Whats This Strange .COM File That Plays Music and Flashes?
Some cracking groups will include a “signature” executable in their archives. These are small executable files with a “.com” or “.exe” extension. Double clicking them will usually elicit a windowed DOS session that displays some ANSI graphics and sound. Running this executable will NOT crack the program and it is NOT necessary for carrying out the crack. Since many cracks are executable patches, you’ll sometimes be faced with a crack archive containing two executable files. Again, the documentation within the archive will almost always specify the exact name of the patch file.
