Scheme to protect unauth copying of Access Distributed setup files

[VegasUser]

I am planning on marketing an application via a paid download from my website. I have packaged my Access 2010 database and all is working great. I have coded protection for unauthorized distribution and use once someone has installed, but am trying to figure out a scheme to prevent somebody from distributing the original setup files.

My thought is to disable the original setup files once it has been installed. If a user needed another copy due to corruption or other reason, they would be able to redownload the application for free from the website so I could track and limit the number of downloads.

To accomplish this I am considering coding into the registration process a delete of the setup.ini file so it cannot be rerun or distributed. Since the user may be installing from many different locations, how can I determine where the program is being installed from to delete it?

Thoughts?? Is this a viable alternative?

Thanks for your help!
Teresa

 

[jrbarnett]

Not knowing which installer you are using its difficult to say, but there will almost certainly be some function to pick up the current folder.
I don't think you will be able to prevent somebody copying the original setup files, this would need to work at an operating system level to be effective and would be too difficult to do.

Just deleting the ini file after successfully completing the setup won't stop them, because they could just re run the setup program to extract it again. Again, if somebody was really keen, the setup program could be run from a read only or delete protected folder to stop the current user from deleting the ini file as part of the setup program. How would your install program handle that? Such a setup is more relevant to the operating systems rather than Access fora, but can be quite easily achieved with a modern operating system.

I think you would be wasting your time trying to make this work properly. Best is to agree in the license that they have it for (x) number of computers or users with one more media copy of the installation media for backup purposes whether on CD, network server, USB stick etc.

John