Is it possible to run an application with a different date?

Sibiryak · Post by **Sibiryak** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:53 pm

Hi,

I need to run a Windows application within Wine, but modify the system date that is perceived by the application. That is, when the app queries the date, it needs to get a different date from the actual system date. I am guessing that Wine is the perfect place to do that in, since it interfaces the program to the actual system. However, I don't know enough about the inner workings of Wine to be sure.

I would like to know if it is possible to do in Wine and if anyone knows how to do that.

If you are curious why I need to change the date:

there is a program called SD/FAST that is very good at a particular type of high-accuracy dynamic simulations. I have a bunch of code that interfaces with it and an expired license for it. I would gladly renew the license, but the company went out of business a few years ago.

So far, I have been running it under windows and have been changing the system date to run the program. However, I want to move the code development into Linux, because I am much more comfortable developing under it. Changing the system date from a build script is ugly (you need to be su, for starters, and then there are many programs that rely on correct system date), so I was wondering if this could be done through the Wine interface.

There is a Windows tool "RunAsDate" that claims to do just what I want by intercepting kernel API calls. Should I try running that tool in Wine?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

DaVince · Post by **DaVince** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:05 pm

Wine most likely just grabs and passes the system date. So changing that would be the easiest way to do it (just as elegant as in Windows

).

tony matt · Post by **tony matt** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:36 pm

Hi Sibiriak!

Do you mind to inform wath I can do to run Autocad 30 days demo in Windows xp after the 34 days ?
I have one demo (autocad 2008) that is going to expire, despite I had used no more than 3days ...
So far, I have been running it under windows and I like to know if changing the system date the program can run well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

James McKenzie · Post by **James McKenzie** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:44 pm

tony matt wrote:

Hi Sibiriak!

Do you mind to inform wath I can do to run Autocad 30 days demo in Windows xp after the 34 days ?
I have one demo (autocad 2008) that is going to expire, despite I had used no more than 3days ...
So far, I have been running it under windows and I like to know if changing the system date the program can run well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ask them for an extension. Otherwise, if you are in the US, you are in
violation of the DCMA. Autodesk is not nice about this.

James McKenzie

austin987 · Post by **austin987** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:48 pm

On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 9:36 PM, tony matt<[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Sibiriak!

Do you mind to inform wath I can do to run Autocad 30 days demo in Windows xp after the 34 days ?
I have one demo (autocad 2008) that is going to expire, despite I had used no more than 3days ...
So far, I have been running it under windows and I like to know if changing the system date the program can run well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If it's a demo, you can probably just get another trial...

--
-Austin