(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Add 1 Textbox
Add 1 Button
(Optional) Add 1 Label

Shape your form to its desired shape and add the button its your desired place

also be sure to name your button "Go" or "Enter" etc

(Optional) Add a label called "Please enter the serial code" or whatever text

Double click the "Go" button and add this coding

    Public Class Form1



    Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

        If TextBox1.Text = "Serial Code here" Then

            MsgBox("Correct Key", MsgBoxStyle.Information, "Correct Key!")

            Form2.Show()

        Else

            MsgBox("Incorrect Key!", MsgBoxStyle.Critical, "Error")

        End If

    End Sub

End Class  

Now you can sell your serial keys for your programs!

Josh is right, use make a sql database online containing the hashed keys along with a boolean (used/unused). They post their serial into the form, you take the hash of it, salsa20, md5, sha256, whatever you wanna use, make sure it matches the hash type used on the hashed keys in the sql database, compare their hashed key with all of the keys in the sql, if it matches one of them, save something into registry or server side (better if it's server side, much better) to allow them to use your program. Then set the key to inuse=true on the sql db and you're done, much more efficient and can't be hacked nearly as easily..

I think he was just trying to show noobz how to create a basic "serial" protected program, which someone pointed out was more like a password protected program. The point is, maybe a noob got something out of this, and no one even pointed out the fact that once one person has any of those serials all they have to do is give them out to their buddies lol. Anyway, nice post, it helped someone I'm sure. Keep at it mate.

This is very stupid due to the fact that this is easily cracked.

---------- Post added at 09:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 PM ----------



This is not a serial protect program, this is a basic comparison of a textbox and a string. This is super easy to crack, and very stupid in my opinion.

Just to let you know you can make it so once they validate it it will stick.

so all you need to do is add a settings option with text as "validate" and value to "" (blank)

then on form 1 load.

    

If my.settings.validate = "1" then

form2.show()

end if

then add this to the original

    

If TextBox1.Text = "Serial Code here" Then

            MsgBox("Correct Key", MsgBoxStyle.Information, "Correct Key!")

            My.Settings.Validate.Text = "1"

            My.Settings.Validate.save()

            Form2.Show()

        Else

            MsgBox("Incorrect Key!", MsgBoxStyle.Critical, "Error")

        End If

I don't remember exactly the coding, but with my.settings, you can have it stick so when they open they don't have to re-validate the program. . . .

---------- Post added at 03:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:33 AM ----------

Well that makes no sense.

You basically cannot crack a .exe because it's very hard to reverse build it.

especially after vb6.

and If your not using visual studio it's even harder.


Plus you can easily create an updating code so it always changes.

Using my.settings you can have it so you know they payed.

so this is fine for beginners . . .

C# conversion.

    

public void serial()

{

    if(textBox1.Text == "")

    {

        MessageBox("Correct Key", MsgBoxStyle.Information, "Correct Key!")

        //if serial is true

    }

    else

    {

        MessageBox("Incorrect Key!"), MsgBoxStyle.Information, "Error")

        //if serial is false

    }

}