Την Sat, 07 Jan 2006 04:12:01 -0500,ο(η) Ralf Rekondt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> έγραψε:
Hi Ralf; > A lot of mdv programs are protected via the "Software produktion kit" > (SPK) > from sinclair, checking the "magic number" from an mdv. > > The SPK (written by Tony Tebby) uses a keyword "PROT" to format an mdv > with > the magic number of the original mdv during the copying process. > > It is interesting to know, that this protection mechanismus also worked > on > floppies, even noone had used it (as far as I know). I have successfully > transferred a few SPK protected mdv to flp, so that they read the magic > number from flp instead from mdv. This works under QL with an SQB > connected. > If it does work on SMSQ/E, I don't know. > > Unfortunately, a lot of software (usually non "sinclair-branded" ones) on > mdv uses very different protection mechanisms. "The Pawn" (Magnetic > Scrolls) > linked an own OS into the QL an switches QDOS off, "Tankbusters" and most > "Talent" games had very hard mechanisms. I know (from one author), that > Talent has given their mechanism to the authors to put it into the code. The Pawn's system is less than an OS and more a virtualisation of a imaginary 68K machine with fewer instructions than the actual thing (which is pretty cool as only the "runtime" had to be written and the program ran everywhere (from QL to Amiga, to Atari, to PC!) > > As far as I know, there should be no program, which wasn't "freed" during > the time 8^). > There were many that were hacked ;-) however a lot of them are lost. I used to have in Greece (where this was ermmm... common practice) a ton of games that were previously copy-protected. I bought most of them over the years in legit form, but now that they no longer work, I wish I had kept the hacked versions so I could enjoy them still :-) > Beside the both mentioned programs, there was also "QLone+" from > Ultrasoft, > which was also able to copy mdv programs, which read the "magic number" > in > formatting a new cartridge with the same number. 4Matter/Locksmith, went two steps further than that. I did reproduce the (purposefully left) bad sectors left on a microdrive to make exact copies as well as descrambled references to flp/mdv and other devices. > Ffibys _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
