App License Generate - Use of Disk Serial Number??

[koala15]

Hi all,

There are a couple of threads that talk about the disk serial number (that is the number assign to the disk during formatting) and its use in a hopefully unique License key generation, but

1) How unique is that serial number?

2) Is it possible for the everyday user to change the serial number of drive C: (besides re-formating).

3) Could the serial number be changed (on the fly) by an expert user?

Thanks.

"Life is full of learning, and then there is wisdom"

 

[scisoft]

1. Unique for all reasonable purposes
2. No
3. Not sure, but I know that tere is soft forcopying disc including the number. So probably YES.

scisoft

http://www.scisoft.cz/

 

[strongm]

1) The automatically generated volume serial number t is not guaranteed to be unique but, as scisoft says, it can be considered so for most scenarios (but see my final point below)

2) Depends...if they are smart enough to download one of the numerous utilities that do this such as SysIntenal's simple, easily available VolumeID program (that's the deliberate way). Additionally they may accidentally change it not just through a reformat, but by an OS upgrade or reinstall

3) Yes

Note that, once you add tools like VolumeID to the equation, you can no longer rely on volume serial numbers being unique...

 

[koala15]

Thank you for your assistance.

I appreciate them all.

So, if I "combined" the serial number with Now() and then issued a "character switched around as well as encripted" activation key to the user on the basis that it must be used within, say 7 days, (otherwise the activation key becomes invalid) then since the user has no understanding of how the activation key was constructed (except for the fact that will expire in 7 days) that may (or would it) reduce the opportunity for s/w priracy?

Comments welcome and very much appreciated.

"Life is full of learning, and then there is wisdom"