-of-business and your application is mission critical, then your alternatives may be very few.
The details of the methods used to bypass various copy protection techniques are outside the scope of this article. Some general methods include decompiling and modifying the program, and using software to fake out hardware keys. Before you ask, no, we don't have any special techniques for bypassing any sort of copy protection. We like to consider of ourselves as white hats.
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