Purchase Q2008 Premier on Ebay

bjn wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

That may be known to some, but I would guess that it is some sort of trade secret. There has to be a way to give each CD a "serial number".

I believe you are correct. The holograms are a recent thing. I only have my original CDs as far back as 2006 so I can't check back any further.

Scott

I've always wondered if they embedded something unique in each CD. From looking at my Q08Prmr media there is a file that seems like a candidate for such unique codes. The file is, Custom\AU_AD_Q\config\pricode.ini There are numerous priority codes and many references to "unclock". It seems reasonable to me. I'd post my pricode.ini file to see if it matches everyone else's, but in the chance it doesn't, that might be a big mistake to have on this public forum.

Scott

If there is a unique code on each CD it is in the files and not some special trick on the CD. The DVD ROM drive on my computer burned out a long time ago. Long story but in my house Quicken is on my computer, and my wife's stuff is on hers. Just the best way for us. To get it to install on my computer I need to use her computer because her DVD ROM drives work. Because I can't get file sharing to work properly because of a Symantec product I have installed on both machines I have resorted to dumping the CD to an ISO image, moving the file by hand to my computer, and using Daemon Tools to mount the image. It installs fine. I do this with Turbo Tax as well. So if there is a unique code, it's in the files because this process works for me. I'm sure I am violating some arbitrary set of rules somewhere, but I paid for it and don't feel like buying another DVD ROM drive when I have a solution that works for me.

Scott

"Scott Lindner" wrote in news:Q7SdnRdCFvGQ4obanZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Well, then there the "serial number" is in one of the files. Q2008 can be installed on 3 computers (I believe the same household, but how would you check that?). So I don't think you violated any rules. You made a backup CD, as an ISO image. That's all allowed, I think.

You are partially correct. The terms that were flashed across my screen when I installed my 2008 did say that I could install the program on 3 computers in a household. Yes, there is no way of checking the number of installs. I

As for making a copy, the terms say that the CD you received is your backup copy. I took that to mean that it was not legal to make a copy of the software for my own backup purposes.

For a single user here is the agreement: (i) Single User License. You may install and use a copy of the Software on up to three (3) computers used by a single household. If you purchased a valid license for the Software and received an Authentic Intuit CDROM, such CDROM is your backup copy of the Software. If you purchased a valid license and received the Software pre-installed on a new computer or through an electronic download, you may make one backup copy of the Software, but only for the purpose of reinstalling the Software, if needed, on the computer(s) referenced in (a) above.

"Laura" wrote in news:k7OSi.251719$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

Thanks for the quote. It is unclear to me whether this means I can use the software for my "household" only, or also for bookkeeping of organizations that entrusted me with their bookkeeping, if such they are obviously not part of my household. What if someone else wants me to keep track of their finances?

It also seems silly that Intuit should be able to force me to buy a new CD/DVD drive, just so that I can read their only CD. It seems just logical to have an extra copy of the software in a safe place so that in case of catastrophy I can regenerate the program and data. (I /should/ keep backups in a different locale than just my house.) The wording of that license seems to force me to buy an extra copy of the software. Is that enforcable?

Those files originated on the CD. :)

Agreed. What I was intending to draw attention to is that some protection mechanism take advantage of ways of storing or garbling data that will not show up as a regular file. I haven't tested it, but would it work to have put the CD into the drive on my wife's computer, copy the files to a thumb drive, and install? For some programs this will not work because there is information that is not in the files. Make sense?

Scott

I don't claim any knowledge of the underlying process. My only reason for replying was that someone here suggested it would be difficult (impossible?) to include a unique identifer with each CD manufactured. I think it would be trivial to do so.

What is then required of the user with respect to that unique identifier is up to the manufacturer.

I already knew that Intuit was not trying to prevent users from having Quicken installed on more than one of their pc's ... and I guess that was as far as I was thinking.

In the case of Quicken, it appears that Intuit was not trying to make it impossible to have Quicken installed on multiple pc's ... without having the physical CD present on each pc.

But I'm just guessing.

It does say 3 computers used by a single household. I don't Intuit cares how many people's finances you are tracking. Its the number of illegal copies and installs they are trying to limit by their EULA.

I gotcha. That would require a significant manufacturing change, but they may have made it. I've long wondered when they would allow for the same low cost "pressing" of CD/DVDs but allowing for the tailoring of even small portions of the content. The last time I dug into how they mass produce CDs/DVDs with the same content, they truly were identical. It isn't too much different than taking a metal die that has the little 1s and 0s on it and stamping the aluminum foil repeatedly.

Agreed, I had no problem doing it. I wasn't even trying to circumvent any protection. I buy the boxed media every year and pay a premium because until reading this thread I always bought from stores like CompUSA. Next year I'm buying from eBay! It was just the situation I'm in the facilitated a greater discussion on Intuit media authenticity. It would be very easy to make a forged CD that would work. That being said, it may not work for very long or many users during the registration step if they are truly "authenticating" based on some number of installs for that unique CD.

Scott

Not really.

Please explain the process, since you have already figured it out and determined that it is trivial to do.

bjn wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Are you serious? Obviously Intuit can do it. Don't let your theories confound the facts . "Us scientists" decide that in such a case one needs to adjust the theory to account for the facts, and write another grant application.

Obviously there is a method to assign a unique value to some place in a file on the CD or download that can act as a serial number. It's upto the engineers to figure out a way how to accomplish that. Unique randowm numbers can be generated fairly easily. Just Google for it.

How have you determined that Intuit can do it? So far all I have seen is unsubstantiated speculation. Please, if it is so obvious, do tell how it is done.

There are companies that specialize in copy protection. That is where they place there efforts. Intuit specializes in financial software. If they wanted to use copy protection, as they have in the past, they license that technology. They don't develop it in house.

Since the disks are stamped, not individually recorded, there is no easy way to encode a unique number or file on each disk. The cost of recording each disk individually would be prohibitively expensive.

If it could be done cost effectively, the game producers would be doing it. They are much more prone to having their product copied and distributed than Intuit. Instead, they provide a lengthy number printed on the sleeve that has to be typed in. The number is unique, and self checking for validity. The only limitation then is that the number can be checked when going online, and duplicates can be disallowed.

Jim,

You're absolutely correct on all of this. It's shocking but mass produced CDs are literaly die stamped aluminum foil. Making those dies are expensive. Making the CDs is cheap.

I also like your BS check using the gaming industry. You're dead on there as well. If it were possible within a reasonable cost, they would have been doing it long ago.

Scott