hacking a grey menu

Simple API buddy.

EnableMenuItem
user32.dll

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

In 99.9999999999999999999999999% of cases this will just let you do something you aren''t supposed to do. "undo" when you haven''t performed any operations will probably croak. That''s why its grey.

The only reason I can think of for you to do this is to allow saving from a disabled piece of shareware.

it''s usually grey because there is no possible way to perform that operation at that point in time. For example, if you open a new document, and immediately try to undo something, what are you trying to undo? There is nothing, so it can''t be done.

Or, perhaps the program is crippleware, in which case the functions don''t EXIST to actually do it.

In other words, you can''t force the program to do it because the program has nothing to do.

quote:

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Original post by Salsa
Simple API buddy.

EnableMenuItem
user32.dll

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Um, how about I don't have the source code of the exe :/

I don't think that the exe contains in full text "enablemenuitem" in it, or does it?


And it has nothing to do with shareware, but with some experiments

[edited by - Boops on January 16, 2004 11:40:35 AM]

Rofl..Do you even know what API is? This has nothing to do with the inside of the program''s executable.

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

quote:

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Original post by Salsa
Rofl..Do you even know what API is? This has nothing to do with the inside of the program''s executable.

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

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API = advanced programmers interface?

Indeed, API has nothing to do with the inside of the program''s executable, but I WANT SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE INSIDE OF THE PROGRAM.

So you want to permanently alter the menu's greyed out status? You probably can't, unless it's shareware, in which case enabling the menu status probably won't do anything anyway. If all you had to do was disable some menu contexts from people in your shareware programs, the world would be a much easier place.

The reason you can't enable disabled menu items permanently is because they're usually actively disabled at runtime. Meaning they're consistantly changing, such as the Undo feature in a program.

Your best bet is to run a simple C++ or VB program which uses API to dynamically change the menu item's status.

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

[edited by - Salsa on January 16, 2004 11:46:59 AM]

Oops, sorry, now I know what you mean!

I found it with google, a freeware program called API monitor!

I keep learning new cool things, thanks

I can't believe you guys are helping a warez-kiddie hack a trial or shareware version.

[edited by - Imperil on January 16, 2004 11:48:22 AM]

quote:

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Original post by Imperil
I can''t believe you guys are helping a warez-kiddie hack a trial or shareware version.

[edited by - Imperil on January 16, 2004 11:48:22 AM]

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That might not be what he is trying to do.

quote:

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Original post by Imperil
I can''t believe you guys are helping a warez-kiddie hack a trial or shareware version.

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I can''t believe you actually believe enabled a menu item will magically place registered features into a shareware program.

::rolleyes::

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

quote:

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Original post by Salsa
I can't believe you actually believe enabled a menu item will magically place registered features into a shareware program.

::rolleyes::

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

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I can't believe you are so naive to think that the registered features aren't, considering in most small plugins/applications they are.


[edited by - Imperil on January 16, 2004 11:51:56 AM]

quote:

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Original post by TravelingCoder

quote:

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Original post by Imperil
I can't believe you guys are helping a warez-kiddie hack a trial or shareware version.

[edited by - Imperil on January 16, 2004 11:48:22 AM]

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That might not be what he is trying to do.

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I have noticed a good 60-70% of people posting on these forums are pirates, software thieves, or condone software piracy.. this would lead to be put people asking questions like this in that category. Sorry.


[edited by - Imperil on January 16, 2004 11:56:00 AM]

No, it''s not 100% clean what I''m doing, but it''s not cracking shareware or something like that.
It''s a public version of some game editor that has an "open" menu disabled to prevent seeing some hidden items from the game, and I really want to see those items

So far I managed to monitor the process with API Monitor and there are no EnableMenuItem or DisableMenuItem calls in it, so I guess it really must be coded in the exe''s source and the program never actively cares about if it''s enabled or disabled after that. So now all I''ve got to do is find how I can enable the menu in the exe, but how? :/

It''s been a while, but I''m pretty sure you have to use GetMenu and GetMenuItemID and iterate through the menu items until you reach the one you''d like.

Once you have it just set the state to 00h (enabled).

shortcurves.com - it feels so good

It''s defined in the programs resource file whether or not a menu item is enabled intially, if you get a resource editor you should be able to change it so the menu item starts off enabled. Dunno if that''ll actually do anything useful though.

Allright, it worked, I managed to enable the menus, but what a big disappointment: clicking on them does nothing

But it was still very interesting to try!

Thanks for the help

My guess is that the op is treying to find out how to do this for some programs where all the info is there but you need to register it (ie buy it) in order to unlock those features. Basically he is asking how to "crack" the software to use the blocked features without paying. If that is the case no one here will help u because that is illegal and bad.

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Dungeon: Go away.

shortcurves.com - it feels so good