Frequently Asked Questions [4.0 R1]
Last revised, October 3rd, 1999.

1. What is Hackman?
2. I want to learn how to crack.
3. What is the disassembler?
4. How can I uninstall Hackman?
5. How safe is this program?
6. I found a bug!
7. Where can I get plugins? How can I install them?

1. What is Hackman?

Hackman is a hex editor, a disassembler and a powerful decoder. You may edit any virtually any file using Hackman whether it's in binary format or not. Although there is no limitation (at least in this version) on editing files, you should take all the necessary precautions not to infringe any copyright law.

╖ Using this version of Hackman (4.0) you may edit, decode, decrypt or encrypt any source code without any kind of limitations.
Note: Do not infringe any copyright laws as you may be prosecuted by law.
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2. I want to learn how to crack.

Cracking is not always an easy task. You are supposed to be aware of several issues, such as:

You already have a hex editor in your hands and we suggest that you learn how to use it. Experiment with its functions and consult the on-line documentation until you feel that you are familiar with this program. You'll also find numerous tricks and tips throughout HackmanÆs on-line help and Sparkle's Cracking Tutorial (3rd party plugin, unsupported by HackmanÆs Team). What's left is assembly. You could get a book and start learning step-by-step this stuff. But on the other hand this is time consuming isn't it? And I bet you don't have spare timeà Another good idea is to read carefully the Assembly book coming with HackmanÆs online help. This should give you a good idea about what is assembly and how it is used. Try to use disassembler's help on a command you are not familiar with.

Have patience and good luck!

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3. What is the disassembler?

Assembly is a low-level programming language that enables you to establish direct access with your system. This means that you have direct access to all hardware (Hard Disk Drive, memory, cpu, etc.). For example it's possible to program your floppy drive to read non-standard sectors and stop "common" users from duplicating your software.

If you know how to use assembly, then you could unprotect the diskette by disabling the routines that check for these sectors. Assembly is the key for getting ôinsideö every program because any program can be viewed with a hex editor and thus modified.

How to learn assembly? If it is essential for you to become familiar with assembly, we recommend that you read carefully the book referring to assembly in HackmanÆs on-line help. We describe only the common commands which are useful for you. For further information you should read the help that is coming with the disassembler. We do believe that it's not completely necessary for you to start reading books if you just need to get ready cracking programs. On-line help should give you this knowledge.

Hackman is not an assembler although it comes with a disassembler. You can use debug to assemble or another 32 bit assembler. Debug is a program that is installed in the \command directory of your windows.

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4. How can I uninstall Hackman?

Being a 32-bit program, Hackman is strictly following all Win 9x/NT development compliances including automated uninstallation. To fully uninstall the product you should follow this sequence:

Answer positively in all questions posed from Windows 9x or NT during the uninstallation process. To verify the uninstallation, go to the directory which was the installation dir. for Hackman and delete the folder. In HackmanÆs folder may be several files that were not uninstalled. This occurs if your have live updated your Hackman copy and extra files were saved in this folder.

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5. How safe is this program?

Difficult to say. Even windows explorer is not safe if you delete io.sys or msdos.sys. We can guarantee that we have checked all core functions (i.e. load and save) and they work ok. There may be bugs in some functions but they do not affect file's integrity. What we cannot guarantee are the 3rd party components which we also use and test, but we are not responsible for their development and support.

What is strongly recommended is that you should backup every file before editing it. To accomplish this task, use Hackman's backup command under the files menu.

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6. I found a bug!

Do you have the latest release?
i)  Check live update. Does it say that you have latest software release? If yes the proceed with step ii. Otherwise, use live update to get latest patches and updates.
ii)  Check our web site http://members.tripod.com/techmasters/ and read release notes/faq for your problem if available. If you see that we are aware of the bug that youÆve found then please be patient and wait for next update.

No need to panic!
You should note if this bug appears every time you repeat certain actions. Tell them to us and try to describe it as much as possible. You should also give us information about the exact version of your operating system ex. Windows 95 OSR 2 build 1111, US version.
Your bug reports are vital for Hackman's development.
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7. Where can I get plugins? How can I install them?

For all add-ins and plugins (3rd party or official) you should refer to the Plugin Center. To install them, unzip all files in a temporary folder. Put all files in \Hackman\plugins folder except for the .html file(s) which must be placed under the \help\helpb2 folder. If no .html files come with the zip file, then no problem!

Note: It is possible to use live update to get all available plugins. Live update will install them automatically.

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