Unique computer key

[Adrive]

Hello

how can we get a number/key of a computer which can never be matched with another one?

i was using something like this:

$Pc_Info = @ComputerName & @UserName & @CPUArch & @IPAddress1 & @OSType & @OSArch & @OSLang & @OSBuild & @OSVersion
$Key = StringSplit(StringUpper(StringRegExpReplace($Pc_Info, "(?i)[^a-z0-9]+", "")), "")

but it always gets changed when a new operating system is installed.

any ideas?

[JohnOne]

There has been some debate whether you can or not, probably best using hardware rather than software for this.

Try this UDF

http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=29404

[Spiff59]

Using the word "never" is where you get into trouble.

A lot of software vendors have gone the hardware-key route.

But stick in a bigger hard drive, more memory, or a faster CPU and you'll likely be calling them to reactivate.

[Richard Robertson]

The only way to match to a single computer is to have some piece of hardware that cannot be removed from the computer. Considering the number of virtual machines in use, this becomes impossible.

[BrewManNH]

Hello

how can we get a number/key of a computer which can never be matched with another one?

i was using something like this:

$Pc_Info = @ComputerName & @UserName & @CPUArch & @IPAddress1 & @OSType & @OSArch & @OSLang & @OSBuild & @OSVersion
$Key = StringSplit(StringUpper(StringRegExpReplace($Pc_Info, "(?i)[^a-z0-9]+", "")), "")

but it always gets changed when a new operating system is installed.

any ideas?

Do the computers have serial numbers in BIOS, like Dells/HPs etc.? Use the serial number and then it will only get changed if you have to replace the motherboard and you don't have the option to reset it back. Other than a hardware check there isn't anything that won't ever change by something like an OS install and even with a hardware check, it's going to change if you ever change the hardware. In the computer world, there's nothing permanent. If you keep the computer names from OS version to new OS version, then you have that as something to track, user names/IP Addresses are as changeable as your underwear.

[jchd]

@Adrive,

The problem is that your question is fundamentally ill-posed. If you expect a reasonable answer, then you first have to define "computer". That's where the problem begins.

Let's assume that a "computer" consists of a chassis, a power supply, a motherboard, a CPU, memory, HDD, DVD, display, peripherals.

Is that the same computer if I change any element in it against another compatible element?

What does the "computer" become if I decide to disassemble it and place everyone of its elements into other "computers"?

Even if you assume that you can uniquely identify every element with a unique number, which is currently essentially impossible using stock components, the answer to the above questions is the real issue.

Now if the software used to check any unique ID is available for an open machine, it will become the weakest link, so you need to protect against that threat as well which is much harder than solving the --already hard-- hardware issue.

That raises the question of tamper-resistance, to barr cheating. You quickly end up with unpractical, utterly expensive and proprietary solutions, which are likely to be broken anytime soon if it is worth it.

[spudw2k]

I'd say a fairly simple way would be to capture the Motherboard Serial, CPU ID, and perhaps and/all MAC addresses on a machine.

[Dana]

Many copy protection schemes use the MAC address of the network adapter. Sure, you could move the network card into another computer if it's not part of the motherboard, but is it really an issue? Either way, there's only going to be one network card with that MAC address out of a pool of some 281 trillion possibilities. Sometimes it uses the serial number of the first hard drive in the [extremely unlikely, these days] event that a network adapter isn't found.

[jchd]

Most network adapters offer the option to change the MAC address to whatever you want.

[seandisanti]

Most network adapters offer the option to change the MAC address to whatever you want.

and if they don't, madmacs does. i have my mac id's changed at every reboot

[JohnOne]

I have used "smac" to change mine on the occaision, its just a couple of clicks.

[seandisanti]

I have used "smac" to change mine on the occaision, its just a couple of clicks.

madmacs is a quick and free, and originally made with autoit if i remember correctly. all it really does is a quick registry edit, but it lets you reset for any or all of your mac id's also which is nice when you're running wireless, lan, etc

[spudw2k]

...i have my mac id's changed at every reboot

paranoid much? sounds like a network security admin's nightmare.

[seandisanti]

paranoid much? sounds like a network security admin's nightmare.

i've been called that before, and paranoid

[Dana]

The various means of changing the MAC address don't actually change the MAC address which is burned into the card, only what gets reported to Windows networking. I don't know if a program like a copy protection scheme which relies on hardware would be able to read the true hardware MAC... if it couldn't it would seem to be a pretty big security hole for such programs.

-Dana

[Yashied]

Look at _WinAPI_UniqueHardwareID() function from WinAPIEx.au3 library. Maybe this is exactly what you want.

[anixon]

Hello

how can we get a number/key of a computer which can never be matched with another one?

i was using something like this:

$Pc_Info = @ComputerName & @UserName & @CPUArch & @IPAddress1 & @OSType & @OSArch & @OSLang & @OSBuild & @OSVersion
$Key = StringSplit(StringUpper(StringRegExpReplace($Pc_Info, "(?i)[^a-z0-9]+", "")), "")

but it always gets changed when a new operating system is installed.

any ideas?

I use the following code to create an encryption key

;// Set Default Encryption Key [Machine Specific]
Const $WinDirID = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS NT\CURRENTVERSION\"
Global $uKeyR = RegRead($WinDirID, "InstallDate") ;//User Data Key Extracted from Windows Installation Date
;//Set to Default Key if Installation Date/Time less than 5 Digits
If StringLen($uKeyR) < 5 Then $uKeyR = 1196279887
;//Compile a Unique Encryption Key using Windows Install Date Converted to Num+Asc+Asc+Num]
Global $uKey = StringLeft($uKeyR, 1) & Chr(62 + StringLeft($uKeyR, 1) + StringMid($uKeyR, 2, 1) + StringMid($uKeyR, 3, 1)) & _
  Chr(94 + StringMid($uKeyR, 4, 1) + StringMid($uKeyR, 5, 1) + StringMid($uKeyR, 6, 1)) & StringRight($uKeyR, 1)

I then use the unique key created from the windows install date/time to decrypt a variable stored in an INI file if it does not

match the internal const variable then it fails the test which means that the Destop is not the same.

Edited August 25, 2010 by anixon

[Richard Robertson]

But it would be easy to trick it.

[spudw2k]

But it would be easy to trick it.

Agreed, a hardware serial is a better choice.

[LoWang]

That's what we use in our company

Func getpcserialnumber()
; Generated by AutoIt Scriptomatic
$wbemFlagReturnImmediately = 0x10
$wbemFlagForwardOnly = 0x20
$colItems = ""
$strComputer = "localhost"
$Output=""
$Output = $Output & "Computer: " & $strComputer  & @CRLF
$Output = $Output & "==========================================" & @CRLF
$objWMIService = ObjGet("winmgmts:\\" & $strComputer & "\root\CIMV2")
if $objWMIService=0 then
 ;lognio("ERROR: WMI corrupted on workstation, cannot get the information.")
 return -1
endif

$colItems = $objWMIService.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_BIOS", "WQL", _
                                           $wbemFlagReturnImmediately + $wbemFlagForwardOnly)
If IsObj($colItems) then
    For $objItem In $colItems
        $serialnumber = $objItem.SerialNumber
    Next
Else
    $serialnumber=-1
Endif
return $serialnumber
endfunc

Edited September 3, 2010 by LoWang