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Comment by bri3d | Hacker News Reader

I had to do this in a past job too - a vendor provided a module with a license check which wouldn't allow the binary to run on Windows Server, but the "enterprise" solution which was licensed for Windows Server was not only not only sold anymore but lost!

Ghidra didn't exist yet and I didn't care to deal with the IDA demo, so I used OllyDbg and then just manually hex-patched the binary. Simpler times :)

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You had another problem too: Windows XP x64 Edition was built on NT 5.2, the same branch as Windows Server 2003.

A few software (especially antivirus software) did a simple version check, Windows reports it's version 5.2, and the assumption was made that it must have been Windows Server 2003. Refuse to run because you have to pay more for a server edition.

I don’t know why someone would do that. VerifyVersionInfo has existed since W2K.

OllyDbg was basically the best-in-class of freeware tbqh; it's a shame the developer never really got the 64-bit version out. Other software, such as IDA, are leaps-and-bounds ahead of OllyDbg but IDA's crazy expensive. I've not yet tried Ghidra even though it's been out for a while. I hear it's great.

x64dbg is probably spiritual successor to OllyDbg: https://x64dbg.com/

Oh that's good to know. I've since moved on from the dumpster fire of Windows. Let me move the goalpost and desire this for Linux.

Ah ollyDBG! Trip down memory lane. Also brings back memories of softICE.

SofeICE was awesome! Did you studied at the +Fravia/+ORC +H.C.U. (High cracking university if I remember correctly) ?

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