Many of you may be already aware that a web site named Giveaway of the day offers for FREE licensed full version software every day for which you will have to pay otherwise. The software will be available for download for 24 hours from 12.30 in the noon [IST] to 12.30 noon [IST] the next day and during this time software will be absolutely free. That means – not a trial, not a limited version – but a registered and legal version of the software just like you have purchased it. You must Download , Install and Activate the software before the Giveaway offer for that software is over .You cannot install or activate the software after the end of the Giveaway time period due to the special Set up files used, otherwise the Commercial Software will end up to be a Freeware. The benefit is mutual as the creator of the software gets a vide publicity and real reviews at the nominal cost of the one day offer and we get it without paying a single buck. The methods discussed in this article are gathered from various forums in Internet
This tutorial will discuss on How to get back the original installer from GOTD set up files for future use in the all possible 4 cases listed below:-
1. Setup files that needs no activation [Pre-activated] or with Readme.txt file which contains the key. These files will be contained in an .exe file which will extract these contents only during the offer period.
2. Trial cum Full version Setup files for which activation key is sent by mail or “The installation Complete Dialog” if installed within the period.
3. A zip file with a Setup.exe [Installation will remain as a Trial version if not activated within the period], a Readme.txt and an Activate.exe to activate the trial to Full.
4. A Setup.exe that will ask where to extract [and will also suggest “c:/” instead of correct “c:\” ] J the actual Setup.exe and Readme.txt [with key]. This is a real bliss as you have to only Extract these files within the offer period and save them for use at any later time. For this type, you do not have to do any steps further.
The following steps will show you how to back up the original installer for future installation.
Type 1 & 2
First, download the Software from Giveaway of the day ( GOTD ) page .
* Now Unzip the package you’ve downloaded and extract the contents to a folder on your computer .
* Run ( double click ) the Setup.exe you had downloaded . It will connect to the internet [Type 1] to verify that the giveaway period is still on and enter activation details .
Do NOT close the installation window .
TIP : You can just cancel the installation after the step detailed below to get the key in “The installation Complete Dialog” or the website that gives you the key instantly [Type 2]. If you lose the Setup.exe in future, you can directly download the Software from manufactures homepage and use the serial key provided in the Readme.txt/email. It works almost all cases if the correct version is downloaded.
* Go to the temporary folder in your system. which is normallyC:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Temp . [Windows 7] or C:\Documents and Settings\ yourusername \Local Settings\Temp[windows XP]
(Replace yourusername with your own name) or
Go to Start —> Run . Now type %temp% in the box and click OK or enter the same in the address bar of Windows explorer. [Both Windows 7 and XP]
* On the windows explorer menu on top , Go to Tools –> Folder options –> View tab. Under Hidden files and folders , select ” Show Hidden files and folders ” , deselect “Hide extensions for known file types” then click Apply and OK . This is essential because only then you will be able to view andrename the file and its extension as detailed below.
* Now in the Temp folder , look for a file similar to weXXXXX.tmp where XXXX will be a number. For example we23.tmp , we24.tmp , we28.tmp etc . ( This will be a hidden file by default). If there are more files like this - as you install GOTD software regularly - you may hover your mouse over the files to find the latest file with this styled files. Sometimes the setup file may have been extracted to a new folder created in Temp. Have a look there also.
* Copy this wexxxx.tmp file to another place in your computer .
Rename this file to Software name.exe . ( that days software name ).
Right click on the file and go to Properties and uncheck “Hidden“.
You can use this new setup.exe to install the software at any time you wish . Once you studied the entire process fully , it is very simple to back up the original GOTD downloads .
Type 3
Sometimes the GOTD programs will have an Activate.exe along with Setup.exe file.
You cannot use this trick in that case . In such cases you can use RegFromApp.exe from Nirsoftwhich will monitor the Windows Registry modifications by this Activate.exe. It does not need installation. Track any running process like installation, setup, activation etc or start a new process like Activate.exe of GOTD. It can monitor either Original values of the registry hives or the new ones. Both could be established by invoking two instances of the program.
GOTD applications usually contain an "Activate.exe" which verifies the availability of the application we are trying to install and writes necessary values to registry. If you track this and follow the above steps, you can use an "Activate.reg" file to install the GOTD software even after the period is over [provided you have the Setup.exe of that program]
Additional note : Now trial programs could be installed any number of time. Just monitor the Original registry entries and save as "Reset.reg". When the trial period is over just run the "Reset.reg" to get the original key values back to registry. Reinstall it again and again... It could also be used to try a program you are not sure about. Just save both Original key values and Installed key values as "Original.reg" and "Installed.reg" which you can use to REVERT the installation or to INSTALL in another PC using the respective .reg files.
That’s All … Happy installations !
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