I'm planning to purchase some kind of a EXE-protector for my Windows-programs, but I'm not sure which one I should choose. There are at least Armadillo, Xtreme-Protector, Obsidium, ACProtect and ASProtect.

I tested Armadillo but I didn't like it; it was too complex to use. Xtreme-Protector increases the size of the EXE-file too much. Obsidium, ACProtect and ASProtect were all quite easy to use.

If I choose to use one of the three programs last mentioned, which one should I take? The protected files don't have to be completely crack-proof. All I wan't that the protector hides the original code of my program and the resources at the end.

I don't want it to be possible to unassemble my code so it would be possible to detect which compiler is used and the resources should be crypted so it would not be possible to decrypt it easily.

I suggest you to purchase Xprotector as even if is "hard" as you say to use and increases file size offers better protection then the others. I mean it can't be reversed by any middle cracker arround. If u'll search things about Xprotector reversing u'll have the surprise to find allmost nothing usefull. Anyway there's no best protector....

Br

i doubt any protector can do this...

The only 100% protection I'm aware of is to write software nobody is interested in.

I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but using OllyScript, you can dump fragments of code as the program runs, so even if you never have your full exe decrypted at any given time, the whole can be dumped by anyone with notepad and a little patiance.

Convolution helps, but increasing size to make a bigger hay-stack doesn't. Profilers such as VTune and CodeAnalyst will pin-point your most treasured routines with a single click of a mouse.

ASProtect will keep out the newbies, and if used properly, will give headaches to even the best. (most authors are lazy and just wrap there exe).

Suggestion: concentrate on watermarking. Stego is a difficult field, but there are resources available.

hehe if you ask me i wouldnt use not even one of mentioned protectors ,,WHY ? Because everyone of them is used by may customers there for its alwasy a target of crackers ..so it such way..there is a lot of tuts out and dumper/unpacker which do a job perfectly for you..

So the best way to protect your app is ..to do it properly yourself

And if you intented to buy it anyway...just one that is not used a lot ..and its not so much targeted as this ones

BYe

Armadillo latest version
not many people like to crack targets with armadillo the new one lol my 2cents

(in commercial context : the ratio price/protection is the more important.

The best method for protect a commercial application is to protect it just for block the most of cracker. The elite can even crack your protection so use a cryptor/compressor that is a good protector whith the lowest price....

Silkscalp)

They do like keygenning the newest Arma tho, as TMG keygenned Arma 3.75 today I wouldnt trust it to protect very much :P

Thanks for the answers. I'm not a cracker myself (what you probably guess) but I need some kind of protection for programs. I don't like the stupid resource section in modern Windows-programs and that's the biggest reason why some protection is needed.