Protecting Compiled CHM files

This is what I have come up with:

Security -

The Digital Help File System is comprised of four (4) separtely compiled Windows CHM help files. They can be copied and decompiled in the appropriate program. To prevent this and secure the Digital Help File system on a workstation, take the following steps during installation:

PART I (making the help files hidden)

Step 1 - Create a new folder on the desktop by right mouse clicking anywhere on a clear area of the desktop and selecting the option from the drop down list that will appear.

Step 2 - Place the newly created folder in an isolated area of the desktop so that it can be easily accessed by rolling over it with the mouse in later steps.

Step 3 - Right mouse click on the new folder and select the properties option from the drop down list.

Step 4 - In the New Folder Properties dialog box, click on the Customize tab, then the Change Icon... button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Step 5 - Scroll through the icons available with the right moving scroll bar underneath, until a clear or invisible icon is presented. Select it, then click the OK button to close the Change Icon for New Folder dialog box. Then click Apply and the OK button to close the New Folder Properities dialog box.

Step 6 - The new folder becomes invisible on the desktop. Next, select and highlight the name of the new folder, which is still visible and press Alt+255 to make it invisible as well.

Step 7 - Remember where this folder is on the desktop, then drag the four (4) .chm files onto it. They will disappear from the desktop when pasted into the invisible folder.

Step 8 - In the windows file manager then invisible folder can be selected and moved to an unobtrusive area of the hard disk. Do not place it in a directory that routinely gets updates that might erase the directory with the files in it.

Step 9 - Redirect all callups to your programs from their new location.

Can you tell us what the two things were that you came up with?

Through the many years of being involved with CHM files and help type of information, the only conclusion I've ever seen is this.

ANY time you make content available in ANY form, you open yourself up to the possibility of copying and alteration. The only solution that works 100% of the time is to never make it available for anyone to see and keep it under lock and key. And well, that sort of flies in the face of "help" logic, eh?

Cheers... Rick

Whilst I can see why you may want to protect other forms of output, I can't with CHM files. They are just a single compiled file. To change any content you'd have to decompile it, import the contents into a help tool like RoboHelp, make the change and recompile. Even if someone went to this sort of effort I don't think you could stop them doing so.