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FAQ

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

01_FAQ1.  Which files can be protected with AutoCrypt?

AutoCrypt provides protection for Windows 32/64Bit executables and DLLs/.NET-based executables. For Linux, a command line based version of AutoCrypt is available which allows protection of 32 and 64 bit executables.
Protection of RAD XE 64Bit applications with AutoCrypt was added to PPK 5.90. Since PPK 7.0, protection of applications based on the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF.NET) is supported.

If your application cannot be protected with AutoCrypt: please contact us - in almost every case we will find a solution!


2.  Is it possible to automate the protection process? I have a lot of applications to protect, and it will be cumbersome to do it manually one by one?

The command line version of AutoCrypt, AC_Tool.exe provides a high grade of automation: the protection process can be controlled within other applications or batch-files. See section 4.1 for details.
With SmrxProg.exe there is another command line tool available which takes care of CRYPTO‑BOX formatting. Please refer to the section 4.2 for more details.

 

3.  I protected my application successfully, but when I use “CB Format” to configure the CRYPTO-BOX I always get an error “Failed to format CRYPTO-BOX ...”.

Please make sure that you select the correct CRYPTO-BOX hardware profile. The standard profile “cbu_demo” works only with the CRYPTO-BOX contained in the Evaluation Kit. For your customer specific CRYPTO‑BOX, choose "Import profile" to import the profile (.trx file) you received from MARX. Refer to section 3.3.4 for more details.
 

 4.  I protected my application successfully, but when I run the protected file, it does not start anymore, or shows some error message!

Sometimes the protected application is not compatible with AutoCrypt.
In this case we need more details on your protected application. Please use our contact/callback form or the Support Ticket System (valid Support Level Option required) to get in touch with us. In almost every case we will find a solution.
 

5.  My Antivirus software claims that the protected application is infected by a virus!

Occasionally, virus scanners with activated heuristics recognize the protected application as infected (false positive).
The reason is that AutoCrypt uses similar methods to encrypt the application which are also used by malware. In this case you have the following options:

  • Define an exception rule or exclude the protected application in the settings of your Antivirus application.
  • Most manfufacturers of Antivirus solutions offer the possibility to report and upload false positives.
  • Disable the “Heuristic” option in the settings of your Antivirus software.


6.  The protected application works fine on the same computer where I did the protection. But when I copy it to another computer, I always get an error “CRYPTO-BOX not found” or “Protection DLL is missing or corrupted”.

If you receive a “CRYPTO-BOX not found” error please check the following:

  • Make sure that you formatted the CRYPTO-BOX with your project settings!
    - If you use AutoCrypt Wizard, see CRYPTO-BOX format
    - for AutoCrypt SxAF, see CRYPTO-BOX Format (CB-Format)
    - for AC_Tool.exe, see SmrxProg command line tool
  • Are the CRYPTO-BOX drivers installed correctly (see driver installation for Windows) and is the LED on the CRYPTO-BOX lit? You can check the correct installation of the CRYPTO-BOX with the "MARX Analyzer" tool (also for the end user). You can find the MARX Analyzer at www.marx.com.


7.  I protected my application with AutoCrypt. But now I have an updated version of my application and I would like to protect it with AutoCrypt so that it works with an existing CRYPTO-BOX which is already in the field. How do I do that?

  • For AutoCrypt Wizard:
    Open the project and go to the “Application Settings” screen (see here). Select the updated application under “Source file to protect” and protect the application as described in Protecting the Application). Make sure to leave all other project settings untouched!
     
  • For AutoCrypt SxAF:
    Open the existing project in the Smarx Application Framework (SxAF) and choose the application you want to update in the tree view under “Applications”. Now click the button “Update Application”, select the new application you want to protect and click “OK”. Then click the “Protect Application” button to protect and store the new protected application.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Do not use the "Application Checksum" DataObject if you plan to preserve compatibility with further updates!

 
8.  I protected several components/modules of my application (several EXE and/or DLL files) with AutoCrypt. But the protected components do not work correctly: sometimes I get error messages, and licensing (execution counter, network licenses) seems to work incorrect!

Please note that certain protection and licensing options cannot be used at the same time for all components/modules:

  • Use the “periodic check” option only for one protected module (for example, only for the EXE, not for the EXE and further DLLs).
  • Do not share partitions for applications/modules, if they are running at the same time – this may lead to unexpected behavior and error messages.
  • If you share license options such as execution counters for multiple applications/modules, it will be decremented for each application when it is started!
    Therefore its recommended to use a separate partition in that case.