Reality check: Without up-to-date signatures (at least from 2020), an antivirus from 2013 is useless against modern ransomware (like LockBit or BlackCat). A trial reset only extends the interface ; it does not retrofit modern heuristic detection.
Instead of risking system security with a trial reset, users have several legitimate ways to maintain protection:
While the idea of extending a trial period without purchase might seem appealing, there are risks involved:
G Data 2013 stores its trial expiration data not just in a file, but deep within the Windows Registry. Unlike modern software that phones home to a cloud server to verify dates, G Data 2013 mostly relies on local time stamps. This makes it vulnerable to the "trial reset."
Software like G Data typically uses several methods to track a trial period: