PCB design program Boardmaker 2 - dongle required

As far as I remember the dongles are serial numbered and so is the program. I don't believe you can use a dongle with a different serial number. I know when I bought a second dongle it had to have the same number as the first.

Try one of the hacking apps out there the kids use to hack game executables. Hell, look for a hacked version of it. If you own the legit version, finding a "key eliminator" executable (or making one yourself) should not be considered an infringement of your license agreement,considering they will not support it.

It might be expected that someone who purports to have the professional expertise as claimed at the bottom of your post should have no difficulty in evaluating the dongle in order to repair it; or to detect all references to it within the software, and to remove those references?

Unfortunately, the nature of your appeal is not a good advertisement for your services.

I guess one could make the same judgements of your top posting. I might also guess that you are relatively young. Those of us with a few more years experience realise that there are many fields of expertise and there are very very few who are expert in more than one of them. There are some of use that get older but dont work this out for themselves, perhaps you are one of them. I was going to take the piss out of your mothers inability to spell your name, but I will leave that task to others.

Hi

I went thru the same problem with Tsien. Then it was a VERY RUDE women on the phone handling my situation. Or not handelling it as it turned out. I did inform her that the dongle was for there protection and not mine. So I should not be responsible.

I had bought BM1 and updated later to MB2 which if I remember was Circa £250 at the time I bought it maybe 1995 or so. That was a lot of money to me. I went back to BM1 as my boards were single sided anyway and as you know it did not require a dongle.

The dongle went west about 18 months after purchased BM2 they wanted £50 for a replacement. I suppose you found the same.

I would not deal with TSIEN again, you may feel the same ?

Maybe you should email me OK.

de Johnny G3LIV

In article , Alun writes

So, you'd be quite happy to have a brain surgeon undertake your heart transplant, would you?

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIET. ( snipped-for-privacy@minda.co.uk)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPMAN ASSOCIATES is a Consultancy offering practical expertise and design skills in the fields of counter-surveillance, electronic protection and security. Visit our Web site at

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As the kids say: BURN!

Yeah, it's exactly the same. You make one mistake in your program, and your computer dies...

Some people prefer to make money instead of tinkering with tools.

I think it is not very difficult to remove the references to the dongle by using a debugger.

Anyway, the whole situation wouldn't exist if people stopped buying software that requires dongles. First question I ask to a software vendor: is there a hacked version available which doesn't require endless fiddling with dongles? If the answer is 'no' the sound of the door opening and closing will follow shortly.

I make it a personal policy and recommend to all: if the software you think you want demands the use of a dongle, tell the seller *NO* in ten foot words; tell them GET RID OF THAT POS". There was a time in the DOS era, that there were a number of useful programs that required dongles, and some companies wer stupid enough to attempt to use a number of them. It was literal chaos in trying to find a sequence (BECAD, ACDBE, ???) that might work. Some of those programs were hacked to eliminate the damn dongle. Your choices: get the program hacked and toss that damn POS, or, use a different program.

David Chapman wrote

I had the same problem with other CAD software, years ago ;)

Your best bet is to find a keen software hacker, with assembly language skills, and offer him a couple of hundred quid or whatever.

Another option is to post a request on some Russian site. The Russians are the best low level programmers around today. I got a piece of extremely expensive dongled CAD software cracked by one of these (when the dongle broke and the company washed its hands of it), in the

Most cracks are actually really simple.

Many thanks to all those who have taken the time to reply to my posting. Your interest and constructive suggestions are much appreciated.

ATB - Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIET. ( snipped-for-privacy@minda.co.uk)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPMAN ASSOCIATES is a Consultancy offering practical expertise and design skills in the fields of counter-surveillance, electronic protection and security. Visit our Web site at

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Typical. They's 'ad yer money now then say f*ck you. Ultraboard is good fer design and is proteus (i think). o' course you'se'll ave to try em.

Why don't you get a free good modern program. I use ExpressPCB and ExpressSCH and they are brilliant.

Get a copy of EASYPC

EASYPC reads BM2 files directly so no problem using your old BM2 files. (I believe that TSEIN was started by ex EASYPC personnel. There is obvious similarities as in the DOS days EASYPC could always read BM files and BM could read EASYPC files.) I always mpreferred BM in them ther days but time passes and products progress.

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I think that Number One Systems Easy-PC can import Boardmaker designs. Easy-PC was originally developed by the chap who wrote Boardmaker, but there was a falling out and he left the company.

Leon

Yes it can import Boardmaker2 (layout) files but not Boardcapture (schematic) files.