TL;DR
A user relied on TileCreatorPro, a Windows-era design tool bought in 2017 from ThoughtFishMedia, and found the vendor site offline when upgrading to Windows 10. After limited vendor help and a hardware-triggered license failure, the user reverse-engineered the program and hardcoded the machine-bound ID to restore registration.
What happened
The author bought TileCreatorPro in 2017 for their father, who uses it for bespoke tile and mosaic designs. When the family desktop moved from Windows 7 to Windows 10 the vendor website was gone and searches turned up little, though an older interview indicated the original owner stepped away from software. The author located a support contact via forum posts and received a download link plus machine-specific serials from a responder named Bryce. Registration relies on a short PC-ID generated by the program; serials issued for one machine worked until a later hardware change (a GPU upgrade) altered the PC-ID and invalidated the key. With no response from support, the author taught themselves basic reverse-engineering, set up Windows VMs using QEMU/quickemu, and used Binary Ninja (after trying Ghidra and IDA) to trace where the magic number is generated. By hardcoding the expected magic number in the runtime, the supplied serial became valid again and the application ran on Windows 10.
Why it matters
- Users of niche professional software can lose access when small vendors stop maintaining sites or support.
- Licensing systems tied to hardware IDs can break installations after routine upgrades.
- Community channels (forums, Reddit) can surface obscure vendor contacts or support workarounds.
- Reverse engineering can be a practical, if technical, route to restore critical legacy tools when official support is unavailable.
Key facts
- TileCreatorPro was purchased for the author's father in 2017 from thoughtfishmedia.com.
- The ThoughtFishMedia website was no longer reachable when the author checked in 2021.
- A support responder named Bryce provided download links and machine-specific serial numbers after contact via forums.
- Registration requires a 4–8 digit PC-ID generated by the installed program; serials are issued for that PC-ID.
- A later GPU/hardware upgrade changed the PC-ID and invalidated the previously issued serial.
- The author tried Ghidra, Binary Ninja, and IDA for reverse engineering and chose Binary Ninja for ongoing work.
- To run and debug the Windows-only program the author used QEMU and quickemu to host Windows 10 virtual machines.
- By locating and hardcoding the generated magic number in the program at runtime, the author reactivated the licensed copy.
What to watch next
- Whether ThoughtFishMedia or any successor resumes official support or publishes updated installers and license tools: not confirmed in the source.
- If future Windows upgrades or hardware changes will again invalidate the registration and require further intervention: confirmed in the source.
- Whether other users of similar legacy tools encounter the same registration fragility and seek community help: not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Abandonware: Software that is no longer sold, supported, or updated by its original developer or publisher.
- PC-ID (machine-bound license): A numeric identifier generated by software to tie a license key to a particular machine or hardware profile.
- Reverse engineering: The process of analyzing compiled software to understand its structure, logic, and data flows, often to restore or modify behavior.
- Emulator / virtual machine: Software that mimics hardware or an operating system so programs built for one environment can run on another.
Reader FAQ
Was the software purchased legally?
Yes — the author reports buying TileCreatorPro in 2017 from thoughtfishmedia.com.
Did the original vendor provide ongoing help?
An individual named Bryce initially provided download links and serials, but later support requests went unanswered.
What tools did the author use to restore the program?
They used Binary Ninja for analysis and debugging after trying Ghidra and IDA, and ran Windows 10 under QEMU/quickemu to test changes.
Is reverse engineering to fix registration legal?
Not confirmed in the source.
Dealing with abandonware October 20, 2024 My father designs, plans and helps in the construction of SPA centers and wellness facilities. He primarily uses mossaics and ceramics. To do his…
Sources
- Dealing with abandonware (2024)
- [REQUEST] bring this abandoned app back to life by …
- How to reverse engineering an Android App and Its API
- Reverse Engineering Closed Source Android Apps
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