protect from being pirated

Billm · Mar 24th, 2002, 03:51 PM

I'm a novice to VB but I hope you can help me. I have written an Excel spreadsheet which I want to distribute to people .. but I want to restrict it from being copied or sent to 3rd parties. Is there a way of coding something in VB that can stop this ?

I was thinking along the lines maybe of extracting some info from the registered users windows registry and incorporating this into their copy of the spreadsheet .. or password .. thus if that copy is run on another computer .. then it wouldnt load the spreadsheet.

Any ideas .. or are there plug-ins that can do this sort of stuff.

Thanks
Bill

Anne Troy · Mar 24th, 2002, 05:32 PM

Bill, always try search first, please. Thanks!

http://www.mrexcel.com/board/viewtop...ic=358&forum=2

Billm · Mar 24th, 2002, 05:52 PM

thanks .. it looks like I can password protect the VBA code from that link .. but what I was really looking for .. is a way to stop the spreadsheet from running if it has been illegally copied and is being attempted to run on another computer.

dantb · Mar 24th, 2002, 06:09 PM

I asked that question before myself. I was told that you could take some of the imformation that opperates your worksheet out and put it into a ( .dll ) file. But since I know nothing about programing dll's, Im back at square 1. Maby you could find a programer that could do this for you.

greg0226 · Mar 24th, 2002, 11:22 PM

After I set the password and come back into VBA, I can still see the VB code and can still edit it. Is there something else i need to do to protect it? any help would be great. Thanks.

Greg

Dave Hawley · Mar 24th, 2002, 11:26 PM

You need to Save, close then re-open the Workbook for VBE protection to take effect.

greg0226 · Mar 24th, 2002, 11:29 PM

thanks

Tom Schreiner · Mar 25th, 2002, 01:55 AM

Hi
Use a dll.
xlVeryHidden all of your sheets.
Lock your project.
Call the dll to make your sheets visible.
This will stop most people.
They can copy your workbook but cannot see it.
Can cutomize dll for each registered license.
Will need VB, C++, ect to compile dll.
Tom

[ This Message was edited by: TsTom on 2002-03-25 00:57 ]

Jack in the UK · Mar 25th, 2002, 04:29 PM

Hi

These posts are fine guys but help very little i have posted this question mant times and have done so for myself and others, but not one person has a usable answer, writting dll files in c++ or VB and needing that to even edit them is a bit far from usable to all bar a very few of us... the original poster dont care about protection, so dreamboats link hardly helps or answers the question. dave asvises hopw to opperate protection to kake effect and then we hear of writting dll files.

Come n guys does anyone really know and does anyone have an example..

I hjava question Dll are not all complied so why can we text edit them and save as dll??? will this not work as a reference, so the code need to be hidden agreed and call the file Jack.dll and that will check sub UK() equils Jack.dll in compleat form, not edits else fails... i beleive this is the idea, so the guy can have files that will not run on another PC....

Well thats my take and what i get asked many times, like Java appel;et protection to programmers credits if your java script boys you understand..

Tom Schreiner · Mar 25th, 2002, 05:51 PM

Small dll file for Jack to edit for me:

MZd ÿÿ ¸ @ € º ´ Í!¸LÍ!This program requires Microsoft Windows.
$ NE<È ƒ @ P h · » c œ Pœ * L q
L € 4 0€ RSRC16 WEP MYGETFREESYSTEMRESOURCES16
DLLENTRYPOINT THK_THUNKDATA16 KERNELUSERÿÍ? Í?t Í?^ Í?X Resource Meter thunks ^ XZhu h h h RPêÿÿ thk_ThunkData32 ÿÿ U‹ìƒ~
tjÿšÿÿ ¸ ÉÊ
¸ Ê ¸ÿÿU‹ìŽØÿvšÿÿ ÉÊ ¸_ U‹ìŽØh@ h4 ÿvfÿvš ÿÿ= À@ÉÊ
‹L k : ² LS01¯ ÿÿ ÿÿ rsrc32.DLL rsrc16.DLL à4 VS_VERSION_INFO ½ïþ
Î
Î ? r StringFileInfo ^ 040904E4 & CompanyName Microsoft Corporation 1 FileDescription Resource Meter 16-bit thunks
FileVersion 4.10.1998 InternalName RSRC16 < ( LegalCopyright Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1994-1998 # OriginalFilename RSRC16.DLL 9 ) ProductName Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Operating System
ProductVersion 4.10.1998 $ VarFileInfo Translation ä

Oops!

Hee Hee

Mar 24th, 2002, 05:32 PM	#2
Anne Troy MrExcel MVP Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 2,511	Bill, always try search first, please. Thanks! http://www.mrexcel.com/board/viewtop...ic=358&forum=2 __________________ ~Anne Troy

Mar 25th, 2002, 04:29 PM	#9
Jack in the UK Board Regular Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,065	Hi These posts are fine guys but help very little i have posted this question mant times and have done so for myself and others, but not one person has a usable answer, writting dll files in c++ or VB and needing that to even edit them is a bit far from usable to all bar a very few of us... the original poster dont care about protection, so dreamboats link hardly helps or answers the question. dave asvises hopw to opperate protection to kake effect and then we hear of writting dll files. Come n guys does anyone really know and does anyone have an example.. I hjava question Dll are not all complied so why can we text edit them and save as dll??? will this not work as a reference, so the code need to be hidden agreed and call the file Jack.dll and that will check sub UK() equils Jack.dll in compleat form, not edits else fails... i beleive this is the idea, so the guy can have files that will not run on another PC.... Well thats my take and what i get asked many times, like Java appel;et protection to programmers credits if your java script boys you understand.. __________________ Free Excel based Web Toolbar available here. Jack in the UK J & R Excel Solutions "making Excel work for you"

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Mar 24th, 2002, 03:51 PM	#1
Billm Board Regular Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 83	I'm a novice to VB but I hope you can help me. I have written an Excel spreadsheet which I want to distribute to people .. but I want to restrict it from being copied or sent to 3rd parties. Is there a way of coding something in VB that can stop this ? I was thinking along the lines maybe of extracting some info from the registered users windows registry and incorporating this into their copy of the spreadsheet .. or password .. thus if that copy is run on another computer .. then it wouldnt load the spreadsheet. Any ideas .. or are there plug-ins that can do this sort of stuff. Thanks Bill

Mar 24th, 2002, 05:52 PM	#3
Billm Board Regular Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 83	thanks .. it looks like I can password protect the VBA code from that link .. but what I was really looking for .. is a way to stop the spreadsheet from running if it has been illegally copied and is being attempted to run on another computer.

Mar 24th, 2002, 06:09 PM	#4
dantb Board Regular Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Arkansas Posts: 358	I asked that question before myself. I was told that you could take some of the imformation that opperates your worksheet out and put it into a ( .dll ) file. But since I know nothing about programing dll's, Im back at square 1. Maby you could find a programer that could do this for you.

Mar 24th, 2002, 11:22 PM	#5
greg0226 New Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Benicia, CA Posts: 31	After I set the password and come back into VBA, I can still see the VB code and can still edit it. Is there something else i need to do to protect it? any help would be great. Thanks. Greg

Mar 24th, 2002, 11:26 PM	#6
Dave Hawley Banned Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,582	You need to Save, close then re-open the Workbook for VBE protection to take effect.

Mar 24th, 2002, 11:29 PM	#7
greg0226 New Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Benicia, CA Posts: 31	thanks

Mar 25th, 2002, 01:55 AM	#8
Tom Schreiner Board Regular Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,824	Hi Use a dll. xlVeryHidden all of your sheets. Lock your project. Call the dll to make your sheets visible. This will stop most people. They can copy your workbook but cannot see it. Can cutomize dll for each registered license. Will need VB, C++, ect to compile dll. Tom [ This Message was edited by: TsTom on 2002-03-25 00:57 ]

Mar 25th, 2002, 05:51 PM	#10
Tom Schreiner Board Regular Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,824	Small dll file for Jack to edit for me: MZd ÿÿ ¸ @ € º ´ Í!¸LÍ!This program requires Microsoft Windows. $ NE<È ƒ @ P h · » c œ Pœ * L q L € 4 0€ RSRC16 WEP MYGETFREESYSTEMRESOURCES16 DLLENTRYPOINT THK_THUNKDATA16 KERNELUSERÿÍ? Í?t Í?^ Í?X Resource Meter thunks ^ XZhu h h h RPêÿÿ thk_ThunkData32 ÿÿ U‹ìƒ~ tjÿšÿÿ ¸ ÉÊ ¸ Ê ¸ÿÿU‹ìŽØÿvšÿÿ ÉÊ ¸_ U‹ìŽØh@ h4 ÿvfÿvš ÿÿ= À@ÉÊ ‹L k : ² LS01¯ ÿÿ ÿÿ rsrc32.DLL rsrc16.DLL à4 VS_VERSION_INFO ½ïþ Î Î ? r StringFileInfo ^ 040904E4 & CompanyName Microsoft Corporation 1 FileDescription Resource Meter 16-bit thunks FileVersion 4.10.1998 InternalName RSRC16 < ( LegalCopyright Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1994-1998 # OriginalFilename RSRC16.DLL 9 ) ProductName Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Operating System ProductVersion 4.10.1998 $ VarFileInfo Translation ä Oops! Hee Hee