How to Build a protected Power Point File Using Thinstall
1. Download Thinstall (http://thinstall.com/downloads)
2. Download Power Point Sample ZIP File ( powerpoint_sample.zip2.1MB)
3. Run Thinstall, Select "Empty Project" at first dialog
4. Load the Thinstall project file ppt_sample.tsp using File / Open
5. Click the "Build" option
Note, You can easily replace the file sample.ppt with your own power point file before building to protect your own data.
If your power point references external files such as movies, music, or sound - add these files to your project before building.
To add extract files, drag the files from explorer to the Thinstall Window and select the shortest Virtual path option starting with %InstallPath% (for example %InstallPath%\mymovie.avi)
Setting the Icon to be displayed in the Shell
When you build an EXE using Thinstall, Thinstall will use the program Icon for the Input EXE unless an alternate icon is supplied. If you want a different icon to displayed, you can use change the program icon.
Modifying the Messages Displayed for License and Key Entry Screens
Thinstall, the new revolutionary deployment tool, allows you to link applications with data files into a single EXE that never needs to decompress to disk. Thinstall allows protected applications to access data files directly from a Virtual File System. Because the data file is never extracted to disk, the user never has an opportunity to copy the data file. The only way to access the data file is by running the EXE file. Thinstall does not prohibit the EXE file from being copied, however by using the built-in licensing system the EXE will not be able to execute on computers that do not have a license key. Because the EXE will not run without a license key for the specified computer, the user is effectively prevented from copying your data.
For this particular demo, Thinstall was used to link Microsoft's free power point viewer with a power point file called sample.ppt. Thinstall is also used to start the protected powerpoint viewer with the correct command-line options so that your power point will be displayed by simply clicking the icon from explorer. By adding a simple script file (no_printing.vbs) to your Thinstall project, you can easily disable the printing capability for any application. In this case, the user is prevented from using PowerPointer Viewer's built in print capability. If a user tries to use print functionality, they will receive an error stating no printers are installed or that access to the printer is denied.
