How to make no cd .exe?
 

I was wondering how can I take out the strings in an exe that look to see if you have a cd with ultra edit? Does anyone know how? Thanks.

1. an exe is a binary file, not a txt file
2. you have no idea what you're doing
3. making no-cd's isnt as simple as you seem to think
4. use the search button, every noob asks this question
and every noob ends up being disappointed once someone
tells them it isnt that easy

also the strings dont do the checking, the code does.. so i'd give up if i were you

Yeah I figured as much, but I felt I should ask. I'm reading a tut on how to do it right now and it looks pretty hard. But thanks anyways.

some useful tools for creating a fixed exe are:

Protecion scanner:
- PEiD
- Language 2000
- PE Scan

Debugger:
- Softice & Softice extensions/plugins
- OllyDebug

Disassembler:
- IDA Pro
- Win32DASM (an older DASM)

Hexeditor:
- HexWorkshop
- Ultraedit

Unpacker:
- UPX-Unpack
- serval other :P

File & Reg monitors:
- FileMon
- RegMon

Other:
- protection & api specs (for the worst case)
- a lot of time
- more than a lot of caffein
- something to eat


Have a lot of fun!

Andrea

erm these tools are for scanning the protection of applications and not pc games.
only PEiD is able to detect Safedisc / SecuROM (not encrypted)
but nothing more...

I usually crack appz ...thx for the info.


...what tools do you use? plz gimme a list :)

Greetz Andrea

A brain, paper, some nerves, pencil...

/me slaps ByteMare for the stupid answer

Now why was that a stupid answer? The pencil and paper are among the best tools you can get....dumping your notes in wordpad just before the puter dies/BSOD is just annoying. Besides, I personally find it much easier to make notes to papers instead of tracing like hell.

Unpackers are just prechewed stuff, if you wanna learn something, learn unpacking "by hand" or if you wanna do a shortcut, study src-code (if available).

´nuff said.

automatic unpacking is often faster but unpacking by hand is not a problem for me.

Now, that is a good thing;)

1) UltraEdit isn't just a plain-text editor. Google's your friend.
2) And you have no idea what you're talking about.
3) For the most part, reversing CD checks is pretty easy/straight forward. In general, it only tends to get difficult for beginners when it's protected with something like safedisc. In which case, the program is packed, has several different anti-debugger checks and loads of bogus CD checks that would just lead them in circles.
4) You're a fu­cking idiot.

Why are you trying to discourage him with a bunch of fabricated bullsh­it? For the most part, reverse engineering ISN'T difficult. It takes some time to learn the tools and some programming knowledge is helpful, but you don't need to be a fu­cking professor to reverse a cd check.

The attitude this post displays is the reason why he's asking a question "every other noob asks." How exactly is your response gonna break the cycle? You didn't give him any helpful advice, didn't point him in the right direction, didn't do anything positive, or anything in general to prevent the next "noob" from coming along and doing the same goddamned thing he did.

For someone who is as educated and intelligent as you pretend to be, you sure do have a problem with common sense, don't you?

In reply to the original poster:

Although ultraedit works as a hex editor, you'd do better to use a disassembler like W32DASM. You could, for example, disassemble the program (assuming it isn't packed) with w32dasm, open the string data reference window and find the message you get (e.g. "please insert the CD into your CD rom") and then double click it. It takes you to a bunch of code and usually right above it is some type of check that usually looks like this:

The 74 represents JE (Jump if Equal), 75 would be JNE (Jump if Not Equal) and in some cases is the only thing you'd need to change. Some CDs actually require the files on the CD, but most of them don't. You won't always be able to disassemble the program, and the string won't always be in the string data references either.

I'd suggest you read some beginner tutorials on reverse engineering. Get a copy of W32DASM and Softice (or as it's called now, "Compuware Driver Studio"). You already have a hex editor (UltraEdit) so you're good there, those 3 would be enough to get started. You should be able to find some helpful tutorials on krobar.cjb.net (If it doesn't work, google the term "The Krobar Collection") which'll get you started.

Despite what the first asshole said, reversing CD checks isn't hard. You were going about it the wrong way, is all. You can find loads of reverse engineering tutorials with any major search engine, and if you look, you'll also be able to find how to get started with cracking CD checks.

I can't remember the URL (so you'll have to google it) but there are still a few sites that have crackmes' for reversing CD checks. They're useful, especially to beginners.

P.S, I'm aware of how old this topic is. The fact is: I don't give a sh­it.

This question have been asked a million times before and yes, a search would also have pointed him to the sticky topics...oh oh...a topic about making your own cracks...links...why don't ppl realize that the button is there for a GOOD reason?? (No don't waste your time, I know the answer)

You got a 2-month-ban for breaking board rule #7 !!!

Since hes banned Ill write my piece.

UltraEdit a disassembler, thats new. Or is it also as good as your automatic sice loading, which games would hate since Sice would be permanently resident in the memory?

Also, not all CD-checks are that easy. Some call on various API's to check wether or not a cd is available, some even check for strings for a cd label also.


Infact ill go as far as to say, about 5-10% of games may use the old bad boy method, most of them being quite a bit old.


JE isnt always 74, especially for long jumps or pointer jumps.


As for common sense, you fall into the main flux of the new people who dont read the rules. Telling someone to find a copy of Sice on the net, is err not good common sense is it, and again the automatic loading either.


Yes you dont have to be a professor to remove checks, easy ones are easy, but you need good ASM knowledge for others.


Anyways just because you read a few tuts on krobar doesnt mean your great at this topic and feel the need to write as if you are.


I even wonder if you know what MOVZX is or FISTP is or even a simple LEA is.


/2 cents

A typical example is the bastard trick Novalogic used on some of their games,
killing the "simple" cd-check wasn't enough, No cd -> some buttons disabled.
Add some huge oversized files to deal with and a intro file which needed to be stripped.

fake toc wasnt it on all those delta force etc cd's, i remember those, piece of piss tho

yup, that's correct. No hazzle to get a 1:1 backup, but a little more complicated to remaster the whole thing, include all updates and a nocd on a 700mb disc....still love the fact when installing all needed files got their correct sizes...then it was, like you said, piece of piss....pretty much generic for many of their games ;)

nope he seems clueless whats he´s talking about reverse engineering.
good-bye

Weeee....biggie fonts to boost your ego...just go ahead talking "lame"...I'd vote that one for "Dumb f*ck of the year"...Now Mike Tyson can step of that throne :rolleyes:

hang on bytemare, i think mr bush should be on that throne for a long long time ;)

Why?
 

I came across this thread while searching on google. I am just starting to look around on instructions on how to "crack" game.exe files. I am very disapointed to see that all threads are the same. People getting into threads just to attack other people and avoid the original reason for the thread to exist. I don't agree with the way pee went about it but he was right. Someone like me who is willing to learn to do something for themselves, insted of relying on other peoples slow and steady work, being turned awayand discuraged. Finding good working game fixes is getting harder and harder. The older ones are disapearing and the newer ones are going to fixed image files. It took pee's post to anger everyone in here to prove him wrong to get information out. Slaming is alot easier to do than helping I guess. I am not trying to anger anyone in here and I don't want to be slammed for being a nube. I am going to take the programs listed in here and advice into account. If anyone wants to help me out please TEACH me how to make a working modified exe or tell me where a can find them other than gamecopyworld and megagames. I would rather learn to make them.

the point is that teaching is a long time consuming process, and most people only want the 'help me to make a no-cd' for only one game, meaning that once they're done they dont bother... that and most of them dont want to put the required time into learning.. where they have to learn about win32 (and now win64) api's, how the chips work (register sets... mnemonics and so on), and assume that the task is easy.. it isnt that easy, but if they are willing to put the time in then it might work... sadly most of them give up at the first hurdle and if you noticed while googling, there are lots of tutorials out there and lots of other helpful information and most people dont even bother starting there, they just want spoon fed.. had someone come along asking for help on a no-cd that they were attempting to do and showed sufficient information that they actually tried, then people would be more willing to help i think.

Yup, that pretty much says it all... (almost) everybody wants a fast crack, not a long boring reversing session...it seems to be more fun to just play than actually learn something...damnit, I started to crack games just because I could NOT play a game with the original ;)

Heads Up
 

Props to you all who are running these forums, I'm a newb to this too, I have programming XP, and have been a tech in many areas for 10 yrs, so most of this stuff makes sence, but since I haven't done this specifically theres a lot to learn. I'd have to agree (to an extent) with pee's first post, it was harsher than needed but the point I believe is that the first reply to the other newbs question through the point of view of other newbs and some readers was a blow off, definately not helpful, (it wasn't anything someone couldn't do and figure out on their own and save the time posting here) and also had some rude flavor. If your gonna have a forum here to help people with this stuff then that is going to rub a lot of ppl the wrong way... Sure a lot of ppl aren't serious, and doing this awhile probably has you assuming ppl under the most common standards you've had to deal with the majority over time, but some are, like me, and maybe the original poster, theres easy ways to find out... See ya

No one is going to give you anything on a gold platter. Its your job to find that platter and load it with what you want. Most people who RE just do it as a hobby. Its a lot of fun to beat a protection, and its sorta like solving crossword puzzles in the Sunday newspaper. There are tutorials out there that can help you crack every protection. There are tuts on Safedisc 1-3 (4 hasnt changed that much, no need to write an entire ****ing tutorial for nano-size changes) Securom 4-7, and there are even a bunch of tuts in Russian on the REing of Starforce Pcodes. On some forums, you can even find step by step instructions how to bypass Starforce antidebug, which a lot of ppl are having problems with. So there really is no need for us... All you need is google and a translator. Don't just post here after you can't be able to find the stuff I just said after 20 min. of googling. It took me about 3 hours of translating **** from Russian, French, Swedish, German... On a handful of forums, following a bunch of links provided... And I finally find what I am looking for. It might take you 10 min to find this ****, or a couple of hours like for me, but the point is, it is out there. The two tools you need are a good search engine and a translator, and a desire to learn. Thats it.

Don't expect a gold platter. Make one yourself.

Most ppl are here only to help you with minor things, like:

"Why wont my MOV EDX, B0001119 assemble in Olly?"

Not to say:

"Ok here is how you can crack starforce in less than 30 min..."

You gotta do stuff yourself. Nature gave you a brain. Use it.

"No one is going to give you anything on a gold platter" No but you could trying to point to where he might find the platter. Telling him to use the search button would have been good enough but the "so i'd give up if i were you" doesn't help much. At least "peee" try to help him.

nothing like resurrecting a ~3 year old thread is there...

the "so i'd give up if i were you" was because i've seen this before, the sheer fact that he thought that the strings did the checking showed his lack of comprehension on the whole thing, and i know the amount of work ahead of him that he would have to learn (which is where the vast majority of people give up and expect to be spoonfed)...

Nice Compilation of Tools. Great Work done ! :)

LOL I am surprised the post is still there after all that time.

yup, that's correct. No hazzle to get a 1:1 backup, but a little more complicated to remaster the whole thing, include all updates and a nocd on a 700mb disc....still love the fact when installing all needed files got their correct sizes...then it was, like you said, piece of piss....pretty much generic for many of their games
__________________

:d:d

New NOCD tutorials are needed
 

I guess Peee was like the "Che Guevara" of this forum hahahahaha.

True hurts, and the fact is that making a crack is not so easy, also sayd someone that is not right just told "give up cause is to hard" hurts too.

The google common problem is that it will search what you wrote even that is not what you want; so have to be patient and sometimes lucky (As Google says) to found what you are looking for whit the words you put on it.

Also, the scene active crackers are working pretty well so the NOCD protection make-it-your-self has become useful and the most common problem that i see is to copy the NOCD parameters from an .exe on some language to make another work on they native language.
Eg: Resident Evil 1 for PC; is so old that no ones care if the NOCD crack work or not; thats disappointing and for that reason some people (like me) come here looking for help and the one person that was helping ... Was banned hahahaha.

Helping or trying to help is very nice but abusing other forum members is not. By the way, he's not banned anymore.

@Joe Forster. Sorry for the late, but here is the Cab Viewer 14.0. Sadly, it does not work whit most recent InstallShield CAB files like on Max Payne 3 and newer releases; otherwise it did a pretty good work on games since 2010 to back.

URL removed!

Feel free to erase this post; make it here cause i did not found the PM button to answer you.

Also, if you can, it will be nice post the link on GameCopyWorld link due the one posted there was a very old version.

Thanks.

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean: is this software too old/new, is software on our site too old/new. Where were they mentioned? GameCopyWorld doesn't really have a place for such programm, some subforums here do.

(Gotta stop it here when I still more or less recognize letters...)

The software i post is old but not much. The one on FileForums is older than the one i place here; i5comp and i6comp does not work whit CAB files under InstallShield 14. E.G: Assassins Creed 2 CAB files can be modified whit the tool i post.

On GameCopyWorld/Game Tools section is posted InstallShield CAB Viewer 12; so is older; like that version, both are RIP versions of the complete suite of InstallShield package. The best thing of those RIP versions are the easiest way to take it everywhere for those that work whit InstallShield complete suite.

And finally, i guest the correct thread is this: http://fileforums.com/showthread.php?t=64946

I'm checking the download you've linked to; until then it's removed.