MarkEXE v2.5
                        Protect! EXE/COM v5.5
                     (C) 1993-1995 Jeremy Lilley
                          All Rights Reserved




INTRODUCTION:
-------------

        MarkEXE is a simple  utility that  imbeds your copyright
messages at the beginning of any normal EXE file. Simply specify
the executable file  name and the file  containing the copyright
message:

                MarkEXE [ProgName[.EXE]] [Message.Msg]

  for example:  MarkEXE MyProg MyProg.Msg

        MarkEXE v2.5  was designed to be used with Protect!, but
it can be used on  any normal DOS  executable file (it will work
on a few larger files not  supported by Protect!, and it is even
possible to use on  Windows and OS/2 executables  if you see the
instructions below).  MarkEXE will place the message as close to
the beginning of the  EXE as possible,  which is at byte 32 of a
Protected exectuable. It will try to recover unused header space
first to minimize the file's expansion. It is important that you
run MarkEXE only  *after* and  not before running Protect!  on a
file because Protect! removes MarkEXE messages.  Also, MarkEXE's 
messages  will not be  Protected from  modification by  Protect! 
because they are not loaded into memory when the file is run.


EXAMPLE:
________

        The  message that  MarkEXE puts in  executable files is
viewable from any command  or program that can look at the file
itself, including the DOS TYPE command and other utilities such
as DiskEdit:

                C:\>TYPE MyProg.EXE

                        MyProg (C) 1995 John Doe Enterprises
                        Please read MyProg.DOC for instructions.
                                John Doe Enterprises
                                123 Main Street
                                Anyplace, USA 12345
                                (123) 456-7890
                                jdoe@anynet.com


SUGGESTIONS:
____________

        You may want to add an ANSI clear  screen command  (like
ESC[2J)  at the  beginning  of the  file  to  clear the  display


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(because MarkEXE can't put the message  until after the first 32
bytes, ridding the screen of garbage,  at least on ANSI systems,
is a good idea).

        Also, the message file for MarkEXE is different from the 
modification message file that is used in the registered version
of Protect!,  but they could  conceivably be the  same or almost
the same file.


WINDOWS / OS/2 EXECUTABLES:
---------------------------

        If you write Windows or OS/2 programs, it is possible to 
add a copyright message with MarkEXE even though  Protect! won't
work on them.  DON'T just try to add the message to the EXE file
(because that will cause problems and conflicts with many of the 
pointers  of  the  Windows / OS/2 portion that  MarkEXE was  not
designed to deal with).  What you need to do  is go back to your
compiler and create a  .DEF file and include it in the program's
project or make-file (if one doesn't already exist).  In the DEF 
file, add a STUB statement:

                STUB    'EXE_STUB.EXE'

        Now, create the EXE_STUB.EXE file  (name it whatever you
want)  with a DOS compiler.  This STUB file  is what is executed
when  you try to run a Windows program from DOS.  Normally,  the
compiler defaults to a small program that tells  you to load the
file from  Windows,  but with the STUB command,  you can specify
your own message or even a DOS version of your program. Once you
have created your own EXE_STUB.EXE,  you just use MarkEXE on it,
compile/link  the  Windows  or  OS/2 executable,  and  your  new
message  should appear at the  beginning of the  Windows or OS/2
executable.


LICENSING:
__________

        This program must be distributed with  Protect! EXE/COM
and be  used  under  the same  terms.  You must  register  this 
package before distributing the finished EXE files.  In testing
and using,  you agree  not to  hold the author  responsible for 
damages that may result from the use or misuse of this program.


CHANGES/PROBLEMS:
_________________

        The biggest change between this version and the last is
simply that MarkEXE v2.5 actually works. I had to rewrite it so
that it would work on files needing different amounts of header
space,  something  that was  brushed over  before.  The biggest
problem left that can't be fixed is that if there happens to be
an  ASCII #26 (EOF)  character in the first mandatory bytes  of


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the EXE header,  the contents  will not be  displayed  with the
TYPE command.
        

CONTACT:
________


                        Jeremy Lilley
                        Protect! EXE/COM
                        2711 Oakview Circle
                        Medford, Oregon 97504
                        Compuserve: 75060,2074
                        Internet: 75060.2074@compuserve.com