Hacking the three remote ActiveSync applications out of main memory

[Menneisyys]

This is a new instalment in my memory hacking/freeing-up series, with the previous instalment (with all the necessary links for my other related articles/posts) being here.

Before I finally publish my roundup of the three remote ActiveSync applications, due to popular demand, I post the results of my hacking efforts regarding the three remote ActiveSync applications.

SOTI Pocket Controller Professional 5.01:

This app has the following files in \Windows:

PkCtrlSv.dll – 149k – this is needed to be in \Windows so that the client doesn’t want to reinstall the client
MCResEng.dll – 17.9k – can’t be relocated
DeviceConfig.cpl – 49k
ddividacc.dll – 19.4k
Startup\CommLoader.exe – 60k

Unfortunately, the path to PkCtrlSv.dll is hard-wired into CommLoader.exe. I’ve tried to overwrite the wired-in string \Windows at file positions 0xd0d8, 0xd2e0 and 0xd2f4 to change the DLL path (see my posts on advanced (hexedit) DLL path hacking for more info on the why’s), but in vain. That is, this app is almost (some small DLL’s can be relocated only) unrelocatable. The developer, SOTI, could look into making their app more RAM-friendly by eliminating wired-in references to \Windows….

dotPocket 2.1

It has the following files in \Windows:
- 226kbytes in dp* and gapi DLL's;
- six .2bp files taking 151k (!)
There are some other files in \Program Files, taking up another 269k and \Windows\StartUp\dpTCPGateway.lnk. All of these files can be deleted if you only use dotPocket via USB and not through a TCP/IP connection (even the contents of the \Program Files subdirectory and \Windows\StartUp file)! This results in saving quite quite much memory.


ActiveSync Remote Display

It doesn’t put anything in \Windows, except for cerdisp2.exe and KillProc.exe, the two taking up 25 kbytes. This only happens when you start the desktop component; otherwise, you can freely delete these files.

Incidentally, as ActiveSync Remote Display isn’t VGA-aware, you will have to force it into the VGA mode based on the FAQ of ctitanic, author of Tweaks2k2; or with other tools like Mad Programmer's Force Hi-resolution tool. As you may already have guessed, you’ll need to force the above-mentioned cerdisp2.exe.

[Menneisyys]

This is a new instalment in my memory hacking/freeing-up series, with the previous instalment (with all the necessary links for my other related articles/posts) being here.

Before I finally publish my roundup of the three remote ActiveSync applications, due to popular demand, I post the results of my hacking efforts regarding the three remote ActiveSync applications.

SOTI Pocket Controller Professional 5.01:

This app has the following files in \Windows:

PkCtrlSv.dll – 149k – this is needed to be in \Windows so that the client doesn’t want to reinstall the client
MCResEng.dll – 17.9k – can’t be relocated
DeviceConfig.cpl – 49k
ddividacc.dll – 19.4k
Startup\CommLoader.exe – 60k

Unfortunately, the path to PkCtrlSv.dll is hard-wired into CommLoader.exe. I’ve tried to overwrite the wired-in string \Windows at file positions 0xd0d8, 0xd2e0 and 0xd2f4 to change the DLL path (see my posts on advanced (hexedit) DLL path hacking for more info on the why’s), but in vain. That is, this app is almost (some small DLL’s can be relocated only) unrelocatable. The developer, SOTI, could look into making their app more RAM-friendly by eliminating wired-in references to \Windows….

dotPocket 2.1

It has the following files in \Windows:
- 226kbytes in dp* and gapi DLL's;
- six .2bp files taking 151k (!)
There are some other files in \Program Files, taking up another 269k and \Windows\StartUp\dpTCPGateway.lnk. All of these files can be deleted if you only use dotPocket via USB and not through a TCP/IP connection (even the contents of the \Program Files subdirectory and \Windows\StartUp file)! This results in saving quite quite much memory.


ActiveSync Remote Display

It doesn’t put anything in \Windows, except for cerdisp2.exe and KillProc.exe, the two taking up 25 kbytes. This only happens when you start the desktop component; otherwise, you can freely delete these files.

Incidentally, as ActiveSync Remote Display isn’t VGA-aware, you will have to force it into the VGA mode based on the FAQ of ctitanic, author of Tweaks2k2; or with other tools like Mad Programmer's Force Hi-resolution tool. As you may already have guessed, you’ll need to force the above-mentioned cerdisp2.exe.