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- Some time ago, I published an INCORRECT scheme for cracking
- "TGRAF-05" by Grafpoint Corp. This note contains the CORRECT
- method for cracking TGRAF. The problem with the first method was
- that I was fooled into thinking the thing had been cracked, just
- because I got it to start. Unfortunately, TGRAF loads a symbol
- table from its protected track, and I had overlooked this. This
- causes all typed characters to be unreadable with a copy of TGRAF
- which has been "cracked" by the original (faulty) scheme.
-
- The correct scheme relies on the fact that the symbol table has
- to be placed on a hard disk when TGRAF is installed to the H.D.
- All we need to do is copy the symbol table and convince TGRAF
- that it is ALWAYS running from a hard disk.
-
-
- Here is the correct scheme:
-
- First, copy the original TGRAF diskette using a copy utility such
- as COPYWRIT or COPYIITC. Next, install TGRAF to an unused section
- of your hard disk, using the HDI program. TGRAF creates a hidden
- file called GRFPT000.SYS on the hard disk.
-
- Copy ALL of the TGRAF files to the hard disk.
-
- Rename the EXE files CONFIGx.EXE to CONFIGx.XEX, so that they can
- be loaded, modified, and re-written with DEBUG. Don't forget
- TGRAF.EXE as well!
-
- On each of the XEX files, use debug to search for the following
- strings of bytes:
-
-
- 3D 40 1F 72 03
-
- and
-
- 3B 84 00 04 B0 32 75 18
-
- This can be done with the following DEBUG commands:
-
- -S CS:0 L FFFF 3D 40 1F 72 03 (First string)
-
- -S CS:0 L FFFF 3B 84 00 B0 32 75 18 (Second string)
-
- in both cases, use debug to alter the last two bytes of these
- strings to NOP's (hex 90):
-
- 3D 40 1F 90 90
-
- and
-
- 3B 84 00 04 B0 32 90 90
-
- Now use debug's WRITE instruction to copy the modified file to
- disk.
-
- -W (write file)
-
- -Q (quit)
-
- RENAME all of the .XEX files to EXE files. Use a "file unhide"
- utility, such as UNHIDE.COM or ALTER.COM, to unhide the file
- GRFPT000.SYS. Now copy all of the files, including GRFPT000.SYS,
- to a nice, clean, formatted blank floppy.
-
- TGRAF-05 has been cleansed of nasty, embarassing copy-protection.
-
- LET THERE BE SOFTWARE!