From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Oct 6 05:45:38 2005 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 22D0316A41F for ; Thu, 6 Oct 2005 05:45:38 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from lists@dylangoss.com) Received: from server20.olicentral.com (server20.olicentral.com [72.19.229.44]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B9FE843D45 for ; Thu, 6 Oct 2005 05:45:37 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from lists@dylangoss.com) Received: from [192.168.1.100] (adsl-66-51-209-160.dslextreme.com [66.51.209.160]) by server20.olicentral.com (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id j965iNki009922 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-SHA bits=128 verify=NO) for ; Wed, 5 Oct 2005 22:44:24 -0700 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v734) In-Reply-To: <200510052204.36883.kirk@strauser.com> References: <20051005184437.GA36369@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org> <200510052204.36883.kirk@strauser.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Message-Id: <7D9C6C6A-6C3F-4A62-95BA-AB0FA1DB7C90@dylangoss.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: "D. Goss" Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2005 22:45:28 -0700 To: FreeBSD questions X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.734) Subject: Re: Hidden spot on hard drives? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2005 05:45:38 -0000 I wanted to say what Kirk has said well. As a customer, if a company is going to overbearingly copy-protect software i'll look for an alternative. I understand a license number and maybe a key generator, even a dial-in check to some home server. Dongles stink but I have used software with them. This all works somewhat well and is proven. You can always get around anything and I certainly would think more than twice about any software that started messing with my hard drive(s) at a very low level like this. Bad bad bad. d. On Oct 5, 2005, at 8:04 PM, Kirk Strauser wrote: > On Wednesday 05 October 2005 01:44 pm, Jonathon McKitrick wrote: > >> the company where I work (with Windows) is evaluating a copy >> protection >> product that stores info somewhere on the HDD where the [1] user >> cannot >> touch it, [2] a format will not erase it, [3] and Norton Ghost >> will not find >> it. >> > > 1) No such animal. > 2) Ah - the bootblock, as others have mentioned. > 3) Of course, that doesn't say anything about Ghost v$(current + 1). > > To be blunt, your vendor is lying to you. At best, they can make > copying less > convenient than otherwise, but can't stop a dedicated cracker. > Why, then, > would you want to make life more difficult for your paying > customers while > barely slowing those capable of doing you the most harm? > > One thing I learned while growing up through the C=64 and Amiga > days is that > copy protection never, ever, EVER works. Ever. Under no > circumstances. It > only makes your legitimate users (deservedly) hate you. Are you > sure that's > what your company really wants? > -- > Kirk Strauser >