Protecting a program from being copied

totalsolutions

I have a pencil & paper...could just write down any details from the screen.

Would Truecrypt 5 be of use here, encrypt the whole drive and would be of no use if stolen or the password lost. Any data file removed would also be encryped.
Something like:-You start the PC up, Enter pass phrase before employee starts.

I recall version 6 may be available.

TimothyEBaldwin

migwella76 wrote: »

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.

Run the virtual machine in a user account the user doesn't have access to. Arrange for them to be able to connect to it somehow, e.g. using remote desktop. Make sure they don't have excessive access within the virtual machine.

MothballsWallet

The serial number could be passed to, say, Winzip (or something similar) via a command line to recover the data.

Of course, there is another issue if the data has to be updated and then rebuilt into the archive using the password at the end of the day. This could be handled using a script, but then the password could be visible to anyone who wishes to use it - on Windows, there's a Microsoft Script Encoder, but needs version 5.5 (or later) of the Windows Script tools in order to be used.

Conor_3

migwella76 wrote: »

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.

To be fair if you're that worried about him, I'd go find someone else to do the job.

MothballsWallet

I'm with Conor on this as well: if you're this worried about whether someone you've hired (or are about to hire) can be trusted with this sensitive data, then you could always hire me!

II_D2_II

do you want it so the person, cannot take the program, or the data within the program?
because as soon as you give him access in he can take the data with a few clicks of a button,, but if you dont want him taking the program,, can you not put write protection on it?!