unlocking trial version of old piece of software

[Fletchers Left Boot]

Here's one for you.

Have found a very old piece of software on the net to perform a particular task on a particular software package. Can't find anything similar or more up to date.

Unfortunately the utility had a time trial on it which has expired. The software author cannot support it anymore or do the necessary to unlock it.

I think it was written in visual basic. Putting the clock back generates an error so that is not an option. Have tried looking for a registry key and uninstalling/reinstalling to no avail.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[ZH875]

What is it called?

[Fletchers Left Boot]

"WLCap"

It's pretty obscure. Will never find a crack for it online so need to defeat the trial lock somehow. It's knowing where to find the file or registry key to do it. I've had a look without success.

[ZH875]

What does it do?

is it anything to do with
"WLcap - Weatherlink screen capture utility"

[Fletchers Left Boot]

Thats the one!

[ZH875]

Have a look here (http://www.prodata.nildram.co.uk/oldapps.htm) is this any use?

[Fletchers Left Boot]

Thats where I got it from. I installed it, found it highly useful but the trial has run out and I can't use it now.

[mad_jock]

[email protected].

have you tried emailing them?


The only other thing i can suggest is taking a before and after snap shot of a new machine when you install it and try and work out whats it doing.

[Fletchers Left Boot]

Mad jock - yes I did - see the first post.

What's the best way of doing a 'before and after' snapshot? I could play with it in a virtual machine I guess....

[mad_jock]

I don't know whats out there these days. When I did this sort of thing I always had Novell network to play with. As part of the distributed software setup we created the packages with this facility.

We had a machine with a couple of hard drives and a clean OS on one of them we would just reset the boot OS and take a snapshot install the software and take another and the Novell would create a package which we would then edit to remove all the DHCP leases and othere such system changes.

After a very brief search.

ZSoft Software: Software Details: ZSoft Uninstaller 2.4.1 (http://www.zsoft.dk/index/software_details/4)

Software Installation Monitor (http://www.ghacks.net/2009/03/01/software-installation-monitor/)

They seem to be doing the same thing.

[Saab Dastard]

WinInstall was a package I used a lot.

The same principle is used by most package deployment tools.

SD

[rugmuncher]

Try downloading it from the link again, but this time save it to a flash drive.

Delete the original and clear off using crap cleaner,

then plug in your flash drive and use from there.

Should be a fix.

[Fletchers Left Boot]

Mad Jock, thanks for those links.

Did try copying the files in the Program Files to a flash drive, uninstalling it and then running from the flash drive - didn't work as it wouldnt run at all.

Have tried the Zsoft uninstaller... didnt work, though it did identify that it was installed on a date in November despite being uninstalled and reinstalled since.. so the source of that information is my problem, I suspect.

I have also used Software Install Monitor and installed in a clean windows installation - a couple of hours spent comparing the two pairs of snapshots (registry and files) has not revealed the file or key responsible. It did change the software.log and other files in the Windows directory in C:/, so wonder if that is where the info regarding the original installation date is stored....

[frostbite]

Going way back, there was a utility that you could 'attach' to any specified program and it ran when you started the program.

It would alter the system date to whenever you specified, until you closed the program you were fooling.

Whether it's still around, or would work with your program............

[Fletchers Left Boot]

Not an option. Did try something like that, but the software was having none of it!