Re: MSDOS 5 feature? (How to disable...

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#2970

From: Brad Willcott
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1991 15:09

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gasior@khazad-dum.rutgers.edu (Eric Gasior) writes:

>I'm upgrading to MSDOS 5.0 from PCDOS 3.30 and have (so far) discovered one
>feature I'd like to disable, the volume serial number on floppy and hard disks.

>Any suggestions?

Yes.  Get used to it.  It has been integral in MS-DOS since 4.xx, and I don't
think MS will be taking it out.  It is a rather nice 'feature' for software
developer's, for runtime protection of their programs.  Notice I did not say
copy-protection, because I'd NEVER install an application that used any of the
'tricks' that I've seen used.

As far as runtime protection is concerned, an installation program could 
modify the 'exe' of the application it was installing, to embed the volume
serial number into it.  This would negate problems with backing up the hard
disk system, and also with defragmenting the protected files.  They would 
not be 'position' sensitive.

-- 
Brad Willcott,                          ACSnet:     bxw@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz
Computing Services,                     Internet:   bxw@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au
Australian Defence Force Academy,       UUCP:!uunet!munnari.oz.au!ccadfa.oz!bxw
Northcott Dr. Campbell ACT Australia 2600  +61 6 268 8584  +61 6 268 8150 (Fax)

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References: <Jun.17.11.48.11.1991.497@khazad-dum.rutgers.edu>

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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!manuel!ccadfa!bxw
From: bxw@ccadfa.adfa.oz.au (Brad Willcott)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps
Subject: Re: MSDOS 5 feature? (How to disable...
Message-ID: <2442@ccadfa.adfa.oz.au>
Date: 18 Jun 91 15:09:26 GMT
References: <Jun.17.11.48.11.1991.497@khazad-dum.rutgers.edu>
Organization: Computer Centre, University College, UNSW, ADFA, Canberra, Australia
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