Protecting a program from being copied

migwella76

Hi,

I have a pc of software that I will be installing on a pc.

I want to protect the software so that the person does not copy it and give it to someone else. The reason for this is that involves customer data.

I have thought about hiding the location of the file and creating a shortcut. Trouble is the shortcut shows the path of the file ... grrrr. Can I disable that?

Or is there an alternative?

Thanks
Mike

Conor_3

Depends on how technically competent the person using the PC is. You could mark the program file as hidden then create a shortcut to a batch file that runs the program file. The program file wouldn't show up in Explorer unless he knows how to show hidden files.

migwella76

Thanks fothe reply Conor

He is fairly competent and I wouldn't put it past him.

Is there any other way of masking it? I would be ok if he wasn't able to right click on the shortcut and see the file location. Is there a way of stopping him from right clicking the shortcut or masking the address bar?

Thanks
Mig

migwella76

Or could I hide them in a folder. Hide the folder. Then password the folder? Would this stop him from usng the application as the application would need the password to run?

Could I change the access to read only for him and full administration for him? We are using Vista Business and Vista Premium

Marty_J

If there is someone who you don't trust not to snoop around in you computer, why are you giving them access to it in the first place?

migwella76

How do I do that Loaner? Would that also stop them from copying the file.

Marty - It's more me not putting too much trust in this character ... but it's best to be safe than sorry. Given that he will be dealing with my client data, which any employee could copy and steal my customers by under cutting them.

migwella76

Thanks again Loaner

I don't know much about coding and encryption.

What do you mean by key from the disk ID?

Mig

migwella76

Loaner, once again, thanks for your reply.

The user would be using a Microsoft Virtual PC on my pc. So I wanted him to access the VM to update customer details and account status.

Could I encrypt that VM software or the folder it sits in? I only want him to use it and not copy it.

migwella76

I want to stop them from copying the whole machine.

I was hoping to hide the machine and hard drive in a folder. The shortcut would click through to the vm and the user would be bale to use, but unable to copy it.

migwella76

Just been having a play with this software

http://www.bluelakestechnology.com/index.html

Think it has solved the problem perfectly.

migwella76

By the time any action was taken with an agreement, my customers would be gone. It's a vulnerable industry that I am in. Not highly skilled and cheap to set up.

Also if something is secure from the outset then it is safe ... but I would also get him to sign one as that would also deter him.

So I could set it up so that they didn't have admin rights, and that would stop them from copying on to another machine? How do I do that?