Unprotect dBase III version 1.10   by Independent (IND)

dBase III version 1.10 - Unprotect by The Lone Victor The following instructions show you how to bypass the SoftGuard copy protection scheme used on dBase III version 1.10. This is the same scheme used for FrameWork 1.10 and for Wordstar 2000 1.00. Wordstar 2000 version 1.10 does not use a copy protection scheme, while versions 1.00 of dBase III and FrameWork used ProLock. To unprotect Prolock disks read the file PROLOCK.UNP. This scheme also reportedly works on Quickcode 1.10 QuickReport 1.00. First, using your valid, original dBase III diskette, install it on a fixed disk. Softguard hides three files in your root directory: CML0200.HCL, VDF0200.VDW, and DBASE.EXE. It also copies DBASE.COM into your chosen dBase directory. DBASE.EXE is the real dBase III program, encrypted. When you run dbase, the program DBASE.COM loads CML0200.HCL high in memory and runs it. CML decrypts itself and reads VDF0200.VDW. The VDF file contains some code and data from the fixed disk FAT at the time of installation. By comparing the information in the VDF file with the current FAT, CML can tell if the CML, VDF, and DBASE.EXE files are in the same place on the disk where they were installed. If they have moved, say from a backup & restore, then dBase will not run. Second, un-hide the three files in the root directory. You can do this with the programs ALTER.COM or FM.COM found on any BBS. Make copies of the three files, and of DBASE.COM, into some other directory. Hide the three root files again using ALTER or FM. Following the dBase instructions, UNINSTALL dBase III. You can now put away your original dBase diskette. We are done with it. Next we will make some patches to CML0200.HCL to allow us to trace through the code in DEBUG. These patches will keep it from killing our interrupt vectors. debug cml0200.hcl e 3F9 <CR> 2A.4A <CR> ; change the 2A to 4A e 49D <CR> F6.16 <CR> ; if any of these numbers don't show up e 506 <CR> E9.09 <CR> ; it's not working. e A79 <CR> 00.20 <CR> ; e AE9 <CR> 00.20 <CR> ; e 73C 97 FA FA F4 F1 7E <CR> ; this is an encrypted call to 0:300 w ; write out the new CML file q ; quit debug Now copy your four saved files back into the root directory and hide the CML0200.HCL, VDF0200.VDW, and DBASE.EXE files using ALTER or FM. We can now run DBASE.COM using DEBUG, trace just up to the point where it has decrypted DBASE.EXE, then write that file out. debug dbase.com r <CR> ; write down the value of DS for use below. a 0:300 <CR> ; we must assemble some code here pop ax cs: mov [320],ax ; save return address pop ax cs: mov [322],ax push es ; set up stack the way we need it mov ax,20 mov es,ax mov ax,0 cs: jmp far ptr [320] ; jump to our return address <CR> g 406 ; now we can trace CML t g 177 ; this stuff just traces past some g 1E9 ; encryption routines. t g 54E ; wait while reading VDF & FAT g=559 569 g=571 857 ; DBASE.EXE has been decrypted rBX <CR> ; length DBASE.EXE = 1AC00 bytes :1 ; set BX to 1 rCX <CR> :AC00 ; set CX to AC00. nDBASE ; name of file to write to w XXXX:100 ; where XXXX is the value of DS that ; you wrote down at the begining. q ; quit debug Last, unhide and delete the three root files CML0200.HCL, VDF0200.VDW, and DBASE.EXE. Delete DBASE.COM and rename DBASE to DBASE.EXE. This is the real dBase III program without any SoftGuard code or encryption. It requires only the DBASE.OVL file to run. If you have any comments on this unprotect routine or the PROLOCK.UNP routine, please leave them on the Atlanta PCUG BBS (404) 634-5731. The Lone Victor - 4/15/85