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Author Topic: Numus Moneta Coin Software: Patched to Work on Modern OSes  (Read 1211 times)

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Matt P2

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Numus Moneta Coin Software: Patched to Work on Modern OSes
« on: September 18, 2022, 07:06:35 pm »
Hi all!

Some of the longtime regulars here might remember the software program "Moneta: The Roman Imperial Coin Program" - This site itself used to sell and offer support for the product until it became obviously abandoned and inaccessible.





There have been numerous threads over the years about the program after it ceased updates in the 2000s. The software was never able to be installed on 64-bit operating systems and further required a unique validation license every time it was installed. This code had to be requested directly from the developer based on a hardware-specific ID.

The website went under and for at least a decade it has been impossible for users to activate their copies, even if they had an old enough computer to support it. I am not a coin collector but a software engineer who has a friend who was prolific in Roman coin collecting. He had purchased the software back in the late-90s for $100 and used it to manage his collection and print reference cards.

He approached me with the challenge of revitalizing it enough so that he could run it on a modern laptop. As part of that, it required patching the program to circumvent the now impossible-to-acquire registration details. I know many others in the past had expressed an interest if this would be possible, and a couple users here supported the effort directly by providing me with the later updates and builds than what my friend had so that I could patch the very final version ever released (2.0.15a).

So for the benefit of anyone who is interested, I've made the patched version available to all. It is the same program but with a modern installer and patched executable that circumvents all of the registration checks and has a few other subtle enhancements. As I'm an advocate for spreading knowledge, I also used this opportunity to create a thorough "Resurrecting Moneta" video and blog guide on my methodology for patching such abandonware products, of which the core principles can be applied universally.

The new version (which I've dubbed 2.0.16) will run on any operating system from Windows XP 32-bit through Windows 11 64-bit. The layout is in its original arrangement, which might not be too aesthetically pleasing, but it works! I know some have old databases of their collections that were tied to this product and for years haven't been able to even open them, so this should help in that effort.

Here is my 25 technical minute on my method to patching the program, mostly for technical folks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR_KJ6OUjLA

The blog companion, which includes links to the download is here: https://mattpilz.com/moneta-roman-coin-program-patching-abandonware-methodology/

And for those just interested in the executable, you can find it here: https://mattpilz.com/downloads/Moneta-Setup.exe - It has been certified 100% virus free from 70 scanners at VirusTotal.com.

Enjoy!  +++

Offline Simon

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Re: Numus Moneta Coin Software: Patched to Work on Modern OSes
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2022, 07:19:35 am »
Thank you! I loved that program and was sorry to see it disapear. I will try it on my computer later today.
 It was easy to use and if i remember correctly I modified it for Byzantine coins. The original author was going to make a Byzantine program but it never came about. The author use to sell books as well.

Again thank you for bringing it back, i wonder what happened to its original creator?
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5633 My main collection of Tetartera. Post reform coinage.

Offline akeady

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Re: Numus Moneta Coin Software: Patched to Work on Modern OSes
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2022, 05:07:29 pm »
Thanks for the work!

This is a great development - I believe I read that the original author died some years back, so the program is orphanware.

All the best,
Aidan.

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Re: Numus Moneta Coin Software: Patched to Work on Modern OSes
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2022, 09:03:29 am »

Unfortunately my try on download gives an error message:

Matt P2

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Re: Numus Moneta Coin Software: Patched to Work on Modern OSes
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2022, 12:36:35 am »
Again thank you for bringing it back, i wonder what happened to its original creator?

I believe I read that the original author died some years back, so the program is orphanware.

That was the long-running theory I've seen online. However, I don't believe it is accurate. The physical location noted in the Numus documentation is still in the program developer's name and hasn't exchanged hands since 1998, although he may've moved to a second address in recent years. Someone who shared a very similar name to him did pass away in 2014 in the same city, but I found no correlation. Either way it is evident something came up as there hasn't been seemingly any signs of online activity from him in close to a decade if not longer, and his planned follow-up programs never were developed.

Unfortunately my try on download gives an error message:

It looks like your operating system is blocking the temporary folder creation that the download or installer uses.

Since I've made the app 99% portable in this update, here is an alternative ZIP file that you can extract to any location to give it a try (the default recommended is C:\Moneta\ but anywhere including your Desktop should work fine). The one requirement with this portable version is that you install the three custom fonts within the "Fonts" folder (right-click - Install). These fonts are used for the Roman glyphs and typography within the app.

The executable from the portable version is within the Moneta\Numus\Moneta2 folder, "Moneta2.exe" - I made a batch file "Moneta.bat" that should open it automatically from the extracted folder, as well.

ZIP (Portable) - https://mattpilz.com/downloads/Moneta.zip

Offline Joe Sermarini

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Re: Numus Moneta Coin Software: Patched to Work on Modern OSes
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2023, 10:39:03 am »
Numus Moneta available from this link works and does not require an activation code. If it errors, you may need to turn off your virus protection during install.

I am adding the research in Moneta to NumisWiki. I am confident Tom Schroer would rather share it than see it disappear. It is a big project that will take a lot of time. Volunteers to help are welcome.
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