I've been staring at Softice for two days now...I've had one programming class (got a "C" in Pascal), have downloaded and read as many manuals and tutorials as I can find...
What's the best way for someone with virtually no experience to learn programming and reverse programming?

Welcome Tyrta!

Well, you've definitely come to the right place. We're in the process of creating a FAQ for just this type of question. It's still under construction, but the references should give you a good start in learning the basics and beyond. Plenty of reading material in there.

At the heart of it all is probably understanding ASM, since that's what you'll be staring at in SoftIce all the time. Next might be learning about Windows API's which will give you an understanding of how Win32 operates. Of course learning to use the tools such as SoftIce, W32Dasm, Filemon, Regmon, etc. is part of it all.

Start by working through some basic tutorials to get the hang of it, but don't hesitate to explore (and get lost in) the code on your own. It's a slow, but rewarding process. There's lots to learn. Lurk, ask questions, and peruse earlier posts on the board to see the scope of the field.

Good Luck. The (in progress) FAQ is located at
http://208.50.16.104/Ultraboard/Public/Uploads/Post-11-375-rce_faq.html
but check out the thread in the General Considerations board for the most updated version


Regards,
Kayaker

read, read, read ....& oh yeah, did I mention read? ;-)

find yourself some good programming books & a compiler or 2 (I'm partial to C/C++ myself)

for the reversing end of things.....a good grasp of ASM & the internals of Windows itself is highly recommended. Get the basic tools (you already have Softice, got a disassembler and a hexeditor?), and learn to use them (RTFM's)....there are also a few tutorials around on the basics of softice (check +Sandman's site)

An API reference and Intel OpCode reference come in handy too ;-)

Hi Kayaker, I see we posted at the same time here....got ICQ? ;-P

?ferret - C/C++ ? What happened to VB? Too slow? *lol*

hehe...I just crack VB.....never have liked programming in it }:>

I believe one of the best ways to learn is to code things...Little projects are the best (say a PE packer,trainer) to learn structure as well as familiarizing yourself with the common APIs...And reversing is not exactly necessary for cracking, so dont get too overwhelmed =)

madmax