Is someone capable of running the program "Georando" on more than 1 computer ?

[NormanCyprien]

Hello, I've got a program called "Georando" that I bought arround 2008 that allows me to draw paths on maps. However, this softwae is very well protected. You can only install  it on one computer and it's not even one computer at the time, its just one computer and that's all. So, in 2008, I installed it on my 1st PC, but recently I bought a new PC and I can't run this program on it. If I try to install Georando, it says "Please insert the original disc of Georando" even if it's the original disc. I've already tried to copy this progam in the past but it never worked. The only thing that worked was making a copy of my 1st computer and running this copy on a virtual machine. The problem is that it was working with my 2nd computer that I bough a few years ago, and now with my 3rd computer (the one I recently bought), my CPU doesn't support virtualisation, so I can't run VMware on it. So, I tried to copy the disc using "Daemon Tools Pro" and selecting "TAGES" (the software that protects Georando) so it would make a copy of the disc ...but it didn't worked (Georando still asks for the original disc). So, using x64DBG, I tried to remove the protection and I succed. But now, after removing the "Please insert DVD..." and the "Please insert original DVD...", I have a wierd message that asks for activation beacuse the disc wasn't found. I've never seen this message (even in 2008, I never needed to activate Georando), and I can't find it in X64DBG. Soooo... I'm stuck. There are no "no cd cracks" avaible and not much is avaible about Georando online (and since this program was discontinued in 2016, the tech support has obviously disapered).

Do anyone have informations or a solution to this problem ? Is there a sort of "universal" patch for TAGES ?

Oh, and also there was a downloadable version of Georando, but no maps were included and since the website that selled them is closed, this version is unusable today and maps from my edition are not compatible with the downloadable version (I tried to replace and merge folders of my edition with the downloadable version, but after that , the program would crash on startup or work without maps like before).

[Tripredacus]

No one here can help you defeat the copy protection of a program. Doesn't matter the age. Have you tried contacting the company who made it?

I don't know French well enough to navigate their site, but there are some screenshots of the program you are talking about here, so I imagine it is the correct website.

https://ignrando.fr/fr/transfert-logiciels

Contact link near bottom

https://ignrando.fr/fr/espace-pro#service7

[NormanCyprien]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunatly, the links are for "IGNrando" and not "GEOrando". Of course, I thought I would just contact customer support but since the support was dropt in 2016 and the last official site for Georando (that explained how to transfert the program if you had the "ultimate version" + a 20€ subscription) was shut down around 2020, I don't think I will ever get a patch. Also, I've seen a lot of messages from arround 2008-2010 that complained about the very bad customer support of IGN (they gave not working phone numbers, e-mail adresses, and links and they were neary never responding when people were facing issues like me). So the "official" solution to this problem does not exist. Thanks again for the reply (and also for the warning, I won't be posting again about cracks on this website)

Edited February 9, 2023 by NormanCyprien

[Tripredacus]

What was the old website url?

[NormanCyprien]

There was two links: http://www.georando.fr/ (when the program was still supported)

                         and: http://transfert.geolives.com/ (this one was meant to help people when the support for georando was dropt)

Use the waybackmachine to see them beacuse the first website is no longer accessible and the second one has been deleted and the link send you to a website that has nothing to do with georando.

[Tripredacus]

It seems their old site is primarily locked behind server-side stuff that wasn't capable to be archived. IGN is the company that ran both sites, so they are the content holder. So if you can't get any help from them at their website, you could try interacting with them on social media like twitter.

https://twitter.com/IGNrando

 

[NormanCyprien]

Unfortunately, as I  just said, I don't think I will ever get an answer from IGN. Georando is just a too old unsupported program so the odds of getting a patch are very smalls and also, I made progress and I nearly managed to crack it (but I learned the lessons I won't post about that here).

[jaclaz]

Yep, from what I can understand the IGN in ignrando:

https://geoservices.ign.fr/ignrando

is the national geographic institute, not a company, but rather (directly or indirectly) a department of the government, I don't think they would do anything based on a single complain (nor, for that matters, on many complains ).

jaclaz

 

[NormanCyprien]

Is there a website where I can talk about this program and send files ?

[Herts42]

Yes as a geologist using the 3D model mode rather than planning a walk.   If you still have the old box the "Serial number" should do the trick as its been several computers since I bought mine.    Recently upgraded to windows 11 when I though I had lost them, until I worked out after the disk is put into the drive you only have a few seconds to tap the icon.  Think it one computer at a time, unless my software was successfully transferred over more than a decade.   See review on ResearchGate for more 

3D French 1:25,000 cartography on disks  -  Géorando

Earth Science Ireland, (Issue 14, 36) Autumn 2013

[NormanCyprien]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, (or sould I say fortunately), my edition of Georando doesn't use a serial number. I've got one on the box and on the manual but I never used it and in the manual it is said that "Georando doesn't require an activation or an internet connection". I've got "Georando Découverte" (wich means Georando "discovery edition") and this edition can only be installed on one computer. On the editions "Liberté" (liberty) or "Maxi Liberté" (max liberty) you can export your 1:25,000 cartography and use them in the free downloadable edition of Georando, but I don't have this option since i've go the cheapest edition (Georando Découverte) wich only allows me to use it on one computer and don't allow me to export anything.

Edited February 20, 2023 by NormanCyprien

[NormanCyprien]

And also, I forgot to post about this, but I managed to open georando. To do it:

1) Copy your folder "IGN France" wich contains the program to your new computer (in Program Files (x86) since this is a 32-Bit app)

2) Run the program Georando and when you get an anti-piracy error, close it

3) Update the DRM (witch is TAGES) to fix a bug that prevent the program from lunching even with the original disk (http://www.tagesprotection.com/main.htm?page=minimum.htm)(select the x64 update, exept if your OS is in 32-Bits)

4) Reboot the computer

5) Insert the original disk and lunch the program

Georando should open but if you still get an error, close and restart the program (for an unknown reason, the DRM can restrain you to run the program sometimes) as much times as you need.

 

[NormanCyprien]

If you don't want to use the DVD, do everything described earlier and make an image of the disc with "Daemon Tools Pro". To do this:

1) Put your DVD in the DVD drive

2) Install and lunch "Daemon Tools Pro" and start the 14-days trial (except if you already pay a subscription)

3) In "Daemon Tools Pro", select "Create an image of a disc" and select MDS/MDF image type

4) In the peripheral tab, select the "TAGES" profile, check "high precision DMP" and don't check "ignore read errors"

5) Name your image, select the slowest speed of copy available and start the process

6) When it's done uninstall "Daemon Tools PRO" (except if you already pay a subscription) and install "Daemon Tools LITE" (it's the free version)

7) Open your image with "Daemon Tools Lite" and run Georando

Everything should launch without the original DVD. However, if the anti-piracy message is still there, restart Georando untill everything works. If it never launch, reboot the computer (don't forget to re-open the image that you maded if you need to) and retry.

You can make the image of your disc in one computer and use it on another computer. You can even install Georando on a lot computers without the disc if you need to.

 

Source (that I tested and completed): https://forum.camptocamp.org/t/logiciel-georando-maxi-decouverte/121634/8

Edited February 20, 2023 by NormanCyprien