"Fake" Windows 2000 to look like XP?

codemaniac · Post by **codemaniac** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:53 pm

Hello!

I have an old PC where I installed Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 4.. I wanted to install some server stuff to it, but the installer complains that the software works only on XP.. Well, might be true, but there could be a small chance that the program works in Windows 2000 too, because it is "built on NT technology"...

Soo... is there a way to make my program see my Windows 2000 as Windows XP? Thanks in advance!

bembulak · Post by **bembulak** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:09 pm

You can google for a Reg.Key. Maybe there is a possibility to change the Reg.Key or to fake it for the program.

Or go to www.sysinternals.com and have a look at the Regmons. Maybe you can find out, what the setup is looking for. If you find that you can maybe fake the information, the program needs.

Don't know, if this is still legal, but it sounds very interesting.

codemaniac · Post by **codemaniac** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:26 pm

Thanks for the info.. but I have some additional information:
It seems like the program checks if the user has XP, because when I tried to install the same program in Windows 2003 Server (I have access to my work computer through VNC

) the program complains that it has to be run on XP, and as far as I know, Windows 2003 is basically just XP with some modifications to make it better for server usage..

Kaeru Gaman · Post by **Kaeru Gaman** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:31 pm

my tip: just trash that stupid program.
seems to be a leftover from the time when M$ wanted to push XP...
an actual release would claim to run on vista only, but in fact I bet both of them could cope even with ME.....

codemaniac · Post by **codemaniac** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:44 pm

But is there no way to "emulate" Windows XP's identity for Windows 200[0|3]?

ts-soft · Post by **ts-soft** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:49 pm

@Kaeru Gaman
They are many new APIs in XP and Vista, so many programs can't run on older versions.

Why not use new API, if your program finished after 3 years or so, most of all uses new Windows-Version.

Not all people will stay on old OS or PC

No of my programs runs on DOS

bembulak · Post by **bembulak** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:29 pm

It seems like the program checks if the user has XP

And where dos it check? Maybe in the registry. So, find out, what the program reads on startup (sysinternals) and try to fake whatever the program wants.

(as I mentioned before)

But don't be suprised when you trash your machine.

Tipperton · Post by **Tipperton** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:08 pm

Most likely it uses the GetVersion API call.

Only way to fake that is to intercept it and return fake values.

If you have access to an XP machine, use Total Uninstall to monitor installing it, then just copy the program files and the registry settings the installer creates over to the 2000 machine.

If the OS check is in the program itself, you're screwed...

thefool · Post by **thefool** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 5:53 pm

Tipperton wrote: If the OS check is in the program itself, you're screwed...

Oh well.

You can use API hooking, you can change registry values (fx use a thing like sandbox to have a "virtual" file system. It has then access to the real registry and the disk, but every change will be stored virtually while it looks real for the program. Its very fast, and you can make a small program to change the real api values and then just run the proggie inside Sandbox)

http://www.sandboxie.com/

If the check is in the program itself you are not screwed, you could always crack the check, but that would be illegal

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:01 pm

what program is it anyway?

codemaniac · Post by **codemaniac** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:06 pm

Matt wrote:what program is it anyway?

You certainly don't want to know it

Rescator · Post by **Rescator** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:34 pm

software works only on XP

I hate crappy software like this. Windows XP is Windows 5.1
Windows 2000 is Windows 5.0
(Server2003 is 5.2 and Vista is 6.0)

There is very little difference between 2K and XP
(unless you want to use certain integrated IE/OS features)

It's just lazy installer coding by those who made that program.

It's almost as bad as the 16bit installers that some programs use.
(why in the world does a 32bit program need a 16bit installer? *sigh*)