Category : Lotus and other Spreadsheets
Archive   : 123R3UNP.ZIP
Filename : 123R3UNP.TXT

UNPROTECT FOR LOTUS 123 RELEASE 3

The Lotus Release 3 install disk is copy protected until you enter your
name and your company name in a registration screen. There is NO WAY to
update this registration information even if you have the original disks.
This patch will allow you to create a working copy of the install disk
that does not contain this information.

Make the patches on the installed copy on your hard disk.

First, zap the registration info contained in the file "INSTEXT.RI":

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
C:\123R3 >debug instext.ri
-f 8c39 8c99 00
-d 8c39 8c99
28B9:8C30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......
28B9:8C40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
28B9:8C50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
28B9:8C60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
28B9:8C70 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
28B9:8C80 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
28B9:8C90 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00-00 00 ..........
-w
Writing 8B99 bytes
-q
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now the names are out of the title screen but the program won't run!

To make "123.EXE" runnable again:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
C:\123R3 >rename 123.exe 123.xxx
C:\123R3 >debug 123.xxx
-u 6580
28B9:6580 55 PUSH BP
28B9:6581 8BEC MOV BP,SP
28B9:6583 B87600 MOV AX,0076
28B9:6586 9A3C0B0000 CALL 0000:0B3C
28B9:658B 56 PUSH SI
28B9:658C 8E062409 MOV ES,[0924]
28B9:6590 26 ES:
28B9:6591 833E541000 CMP WORD PTR [1054],+00
28B9:6596 7458 JZ 65F0
28B9:6598 8E062609 MOV ES,[0926]
28B9:659C 26 ES:
28B9:659D 833E201200 CMP WORD PTR [1220],+00
-a 6580
28B9:6580 jmp 88a4
28B9:6583

-u 73ea
28B9:73EA 55 PUSH BP
28B9:73EB 8BEC MOV BP,SP
28B9:73ED 33C0 XOR AX,AX
28B9:73EF 9A2A170000 CALL 0000:172A
28B9:73F4 8E065E09 MOV ES,[095E]
28B9:73F8 26 ES:
28B9:73F9 C706FE030100 MOV WORD PTR [03FE],0001
28B9:73FF 8E066009 MOV ES,[0960]
28B9:7403 26 ES:
28B9:7404 C706120E0019 MOV WORD PTR [0E12],1900
-a 73ea
28B9:73EA jmp 7424
28B9:73EC
-w
Writing D615 bytes
-q
C:\123R3 >rename 123.xxx 123.exe
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You also have to fix "INSTALL.EXE"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
C:\123R3 >rename install.exe install.xxx
C:\123R3 >debug install.xxx
-u cb40
28B9:CB40 55 PUSH BP
28B9:CB41 8BEC MOV BP,SP
28B9:CB43 33C0 XOR AX,AX
28B9:CB45 9AFFFF0000 CALL 0000:FFFF
28B9:CB4A 8E06EC13 MOV ES,[13EC]
28B9:CB4E 26 ES:
28B9:CB4F 833EBE0A00 CMP WORD PTR [0ABE],+00
28B9:CB54 7410 JZ CB66
28B9:CB56 C45E06 LES BX,[BP+06]
28B9:CB59 26 ES:
28B9:CB5A C747023200 MOV WORD PTR [BX+02],0032
28B9:CB5F 2BC0 SUB AX,AX
-a cb40
28B9:CB40 jmp cb00
28B9:CB42
-w
Writing 1CC17 bytes
-q

C:\123R3 >rename install.xxx install.exe
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's a good idea to try running 123 and INSTALL from your hard disk at this
point. They should work the same as before except 123 will display the
opening screen without your name in it.

To make a working install floppy:
-Make a copy of the original install disk. If you use DISKCOPY you'll get
an error on the last track. Ignore the error.
-Copy the files "INSTEXT.RI", "123.EXE", and "INSTALL.EXE" from your hard
disk to your copy of the install disk.
-ERASE "123.E!E" from your copy of the install disk. (The install program
doesn't care if 123.EXE isn't compressed.)

That's it! Now you have a "clean" install floppy for Lotus Release 3. The
remaining diskettes aren't copy protected.


NOTES:

It would be better to allow entering any information whatsoever in the
registration screen rather than zapping it entirely. I decided not to
bother with this because I expect Lotus will come out with a new release
soon to fix bugs, which will require a new unprotect anyway.

Removing the key disk checking from an uninstalled original would be a
more logical approach to fixing the 123R3 protection, but my copy is a
"hand me down" from a user who switched to another spreadsheet. I had
no uninstalled original to work with.

This is the first instance of copy protection on high density disks
that I have seen. Let's hope Lotus isn't starting a bad precedent!