BOOT TRACING - PART I NOTE: I CHOSE APPLE GALAXIN HERE BECAUS E IT IS A WIDELY DISTRIBUTED PROGRA M , AND IT ENCOMPASSES THE BASIC ID E AS IN BOOT TRACE CRACKING. FOR ALL THOSE INTRESTED PIRATES OU T THERE, YES THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO CRA C K PROGRAMS. YOU DON'T NEED ANY RAM-CAR DS,PROM BURNERS, OR FOREIGN TO REGULAR D O S PROGRAMS, ANYBODY WHO IS NOT A CLOWN, WITH SOME MACHINE LANGUAGE PROGRAMMIN G ABILITY CAN TRACE A BOOT. THIS METHOD OF CRACKING, TRACEING THE BOOT, IS IN A TRUE SENSE, CRACKING THE CODE. YOU SEE, FOR ALL DISKS, THEY MUST FIRST BOOT UP T O START RUNNING. AFTER THE FIRST STAGE BOOT (AT LOCATION $C600), THEY JUMP TO SECOND STAGE BOOT PROGRAM (AT $800), AN D THEN TO A THIRD, AND SOME EVEN A FORTH , BUT THERE COMES A POINT WHERE THE LOAD ING OF THE PROGRAM FROM DISK STOPS, AND T HE RUNNING OF THE PROGRAM BEGINS. IF Y OU CAN TRACE THIS, AND STOP IT AFTER IT I S FINISHED LOADING, AND SAVE ALL THE ME MORY LOCATIONS THAT CONTAIN THE PROGRAM O NTO A NORMAL 3.3 DISK, YOU HAVE CRACKED THE PROGRAM. THIS METHOD IS MOST USEFU L FOR CRACKING THE "SINGLE-SHOT" BOOTING PROGRAMS SUCH AS APPLE PANIC, RASTER B L ASTER, AND GORGON. THESE DISKS DON'T CO NTAIN ANY STANDARD DOS, BUT RATHER THEIR OWN. THIS DOS HAS JUST ONE PURPOSE, AND THAT IS TO LOAD THE PROGRAM INTO THE CO M PUTER, FROM THE DISK, AND START ITS EXE CUTION. NOW, THIS IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS I T SOUNDS, AS THE SOFTWARE PROTECTORS ARE NOT DUMB, THEY TRY TO MAKE IT TOUGH FOR YOU TO TRACE. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT IMPOS SIBLE, SINCE THE DISK MUST BOOT UP, AND S INCE IT MUST HAVE SOME BOOTING PROCESS, THAT IS TRACEABLE. LET ME TRY AND SHOW YOU AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO TRACE A BOOT OF A PROGRAM.LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO TRACE APPLE GALAXIAN . THE FIRST STAGE BOOT STARTS AT $C600. IF YOU TURN YOUR APPLE ON, AND TYPE " CALL-151 (RETURN)" AND "C600G (RETURN)", THE DISK WILL PROCEED TO START AND BOOT THE DISK IN THE DRIVE. THIS IS BECAUSE $ C600 CONTAINING THE PROGRAM FOR THE DIS K TO BOOT FIRST. IF, YOU EXAMINE THIS P R OGRAM BY TYPING "CALL-151 (RETURN)", AN D "C600LLLLLLL (RETURN)", YOU WILL SOON C OME ACROSS A JMP $801, NEAR THE END, SP ECIFICALLY, AT $C6F8. THIS IS THE LINK T O THE NEXT STAGE OF THE BOOT WHAT WE MUS T DO IS ALLOW THE FIRST STAGE TO LOAD IN AT $800, BUT INSTEAD OF LETTING IT RUN (CONTINUE TO BOOT, AND GO TO $800), STOP THE COMPUTER, AND EXAMINE WHAT IS AT $8 00. TO DO THIS LETS MOVE $C600 DOWN TO $ 9600.TYPE "CALL-151 (RETURN)" AND "9600