Advice (help) needed

[MoonWalker]

Hi all.

Let me first state I'm not really into the depths of decompiling, just being a "normal" vb developer. But the problem I have (and need help with) has pointed me in this direction (and to this place), and I hope I ended up in the right forum as well.

The situation is like this, beside of own programs developed we (me and my coleague) sell an other software developed by a person who liked to stay "private", paying royalties on sales. All fine with this, but some time ago this person suddenly died, leaving no source code for this VB4-16 proggie. At least the widdow says so, and we havent bothered to much about it as the sale is very small... but we still pay royalties to her, if someone wonder.

But now comes the problem as old customers are about to upgrade there computers and this program wont install and run anymore, and those who bought it are very disapointed about this. Maybe because the program is of a rather special type, doing with farming and much appreciated by the users.

So I have taken on the task of trying to "restore" the program to be usable again, and possibly give it a face lift as well leading to the need of decompile it - if possible or at least as much as possible - and that's were I have got stuck.

I spent most of the day yesterday searching the net for a solusion, and apart from this place I also fond the Decompile Wiki, pointing me to DoDi's VBDIS4 and I was able to dig up a vb4toolszip with this program on the Programmers Heaven website.

However, when I try to open the exe file it errors after some time were scanning dialog show "Scanning : Forms" and "Segment: GPStartup", with error message: "assertion failing - aborting" and "form RC ptr". When click msgbox OK a new one fires with "VBOpt4" and "Stop statement encountered".

I'm not sure if this have to do with code in the exe as such or VBOpt4 bail out for other reason. But anyhow, I would be grateful if any of the experts here could give some pointer in what this is and if it's even possible to get passed this? Well any help is appreciated... I'm also quite sure the version of VBOpt4 I have isn't the latest, 4.10e Demo that is btw? Maybe Demo is part of the problem as well...

I'm not sure if DoDi visiting this place at times, but if you do - is it possible to get a later version of this tool? I wouldn't mind to pay some to get rid of the Demo limitation, if it helps to get the work done.

Well needless to say maybe, but any help are appreciated.

Best Regards,
Joakim

[_aLfa_]

Well Joakim, this forum members as far as I know, are not trying to decompile 16bit executables.

If the executable is written in a 16bit environment I sincerely recomend you to REwrite it in 32bit environment using newer and better technologies.

To be honest it's a waste of time trying to decompile a 16bit executable, but anyway that's up to you.

About the decompiler you tried to use, I recommend you to talk with vbgamer45 as he has the official (I think) link to that decompiler or at least to 'DoDi'.

But like I said, I believe it's better for you and your costumers to have new tech, and not old tech if you know what I mean.

Good luck on your quest...

[Dr Memory]

I agree with _aLfa_

If this EXE performed some complex function like playing chess, then there might be a point, to try and reverse-engineer the playing strategy algorithms ... a classic "black-box" problem

But it's hard to imagine an agricultural application whose essential functionality was quite that complex .....

Surely you know what it does, it can't be rocket science to emulate that function ....

Unless I have seriously underestimated the algorithmic requirements of the average farmer, of course ......

.... or there's more to this 16-bit app than meets the eye

[MoonWalker]

First, thanks for your replies.

Well Joakim, this forum members as far as I know, are not trying to decompile 16bit executables.

I know, although I haven't sean any statement "forbiding" talking about it, I simply turned to were I thought the best expertice for my problem could be found

If the executable is written in a 16bit environment I sincerely recomend you to REwrite it in 32bit environment using newer and better technologies.

That's kinda the idea, but as I haven't written the original I thought of it as a good starting point, using some essential parts of the program algorithms. It would also give a good "excuse" to continue giving the late developers widow some royalties, in fact.

About the decompiler you tried to use, I recommend you to talk with vbgamer45 as he has the official (I think) link to that decompiler or at least to 'DoDi'.

Ok thanks, I will try that.

But like I said, I believe it's better for you and your costumers to have new tech, and not old tech if you know what I mean.

I agree and that's the purpose, to rewrite it in VB6. Well not the latest tech, but probably the best for this type of app and the tool I am at home with, so to speak.

If this EXE performed some complex function like playing chess, then there might be a point, to try and reverse-engineer the playing strategy algorithms ... a classic "black-box" problem

But it's hard to imagine an agricultural application whose essential functionality was quite that complex .....

Surely you know what it does, it can't be rocket science to emulate that function ....

Unless I have seriously underestimated the algorithmic requirements of the average farmer, of course ......

.... or there's more to this 16-bit app than meets the eye

Well, kind of... the app is called Farmer Moon, and as the name applies it uses the moon as base for doing agriculture, in some way. I'm pretty at home with the moon as it comes to programing, but only leave a plant in my care if you wanna be sure its days are counted I guess that somewhat describes my dilemma.

I'm sure that with some time and studdies I could get all this together from scratch, but time is kinda limited for me on this so I'm sort of searching for a "short cut", getting as much as possible out of the original app, setting it all up in a new VB6 project and saving me from the agriculture studies, which also are of a little speacial in this case. Actually, I'm not quite sure if they even are available elsewere.

I am sorry if this request for help was OT for this forum, but I couldn't find any better place to ask for it. And not to trying to put myself in a better view BUT I am actually trying to do a good thing here.

Anyway, thanks again.
Joakim

[Dr Memory]

I may be just a city boy, but I've heard of "lunar calendar sowing", and seen calendars in some houses

I'm a little confused though, by one thing ....

Are "AstroCalc UK" (the apparent owners of your program) not already taking care of this "widow"???

http://www.astro3.demon.co.uk/program.htm

If not, shame on them!


If they are, then shame on you .... that's definitely not cricket!

[MoonWalker]

I may be just a city boy, but I've heard of "lunar calendar sowing", and seen calendars in some houses

I'm a little confused though, by one thing ....

Are "AstroCalc UK" (the apparent owners of your program) not already taking care of this "widow"???

http://www.astro3.demon.co.uk/program.htm

If not, shame on them!


If they are, then shame on you .... that's definitely not cricket!

As I aid before, the original author (Simon Jackson) have died and that's an old page. I "am" what used to be Astrocalc UK, now Astrocalc International, if in doubt go to the website in my profile and click on "About Us" to get a breif history. The page is a bit outdated as I'm no longer in the "process of taking over" Astrocalc but have done so. There is only 24h a day though...

And Astrocalc isn't really the owner of the program, the widow are, but it's not so usable (or sellable) at the moment due to sometimes causing a GPF under XP and some other issues. We don't really have any obligations to the widow and frankly I don't know if she cares, but I don't like programs when they are broken, and especially in this case as it's a rather rare one.

If you are in doubt about my "genuinity" you can always email me on the email listed on the site and I will reply, or even Nick whos email are on that page. I just don't like to use the company emails "on the net" due to the spam situation etc..

As I said before, this is a very niched program but very appreciated by the few using it, and I just like to care for that smal group of our customers.

Regards,
Joakim

[Dr Memory]

Ah, in that case I do apologise ... it did all sound a bit vague ... and that website .....

I still think understanding the function is the key to this .... I've done sunrise and sunset calendars, similar, latitude/longitude specific ....
.... I've been thinking about whether the demo date-restriction is in fact really a restriction at all ... so I'll have a little fun with that analysis later...

So the lunar sunrise/sunset, the primary source of complexity in this little app, I'd have thought, should be straight-forward to a numerically-inclined programmer

The advice re which crops to sow, etc all seems to be freely available, I can't see any serious obstacle to rewriting it that way, and of course you can bring the GUI into the 21st century while at it ....


Cheers

[golem]

Hiya Moonwalker.

PM me with the download location of the binary image of your 'VB4' farming program, preferably as a .Zip file. If applicable, including any supporting files your VB executable uses (VBX/OCX/DLLs ) will save considerable time.

Some of us might be more familiar than others with what you need...

Carry on!
golem

[Dr Memory]

Ah, greate, where've you been?

Good, I can go have my bath now, secure in the knowledge that I leave MoonWalker in the hands of true genius .....

[Dr Memory]

When I get back, I'll expect to be impressed... he he

You'll need OC25.dll, THREED16.ocx, and the VB40016.dll thingy ... by the way

[MoonWalker]

aha great! Much appreciated. PM sent and thanks a lot... and good luck!

May the Moon be with you

[MoonWalker]

When I get back, I'll expect to be impressed... he he

You'll need OC25.dll, THREED16.ocx, and the VB40016.dll thingy ... by the way

Just to not be mistaken about the Dr's level of genus here, we have had a little PM discussion to straithen out things and he got the program to look at

No offence I hope Dr and that we can continue our little discussion to see what can come out of it?

[Dr Memory]

Nyet problyema!

No conflict here at all, golem and I are old friends, we go back, well, gee whiz, how long now ..... several days, at least!

And I really do expect him to come up with something, he speaks much better 16-bit for a start, and certainly better VB4 (I only arrived after VB 6 had been out a year or more !) ....

[gruskada]

I know this post is incredibly old, but I've got the same exact issue, and was wondering what the outcome of this was.

Thanks in advance,
Dave