
                                 PROGPROT.ARC 
                   Copyright Protection for your C Programs

This archive contains the C and MASM source for a utility to protect your
program copyright messages. It allows serialization of released software
and permits version numbers to be assigned following compilation, and just
prior to release shipment. Your copyright message, serial number, and version
number are protected by a checksum byte in the .EXE file.

The program DEMO.EXE illustrates the use of these utilities. Run DEMO.EXE
just as it is, and you will get a message that it has been tampered with.

Then, run the SETVER utility on DEMO.EXE, which serializes it and prepares
it for shipment. Use the command SETVER DEMO -S12345 -V123 <return>. Now
run DEMO again. It is now ready for shipment.

Now, use DEBUG to locate the copyright message, and modify it. Write the
modified copy back to disk and run DEMO again. It will detect the change to
your copyright and allow you to halt execution if your copyright is modified
or removed.

You must insure that the same version of SERNO.ASM is used both with SETVER
and your program, since SETVER only knows your copyright this way. You may,
however, compile SETVER using the small memory model and link in a large
model assembly of SERNO.ASM with your program. The .MAK files illustrate
the procedure for configuring the memory model.

Hal Endresen
Quid Pro Quo Software

