User Guide - Firefly Protector
Welcome to the Firefly Protector User Guide. This document will help you protect your applications using our advanced security solution.
1. Installation
Unpack: Extract the provided .zip archive to a folder of your choice.
Prerequisites: Ensure you have the Visual C++ Redistributable installed.
Launch: Run Protector.exe as Administrator.
2. Using the Protector
The User Interface is designed to be intuitive. Follow these steps to protect your file:
Step 1: Select Files (Src/Dst Tab)
Input File: Click the folder icon to select the .exe file you want to protect. (Must be a 64-bit Windows application).
Output File: Select where you want to save the protected version.
Step 2: Configure Security (Options Tab)
Navigate to the Options tab to enable security features:
Anti-Debugging: Detects and blocks tools used to analyze your software. Higher levels provide stronger protection but may be less compatible with some system configurations.
Anti-VM: Prevents your application from running inside Virtual Machines (e.g., VMWare, VirtualBox).
Licensing: Enable this to require a license key. You can lock licenses to a specific machine (HWID) or set an expiration date.
Kernel Protection: Enables the driver-based protection for maximum security (Requires Administrator privileges at runtime).
Step 3: Customize (Designer Tab)
Use the Designer tab to customize the messages your users will see. You can translate error messages or change the styling to match your brand.
Step 4: Protect
Click the Protect button at the bottom of the sidebar. The log window will display the progress. Once finished, your protected file is ready for distribution.
3. Error Codes & Troubleshooting
To maintain high security, Firefly Protector uses specific error codes instead of descriptive messages for critical alerts.
If your users report an error, use this table to identify the cause:
| Error Code | Meaning | Troubleshooting / Action |
|---|---|---|
| Error: 0x10 | Administrator Privileges Required | The application requires Admin rights to run (likely due to Kernel Protection). Instruct the user to Right-Click -> "Run as Administrator". |
| Error: 0x11 | Architecture Mismatch | The operating system or processor is not compatible (x64 required). |
| Error: 0x12 | Integrity Error (Key) | The internal encryption key is missing or corrupted. The file may have been tampered with. Re-download/Re-protect the file. |
| Error: 0x13 | Integrity Error (Metadata) | File corruption detected. The file size or checksum does not match. |
| Error: 0x15 | Connection Failed | Online time check failed. Ensure the user has an active internet connection and is not blocking the application via Firewall. |
| Error: 0x20 | Security Alert (Runtime) | A debugger or monitoring tool was detected while the application was running. Ask the user to close any background analysis tools. |
| Error: 0x21 | Security Alert (Generic) | Similar to 0x20. A security violation occurred. |
| Error: 0x30 | Graphics Init Failed (License) | The application failed to render the License Dialog. Update Graphics Drivers or DirectX Runtime. |
| Error: 0x31 | Graphics Init Failed (Password) | The application failed to render the Password Dialog. |
| Error: 0x40 | Watchdog Alert | The external Watchdog process detected a debugger attached to the main application. |
| Error: 0x41 | Watchdog Alert (Generic) | Security violation detected by the Watchdog. |
| Error: 0x50 | Helper Alert | A secondary integrity check failed. |
4. Support
If a user encounters a persistent error that cannot be resolved with the steps above, or if you suspect a false positive:
Collect Information: Ask the user for the protector_runtime.log file (located in the application's folder) and their Machine ID (HWID) if applicable.
Contact Us: Please open a ticket on our official support channel.
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/dUCNKkS2Ve
Note: Do not share the log files publicly as they may contain sensitive debugging information.