home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- SOFTWARE PIRATES INC.
- presents
-
- Silent Service Unprotect
-
- This file will tell you how to unprotect "Silent Service" by Micro
- Prose. To complete this unprotection you will need the following:
-
- 1. A good copy program like BACKUP.EXE or COPYIIPC.EXE.
- 2. FIXSS.COM included in the package.
-
- BACKGROUND: The copy protection scheme used by Micro Prose on Silent Service
- is very good. I have found no commercial copy program that can
- make a usable backup copy of this disk. The Silent Service master
- disk has track 10 specially made. Track 10 has 16 sector ids on it
- instead of the normal 8 or 9. Using COPYIIPC, track 10 will be
- reproduced with only 10 ids on it. When Silent Service boots up it
- verifies that all 16 sector ids exists. The sectors on track 10
- contain no usable data. Silent Service just makes sure that they
- exists. Knowing this we can go in and patch Silent Service so that
- it doesn't check track 10 at all. After patching the program we
- can go in and re-format track 10 to normal sector size. Finally,
- the makers on Silent Service, did one more little trick to prevent
- DISKCOPY from working. On track 12 side one, the sectors are in
- sequential order. This screws up DISKCOPY into thinking the disk
- drive door is open, when it is not. We must re-format the track to
- normal and put the data back. Also, just for kicks, we observed
- that there was no FAT table on this disk, but that the space where
- a FAT table would go was not used, so we put a FAT table out there.
- The will make the disk look like it really is a double-side 8
- sectors/track disk to DOS. This allows DISKCOPY to know how the
- disk is formatted. With this done, you will have a working copy of
- Silent Service that can be copied by DISKCOPY.COM.
-
- Now I realize that most of you probably won't understand most of
- what I just said up there. That's OK. We provided a small program
- FIXSS.COM that does most of the work for you.
-
- Step 1: Make a backup copy of your master Silent Service disk. Your copy
- program must be able to handle non-DOS sector sizes. Norell BACKUP or
- Central Point COPYIIPC can do this. Remember to copy both sides of
- the disk, Silent Service is double-sided. Once you have copied the
- master disk put it away. You will not be needing it again.
-
- NOTE: The backup copy just made will not function ... yet. When you are done
- with Step 2, the disk will be DISKCOPYable.
-
- Step 2: Put copy of Silent Service into drive A. Then execute the FIXSS
- program. This program will make all the patches to the game for
- you. When it has completed you will have a DISKCOPYable version of
- the game.
-
- Unprotect for TEST DRIVE game by Accolade...
- by Mary Burkoff
- Assembly Language Guru
-
- 12/25/87
-
- This unprotect works for TDCGA.EXE dated 10/26/87 4:43 pm
- This removes all copy protection from the program.
- We will use DOS DEBUG for this:
-
- from the DOS prompt:
-
- REN TDCGA.EXE SCHLONG <return>
- DEBUG SCHLONG <return>
-
- (now you're in DEBUG)
-
- -D 70D6 L5 <return>
- (you should get) 55 56 57 06 1E
- (if not, wrong version of TD, see below)
-
- -E 70D6 31 C0 C3 <return>
-
- -D 70D6 L5 <return>
- (you should get) 31 C0 C3 06 1E
-
- -W <return>
- (you should get) Writing E080 bytes
- -Q <return>
-
- (Now you're back in DOS)
- REN SCHLONG TDCGA.EXE <return>
-
- (All done)
-
- If your version is different, or you wish to patch
- TDEGA.EXE (The EGA version, which I don't have), search
- for the 5-byte string above (55 56 57 06 1E) and try
- changing it to 31 C0 C3 06 1E. This will probably work.
-
-
- Comments, Suggestions, Thanks appreciated.
-
- Mary Burkoff
- Atlanta PCUG
- 1-404-433-0062 (Data)
-