Trialware and DRM (Deployment)

The Trialware and DRM page lets you protect your applications using InstallAware Digital Rights Management. Wrap your existing binaries and protect your intellectual property with absolutely zero changes to your code. Choose from a diverse range of trial parameters.

To use a stand-alone version of InstallAware DRM, run the InstallAware DRM tool. This tool runs outside of the InstallAware IDE and may also participate in automated build processes (such as batch files).

Convert Application into Trialware

Application to Convert (*.EXE)

Enter the full path to the application to convert into trialware. This application must already be one of the files being installed by your setup. Click Browse to visually select the file. If the file is installed as part of a larger group (using, for example, a wildcard pattern such as *.*), it may not be visible to the visual file browser. In this case, manually enter the path the file will be present on the target system in this field.

Unique Identifier (GUID)

Choose a unique identifier for your application. Click Options to automatically enter your project's existing product code or revision code; or alternately to create a brand new GUID. Once an application associated with a particular GUID has expired on a target system, installing a newer version of the same application that has been protected using the same GUID will not restart the trial period - the application will still remain expired.

Application Cost (USD)

Enter the US dollar cost of your application in this field.

Always expire after:

Select this radio button to unconditionally expire your application (and require a purchase for restoring access to it) when a certain number of launches and/or days have passed since the initial installation - even if the application has not been actually used during that time. Recommended for shareware and commercial demonstration applications.

Number of launches

Check this box and specify the maximum number of times your application may be lauched after its first use before expiring. Recommended for shareware applications.

Number of days

Check this box and choose one of the options below.

Days after installation

Select this radio button and specify the maximum number of days your application may be used for after its first launch before expiring. Recommended for commercial demonstration applications.

Absolute expiration date

Select this radio button and specify a hard-coded expiration date for your application - regardless of whether it has been used at all by then. Recommended for time limited beta software that must expire at a certain fixed date.

Expire only after actual use:

Select this radio button to expire your application only after live, actual use - as specified by the total number of hours and minutes allowed. Recommended to provide the most fair trial experience for your end-users.