How to make no cd .exe?

[DABhand]

Originally Posted by peee

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 fu*cking idiot.

Why are you trying to discourage him with a bunch of fabricated bullsh*it? 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 fu*cking 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:

00401A2B	51	    PUSH ecx
00401A2C	FFD7	  CALL edi
00401A2E	85C0      TEST eax, eax
00401A30	7420	   JE 00401A52

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 sh*it.

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

[ByteMare]

Originally Posted by DABhand

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.

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.

[TippeX]

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

[ByteMare]

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