DeskTape Pro 5.7

[aplmak]

Hey everyone... Was wondering if anyone could help me out. So I was able to get DeskTap Pro 5.7 from either macintoshgarden or macintoshrepository. There are several versions on those sites. The problem is the v5.7 which is able to work on the newer macs such as the G3 and OS 9.2 but is a demo copy only. It's limited to write only up to 40MB. The company who made it no longer exists... gone, defunct. One version which is available has a "Desktape License" control panel to license an older version I believe.. Perhaps there is a way to modify the code to license the v5.7 copy. I woudn't have any idea how to do this.. I used to tinker with ResEdit but many, many years ago..

I don't expect this should be an issue as I would think this would be in the category of "abandonware" so I don't think I am breaking any forum rules. But if I am please let me know and we can close this thread out. It really is not my intention. If I could buy the license I totally would.

Any help would be awesome plus I think others would love to try it out with a tape drive

 

[finkmac]

I think I was looking for that once upon a time. Did you check the eagle’s nest bbs collection files? (Maybe it was called buzzard’s nest…)

 

[aplmak]

Awesome Thank you finkmac!!! This is where I'll continue my search I hope it's there.. it's a little newer control panel for OS 9.2.. You have to look up that guy Jim something who is listed as the writer on the program.. a lot of interesting stories of him and a coworker I found online.. lol

 

[aplmak]

I attempted to have a crack at it.. pardon the pun last night with ResEdit and ResCompare. But I just can't do it.. So on the version 2.0 there is a crack included with the software if someone who is talented enough could duplicate that same patch for v5.7 or figure out what the patch is doing perhaps someone can create a crack. Or in the other versions there is a License Control panel with instructions on how to license it.. this offers clues how the software is licensed.. granted they could have changed the way it licenses over the versions... If only there was someone out there who knows more on the classic mac os and cracking.

 

[adespoton]

Is your only real request getting past the 40MB limit?

 

[aplmak]

Yeah… I’ve got DDS3 tapes on a PowerMac 8600 which I’ve got a large hard drive.. the control panel is really cool!! It’s actually genius. I’d like to be able to use boxes of blank tapes I have.. I can’t stand Retrospect. This control panel mounts the tape right on the desktop. I’ve had real good luck with tapes for other machines going to the late 80’s.. it’s a really good archiving solution.
So yeah a measly 40mb on 24gb tapes is not making good use of the tape.. I could use the old version on an older machine but then you run into size limits on drives.. and all sorts of other issues. My PM8600 with G3 at 300mhz with 9.2.2 runs well..
There has to be someone out there that can make a krack for it. Older versions like I’ve said have been hacked I just need an updated krack…

 

[aplmak]

When using ResEdit and ResCompare I found that on the version 2.0 that there is a crack made for already that comes with it on macgarden. Running ResCompare I found here there are changes to the "cdev", and "INIT" resources and an add of a "fwst" to the control panel. But that is as far as I can get. I am not a programmer.. And this is the older version 2.0. Not sure if they made changes to the v5.7 or if its the same way to krack.

 

[aplmak]

I tinkered with the version 4.0 and 4.5 -> 4.6. They use a different licensing method. That method records installations with the use of a tape to license it. The v5.7 version may be like the 2.0 version.. I am not sure.. I do think it has to do with the "cdev" data.. but that's all greek to me.

 

[GorfTheChosen]

I tinkered with the version 4.0 and 4.5 -> 4.6. They use a different licensing method. That method records installations with the use of a tape to license it. The v5.7 version may be like the 2.0 version.. I am not sure.. I do think it has to do with the "cdev" data.. but that's all greek to me.

Yeah I saw the tape licensing method ... kind of like a key disk (floppy) but on tape.

Not sure what the likelihood is of Optima going back to a previous method of copy protection used in earlier versions with the most recent version of the software that they produced.

Had a friend back in the day that was kind of a fan of Desktape, haven't spoken with him in years.

Personally, I own and have used Retrospect for a long, long time and have found it to be pretty solid solution.

Recently successfully restored a couple hundred GB's of 20+ year old Retro backups from VXA and DDS-3 ... so I can attest to the durability of tape as a storage medium.

Just a personal preference as far as backup software goes I guess.

Don't really have a lot to add in the way of help (not a programmer) in terms of your search for a solution getting 5.7 running and fully functional.

I did see this guy's email address mentioned in a article:

Optima Technology status report: a follow-up - CNET

... about Optima closing it's doors:

Michael DeCorte, former employee of Optima @ bab5@pacbell.net

No idea whether the email is still good or not ... but you could try reaching out to him.

 

[aplmak]

Gorfthechosen,

Hey thanks for the reply I blasted out an email.. doubt it will work but what the hey.. lol. Yeah I tinkered most of the day yesterday on it but no luck.. I'm hoping a programmer who will someday fall upon this thread can help out. I think there are a few others looking as well so hopefully a solution can be found (crossing my fingers). I thought the tape key backup was an interesting move.. I took a machine with 7.6 and installed the 4.0 and did the license key thing with the tape, then I progressively updated to 4.5 then 4.6. I took the control panel and tried it on the 8600 which is now a G3 with 9.2.2 and it's not compatible. The 4.6 installed on the 7.6 machine which was a PPC and it displayed that in the area of where the version and "DEMO" for 5.7 is the bottom right of the control panel. Then when I tried to upgrade the 5.7 and use the tape key it said that this type of licensing was incompatible with this version (5.7).. oh well.

I don't have a lot of experience with Retrospect but I don't like the fact it keeps sort of file with directory files on the machine and it needs that to read back a backup. I've barely used it but I kind of found it to be more complex than what I need. I like the fact of just being able to drag and drop stuff on the tape and it just writes it with DeskTape and it mounts like a drive. Very simple.. I am all about simplicity that's why I'm an Apple fan.. lol

Thanks again for the post

 

[aplmak]

Is there anyone on 68k who is experienced with classic macos decompiling or patching?

 

[adespoton]

What exactly are you looking for? If it's still about DeskTape Pro 5.7, I recommend asking Siddhartha over on MG. He's moved to using publicly accessible tools and writing up the process when he's done, so others can learn how to replicate his work for themselves. Although what he does is not so much about decompiling and patching as it is about reversing and writing license registration plugins.

If the actual code is missing from the demo, that's significantly harder to patch.