How to clone a USB key and make a backup of a Dongle?

A Dongle or security key is an essential device if you want to protect the important files of
your company, work or any special program. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to give
copies to workers or trusted people. Therefore, it is
necessary to know how to make a copy correctly, which allows users to validate the
permission to access a document or a program, that is, permission is given to make any
modification or view the stored information. Note that it is very important to make copies of
the dongles because in case of loss or damage to the device you can replace it without a
problem.

This guide explains:

● “How you can make a copy that works perfectly”
● “What is a USB Dongle or security key?”
Finally, a warning, the copy of the USB key must be done correctly; otherwise, the device
may be damaged.

How to share a USB dongle over the Network?

There are several methods to make a copy or clone a dongle, some only work
on computers with Windows operating systems, from Windows XP to Windows 10. This
method performs a complete emulation of the dongle. To clone your USB security dongle
over the Internet follows the steps as shown below.
Donglify - dongle emulator software.

The first software solution that helps you to share the HASP key over the network is
Donglify. This is a light-weight utility that enables the hardware key to be shared with remote
users across a network. Donglify offers you two handy options:

❏ Dongle access from one remote machine at a time;

❏ Multiconnect - simultaneous dongle access from multiple PCs. For now, this exclusive
option is available for HASP HL Pro, Sentinel HL Pro, Sentinel UltraPro, SafeNet eToken
5110, and CodeMeter CmStick dongles.

Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to duplicate a USB dongle:

1. Create an account, then start downloading a duplicate USB dongle software -

Donglify. Install it both on the machine that has your dongle physically plugged into
(server) and on the PC that needs remote access to it (client).

2. Run the application and log in to your Donglify account first on the server, then on the
client computer.

3. On the server PC, click the “+” icon to see the list of all local shareable USB security
keys. Find your dongle in the list, check the radio button next to its name and click
“Share”.

4. Once the link is up, your USB dongle will show up in the client computer’s system
just like it was a duplicate USB dongle directly plugged into it.
Why Donglify is the best option for you:

❏ Free 7 days trial

Register your Donglify account and you’re just a few mouse clicks away from the ultimate
dongle sharing experience.

❏ Full service
With Donglify, you can use the USB dongle attached to a remote PC just like it was directly
plugged into your machine.

❏ No extra driver installation

You won’t have to install any extra drivers to have the full use of Donglify functionality. All the
drivers you’ll need are already embedded in the operating system and will be installed
automatically.

❏ Protected connection
Donglify used 2048-bit SSL encryption to provide the most solid security for each and every
one of your connections.

Share a USB dongles with Flexihub

There is another method to share a Dongle device, without the need to make a copy. The
great advantage of this option is that it works with the most popular operating systems:
Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android. For this, there is a program called FlexiHub.

Flexihub is similar to the Donglify application you can use to duplicate a license USB dongle.
It doesn’t have a multi-connect function, but all its other features are pretty much the same.
Here is how you can use it:

1. Sign up a FlexiHub account here and activate a free trial to be able to connect to the
remote devices.
2. Download and install the software on each of your PCs that need access to the
shared dongle.
3. Launch FlexiHub, sign in using your newly created login credentials.
4. Find the shared dongle on your other machine that needs access to a USB dongle
and connect to it.

Pros:
★ The app allows connecting to a device via wireless network.
★ The ability to connect to remote devices even when a direct connection between the
computers is not possible.
★ The app supports all kinds of USB devices – scanners, cameras, projectors, mobile
phones, etc., your device will do too.

Cons:
➢ Connection to remote devices is not possible in the free plan.
➢ Internet connection on both computers is a must for using Flexihub.

The alternative solution for USB dongle sharing is USB Network Gate

USB Network Gate allows you to share and access multiple USB devices as if they were
directly attached to your computer.
Step-by-step instruction:

1. Install the software after downloading it to the machines that will share and access
the remote USB dongle.
2. Connect a USB dongle to the computer that will act as a server (share a device),
start USB Network Gate and share it from there, which will make a device accessible
to the clients (remote computers).
3. Connect from any client computer to the shared device.

With USB Network Gate it is possible to see what client a USB device is currently connected
to, which will certainly be helpful if a user forgets to disconnect the dongle. It is important to
remember that only one computer will be able to use a shared device at a time.

HASP dongle emulator software

The next software is a HASP emulator for the Aladdin HASP and Safe-Net HASP enables
you to backup and virtualize the dongle. It enables you to run protected software just as if
the physical security key is attached to your machine. The tool works with parallel HASP
hardware keys and USB dongles. Using this HASP key emulator helps protect the original
device from damage, loss or theft. The Safe-Net HASP dongle emulator allows you to
access protected applications from within virtual machines. Unfortunately, not all USB keys
are supported by this solution.

Soft-Key Solutions has been offering solutions for security key users since 1998. They
provide a Sentinel dongle emulator that encompasses SafeNet’s complete family of Sentinel
HL keys including HASP, TimeHASP, NetHASP, and MemoHASP. The software does not
impose limitations on the number of supported programs and is transparent to other dongles.
The physical security key and its emulation can be used simultaneously. No changes are
made to the software or the original driver.

How to clone a USB license key with additional software

Before starting the process to copy the Dongle, you must verify that all the basic
requirements necessary to make the copy correctly are met, for this you must confirm the
following points:

● A computer with a valid operating system for the program (Windows XP /Vista);
● Know the brand and model of the Dongle you will copy;
● When you know the model of the Dongle device, download the emulator;
● Use a program to dump the Dongle Neobit 11;
● Download the corresponding drivers for your device.

Creation process

The creation process follows a certain order; you must first dump the Dongle with the
corresponding program and then perform the emulation. Always use the appropriate
programs for each manufacturer.

Dongle dump

This process is one of the most complicated and it is very important to do it correctly. Before
starting the process you must take into account the dongle brand you want to copy. In this
example, the process was performed with a Sentinel device and the sentinel drivers were
installed. If they are not installed, the program will show an error message.

*Note: Search in Google the drivers for your device

❏ In the program there are different tabs or options that you can select; now you must select
the Sentinel option, which we use for the tutorial. But you can choose any of the other
options if the brand of your device is different.

❏ You should not select the keygen option, because it does not offer any functionality for our
tutorial. Observe the different options that you can select, at this time you should not choose
any since they are for more experienced users.

❏ You should only modify the empty space below the word "Dump and Solve". Then you
must specify a name for the new device. It can be any name, but you must conclude by
adding “.dng”.

❏ After entering the name and installing the corresponding drivers, click on the "Dump &
Solve" button to continue the process. If you use a laptop, check that it is connected to the
charger and with the battery fully charged, since the process has several steps and takes a
long time once started.

After setting options mentioned above, follow this steps:

 1. Connect the Dongle; if the device is correctly connected to the USB port you can see
it. If an error message appears, change the device to another USB port and restart
the program to locate the device.

2. Now the program detects and decrypts the algorithms. This process is the longest,
although in fact it depends on the Dongle, the process can take hours.

3. In this step you must create the dump file , with the extension “.dng”. The emulator
will use this file at the end of the process. By completing each step, the progress bar
of the image with a red box will grow gradually.
4.
Errors during the process

In each step different problems can occur that cause specific errors. These problems are
also displayed in the error bar of the program. Depending on the type of error a solution can
exist. Below we show the most common errors.

● Error “Can’t find dongle” is displayed when the program does not find the device
Dongle.

● Error “Error initializing Sentinel API”, appears when there are errors with the
drivers. It is recommended to do the installation as a service running automatically
when Windows starts.

● When the process finishes, the dongle backup file will have been created, ready to
be emulated when necessary.
What is a USB Dongle or security key and what is it for?

A USB dongle is a device used as a security key, a small adapter that connects to another
device and performs an additional function to validate the device user.
It functions as follows: when you connect a dongle or security key to a computer, a fragment
of the program or software is validated to work. In some cases, the programs operate in
restricted mode or do not work if the user has not previously been validated with a Dongle.

In addition, it can be used to integrate access passwords, preventing users from accessing
files and folders if they do not have passwords.

Depending on the area of use, there are several types of USB dongles: Memory and
Storage
Perhaps the majority of modern dongles are used for Memory and Storage. Every other
person would carry a USB flash drive or memory stick with files, documents, computer
applications, etc. Term papers and assignment for printout, pictures from your last trip to the
seaside, handy software tools to share with colleagues and friends are now conveniently
stored on Flash drives instead of floppy disks and CDs.

USB Security dongles

Used for authentication, USB Security dongles help protect your hardware or software from
unauthorized access. Networks and software applications can be designed in such a way
that they cannot be accessed without a software key, i.e. your security dongle. Electronic
signatures are kept on such dongles.

For Wireless Internet Connections

Wi-Fi USB dongles enable desktops and laptops with no internal Wi-Fi cards to connect to
the Internet wirelessly. It is mostly ultra-slim notebook models that require an external
device, or rather software that allows the computer's OS to locate Wi-Fi signals.

GPS Navigation dongles

GPS technology has become an essential part of Smartphone software, and dongles for
GPS Navigation are not much in demand these days. However if you don’t have your
smartphone within reach, you still might find them useful GPS navigation USB dongles turn
your laptop into a navigation system. Powered entirely by a computer, they won’t let you
down.

Bluetooth Dongles
Bluetooth Dongles pass information between two computers and more, smartphones, and
other devices – no extra cables or cords are required. Link your computer or laptop to a
network and connect to any external device – from a mobile phone to a keyboard.