dongle lock
The Dongle *may* or may not contain code that is necessary for the application to run properly. That means that the application may:
- check to see if the dongle is there. If so, run properly.
OR
- read a small part of the application, stocked inside the dongle.
That way, without the dongle you have an incomplete application.
If it's only to check for the presence of the dongle, you may find a generic patch on the internet if the application is very popular. Otherwise, you may use a debugging software such as Win Ice (Soft Ice) or WinDBG.
A debugging application will let you stop at a specific point in the application (for instance, when you get the error message that the dongle is absent!) and look step by step how the program got there. This requires some Assembly Language knowledge.
You can find some Soft Ice tutorials attached, and one specially for dongles.
Good luck!
Sebastien