Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!eecg.toronto.edu!leblanc
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
From: leblanc@eecg.toronto.edu (Marcel LeBlanc)
Subject: Re: Super Snap Shot Cart Detection??
Message-ID: <1990Sep24.161724.24899@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
References: <418@news.nd.edu> <1990Sep15.171530.12692@xenitec.on.ca> <436@news.nd.edu> <438@news.nd.edu>
Date: 24 Sep 90 20:17:24 GMT
Lines: 42

treesh@bach.helios.nd.edu writes:

> The Super Snap Shot Cartridge can do something that next to incredible!  It
> can hide itself so well, then I can not for the life of me write any
> software code at all that tell if someone has the cartridge in the port or
> not.  
> ...
> Well, since Super Snap Shot came along, anyone can be a hacker.  You pop
> that cartridge into your computer, pull up the menu, and select DISABLE, and
> by gosh-n-by-golly, that sucker is GONE!!

Thanks for the compliments! :-) 
But seriously, that's the way it was meant to work.  When I designed the SS
hardware, I went to great pains to make sure that the hardware would not be
detectable when SS is disabled.  We wanted to be able to (truthfully) make
the claim that the cart. is invisible when disabled!  Other snapshot type
carts are STILL visible to clever software even when the software disables
itself (including Final Cart., Action Replay, etc...).  I haven't found ANY
programs that won't work when SS V5.22 is disabled.  In fact, if anybody can
write a program to detect SS V5 (when disabled), I'd love to hear about it,
because I consider this to be impossible.

> That is untill you press the button on it, and WAHAM!  your software is now
> fully frozen, and can be viewd by the monitor programs, or worse yet...SAVED
> onto disk!!  What kind of hacking is that???

Progress.  :-)

> Can anyone tell me how via software to activate a deactivated cartridge in
> the port?  Is there ANYWAY AT ALL to write to the PLA???  Switch the ROML or
> ROMH hardware lines?  Switch the GAME or EXROM lines via software???  
> 
> It seems what they have done is completely pulled the ROM off the buss, and
> durring a power-up, or RESET signal it pops back into the memory map.  But
> those things are hardware generated.  PLEASE SOMEOME!!  ANYONE!!  Tell me
> the secret!!
> 
> ctfm

Marcel A. LeBlanc  --  Electrical Eng. Computer Group, Univ. of Toronto
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