Chapter 5 - Serial Number Schemes 



Serial Number Protection Schemes are the same as Password Protection Schemes in most cases. Both are checked with memory using a compare instruction, but they do have differences. For example, certain serial number schemes are actually mathematical answers where the application will perform some complex arithmetic equation using such information as your name or company name, if the equations solution matches the serial number you type in the program will continue on like normal.

Some serial number schemes are easy and do not use any arithmetic all, some check to see if you enter a prime number, etc. There are many ways. Probably the most common is; the company making the software will add a resource to the application housing the serial number. When the package first loads, it will ask you for your serial number then will do a compare with the value entered and the value stored in the serial number resource.