| 4 FEB 2006 at 2:08am |
AvatarPrivate Detective
Posts : 661
Joined: 3 JAN 2004
Status : Online | Interesting read. Thanks for posting.
My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am.&&&&The measure of civility in a society is not how it treats those that are loved, but how it treats those that are hated.
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| 5 FEB 2006 at 2:50am |
ShadowWalkerJourneyman
Posts : 997
Joined: 27 JUL 2005
Status : Offline | Hello There!
So......................................
I was born in Cuba, under a totalitarian government, that told me..........................
What to eat.
When to eat.
How much to eat.
What to wear.
How to wear it.
How many clothes I could buy.
What work I did.
How I did that work.
When I worked.
Where I worked.
What school I went to.
What was taught to me at school.
What my career was going to be.
Where I lived.
Where I could move to.
When I could move.
What religion I could pray to. (For a long time, religion was anathema for Castro)
keeps the people meek, but watched for those who became critical of the regime.
Kept an eye on me through the Commettee's of Defense (manned by diehard communist believers.)
What hospital treatments were offered to me.
What medications I could take.
When I could obtain those medications.
What television shows I could watch.
What television shows I could have.
What movies I could watch.
What books I could read.
Where I obtained the books I read.
How to interpret those books.
What I could buy.
When I could buy it.
How much I could buy.
What I could say.
Where I could say it.
How I could say it.
To whom I could say it.
What I could think the cuban government had no say in it.
Untill I uttered it.
So have many other governments done so.
And people.
Stalin....
Goebbels....
Hitler......
Musolini.....
Castro.......
Tojo......
Kim Jong-il
Mao....
Sadam Hussein....
Joseph McCarthy
Totalitarians excel at this game. Propaganda, repression, intimidation, and harrassment are the only products they manufacture and deliver with consistent high quality. Anything is fair.
I have to say then that Starforce is in very good company indeed!
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| 5 FEB 2006 at 4:13pm |
ShanyGuild Master
Posts : 3313
Joined: 19 JUN 2003
Status : Online | So what this article is saying is that Starforce, instead of trying to fix the problems the product is said to cause, or at least deny that there are flaws but promise to check for them anyway, Starforce is threatening to sue the person who critisized their product.
What a dumb decision. If they do go to court they'll have to prove that their product doesn't cause all that trouble, and then the truth will come out.
Anyway, suing a critic is not good publicity, and hopefully it will cause people to ban them until they change their product and drop the lawsuit.
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| 5 FEB 2006 at 8:02pm |
ShadowWalkerJourneyman
Posts : 997
Joined: 27 JUL 2005
Status : Offline | Hello There!
All right people.................Listen Up! [smiley=soapbox.gif]
I am going to make just a thread with one heading.
STARFORCE ON BOARD!
No comments.......
No opinions......
Nothing but the name of a game that has StarForce in it.
That way if we "want to buy a game with StarForce on it, we know which one to buy!" [smiley=smiley.gif]
That is all!
Right! [smiley=cool.gif]
Right now I am not playing any games, I am trying to get my laptop up. Its dead!
So I cannot play any or currently pass on any data.
But if anyone has come across a name.
Just put the name of the game on the thread. Nothing else required.
And if anyone else beats me to it.
Fine, we all can make better "informed" decisions!
What do you think!
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 4:29pm |
SnowmanSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 309
Joined: 10 OCT 2002
Status : Online | I like the idea of a StarForce list... could be quite helpful.
I also agree with you Shany. I think it is quite telling that StarFarce doesn't bother to deny that their product causes problems, instead they only lash out at people that inform others of the potential system mayhem StarFarce can produce.
Never do anything half-assed, always use your WHOLE ass!!
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 10:11pm |
JoGuild Master
Posts : 3313
Joined: 3 NOV 2002
Location: AU, Qld.
Status : Offline | There've been threads here in the past regarding starforce drivers being installed on people's machines and some of the games have also been listed here. However, here's a link to a site I was just looking at which might interest some of you who have only just come across the problem, they already have a list of games using Starforce protection:
http://www.glop.org/starforce/
I must say I find it rather hard to believe that Starfoce would find it necessary to threaten legal action against those who criticize what they're doing, it really doesn't seem to make a lot of sense especially once you realise that they themselves have provided a starforce removal too, "The famous protection solution developer, Starforce, has granted a sole right to distribute the Starforce Removal Tool utility to www.onlinesecurity-on.com." .. Now, if they truly believed that starforce did not cause problems, what reason could they possibly have for providing this tool!
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| 8 FEB 2006 at 12:23am |
SonicIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 49
Joined: 17 NOV 2002
Status : Online | I think however that the e-mail that is reproduced in that article does not looks as it would have really been written by manager of StarForce. It seems more that it was written by some kid or other person (perhaps a fan of StarForce or just joking) who impersonated to be manager of StarForce. The e-mail is relatively short, such claims as "I have also contacted the FBI" as well seems more like joke/attempt to look more serious in this case (firstly he says that it is their lawyer who handles this case, and now he says he contacted FBI himself - not to mention that FBI is not normally notified in such cases I believe, but FBI, CIA, NSA, the Penthagon are good institutions to mention in a threat). "Violates approxiamtely 11 international laws" also smells fishy (if it is an approximation, it would probably have been to 10; as well, what is more important, I doubt anybody would have counted how many international laws it violates (in fact, I doubt it violates any "international laws" as there are not that much international laws in this area of business I believe)). The e-mail also has mistakes and typos, such as missed letters "USlawyer" instead of "US lawyer" - while I am not implying that manager would do no mistakes, but still, together with other mentioned "irregularities" this e-mail seems to be more likely written by some kid rather than someone related to StarForce.
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| 14 FEB 2006 at 12:11am |
KamisoriXSchattenjger
Posts : 1700
Joined: 15 MAY 2004
Status : Online | [img]http://img317.imageshack.us/img317/8345/starforce9xn.jpg[/img]
He has been warned. :-*
[IMG]http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/971/kamisig94ct.gif[/IMG]&&&&If the Earth would be a Sphere, and not a Disc, I wouldn't be so afraid to fall of the Edge...
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| 14 FEB 2006 at 12:58am |
KingRyanSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 281
Joined: 25 JAN 2004
Status : Online | This PR-Manager is a hoot! Look at this email he sent to CNET:
http://news.com.com/5208-7349-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=11535&messageID=86618&start=-184
I love this guy ... he thinks he sounds so professional when he really sounds like a kid writing to his school superintendent to complain about not having a snow day.
This only reconfirms my theory that people in charge just shouldn't be there.
[size=14][b]Currently Playing:[/b]&&Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis[/size]
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| 3 MAR 2006 at 4:38pm |
JenniferMillerSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 232
Joined: 16 OCT 2002
Status : Online | "My daddy is better then your daddy. If you keep making faces at me, my daddy will come and beat your daddy up!"
Aren't we past teasing on the playground?
Sheesh.
Jennifer 8-)
I am Sirrus. AND I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!&&&&Visit me on MySpace!&&[url]http://www.myspace.com/BonoGirl79[/url]
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| 19 MAR 2006 at 11:36pm |
Jenny100Guild Master
Posts : 3510
Joined: 12 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Jo (6 FEB 2006 10:10pm)
There've been threads here in the past regarding starforce drivers being installed on people's machines and some of the games have also been listed here. However, here's a link to a site I was just looking at which might interest some of you who have only just come across the problem, they already have a list of games using Starforce protection:
http://www.glop.org/starforce/
The trouble with this list is that it doesn't indicate that a game may not have StarForce in different parts of the world. For example, the UK version of BS3 did not use StarForce - it used SecuROM. And the US version of Nibiru did not use StarForce and didn't even need the CD in the drive to play. Syberia 2 may have used StarForce in some parts of the world (I think the German version did) but the US version used SafeDisc. The UK version (on DVD) of Moment of Silence used StarForce, but the US version (on CD) did not, and did not require the CD in the drive to play.
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| 16 APR 2006 at 7:03am |
JetsetlemmingIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 54
Joined: 16 APR 2006
Status : Online | Penny Arcade has expressed their feelings on StarForce pretty well, wouldn't you say? http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/03/15
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| 17 APR 2006 at 11:07pm |
GBR2Intergalactic Janitor
Posts : 2
Joined: 9 APR 2005
Status : Online | The Boycott Starforce site lists PARADISE as having Starforce! This would be a bummer if true in N. America as I was really looking forward to this game.
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| 5 APR 2007 at 9:21am |
MarkGuild Master
Posts : 3839
Joined: 10 OCT 2002
Location: US, Georgia
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Jenny100 (19 MAR 2006 11:35pm)
...the US version of Nibiru did not use StarForce and didn't even need the CD in the drive to play.
I am so sorry to bring this old Topic back up, but I just bought NiBiRu: Age of Secrets in the little teeny-boxed jewel-case edition, and was wondering if this is absolutely true. It's the North American The Adventure Company version, so I imagine it's clean.
I had to do a lot of searching and was quite relieved to find Jenny100's statement (above), because everywhere else I checked said it contained StarForce.
If I want to check and make absolutely sure, can I just examine the files on the disc(s) and see if they contain the StarForce drivers? I'm fairly familiar with their names (for example, "sfyadayada".
I've played several other StarForce copy-protected games but with those I made Acronis TruImage backups of my hard drive first, and after playing them (one of them being Still Life), I simply reverted back to my original set-up(s).
I just want to pop in the disc(s) and play the darn thing without paranoia and the extra back-up hassles (having just backed-up my hard drive(s) yesterday).
I'm not doubting your word, Jenny, but I just wanted to make sure nothing has changed. Your credibility is beyond reproach with me.
[img]http://www.mindspring.com/~markparrish/Mumbles.gif[/img]...so why you askin' that poor girl again, dum-dum?...mumble...she done said it once it doesn't have StarForce...mumble...
Please proofread your posts carefully to see if you any words out.
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| 11 APR 2007 at 4:21pm |
TCPrivate Detective
Posts : 688
Joined: 14 NOV 2005
Status : Online | I'd like to have a list of ALL Starforce crippled games, if that's possible, and if not, at least the adventure games. I really don't want to spend any amount of money on a game that utilises this malware, made by, as evident, a dictatorial company. I understand most games from TAC include that horrible programme? And if so, what about the European releases?
Thanks in advance,
TC
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| 11 APR 2007 at 5:59pm |
LampeftIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 9
Joined: 1 JUN 2003
Status : Online | You might try this page:
http://www.boycottstarforce.net/?page_id=3
Seems to be kept relatively up to date, what with the last update on April 4th. I used it to check out if the first Runaway game came with Starforce. Sure enough, it does. So, I won't be buying that game, after all. Too bad, as it looked fairly good. I found that the game is available via download, though. oes anyone know if download versions of games contain Starforce? I'd imagine not, but who knows.
Also does anyone know for certain if the latest Broken Sword game (US Version) contains StarForce or not?
Thanks!
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| 17 APR 2007 at 9:18pm |
TCPrivate Detective
Posts : 688
Joined: 14 NOV 2005
Status : Online | Thanks for providing a link to that list, Lampeft. Wow, it's really unfortunate so many games are infected with it. I'm not installing my copy of Still Life on my new high end system, same goes for my copies of BS3 and Syberia 2 (these two suck anyway ). I was thinking of buying TLJ: Dreamfall, but I'll pass now.
I just hope the games on my most anticipated list won't be infected with Starforce (Gray Matter, A Vampyre Story - to name but a few).
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| 19 APR 2007 at 10:38pm |
LampeftIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 9
Joined: 1 JUN 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By TC (17 APR 2007 9:18pm)
I was thinking of buying TLJ: Dreamfall, but I'll pass now.
You'd think the game publishers would abandon StarForce altogether, but.. doesn't seem to be the case.
Not sure where you live, TC, but according to that list, Dreamfall does not contain StarForce if you live in North America and bought the standard version of the game (and not the limited edition, which I have never seen anyway).
I'm not seeing Syberia 2 in that list. Am I missing it somehow? I enjoyed the first Syberia, and have the second in my collection o' games I have yet to play.
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| 21 APR 2007 at 12:14am |
The WolfboySorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 304
Joined: 16 FEB 2006
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Lampeft (19 APR 2007 10:37pm)
Not sure where you live, TC, but according to that list, Dreamfall does not contain StarForce if you live in North America and bought the standard version of the game (and not the limited edition, which I have never seen anyway).
That's the copy I got, and unfortunatly it still seemed to come attached. Which became yet another reason for me to innately dislike Dreamfall
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| 31 MAY 2007 at 2:35pm |
SLabyrinthIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 18
Joined: 23 MAY 2007
Status : Online | Ok, so the North American versions of Syberia II does or doesn't have Starforce? I wish that website would state which versions have Starforce because most of them are the Euro versions (sorry Europeans!).
Besides that, has anyone actually had their own personal systems affected with Starforce? And if so, what happened?
I've never actually heard of anyone personally having problems... just a friend of a friend type thing, so I'm starting to wonder if it isn't all just a bunch of hooey. The company still is rotten to a core, that's for sure, but the actual ruining of hard drives... I dunno, it just seems far-fetched but still possible.
Now Playing: The Longest Journey, Psychonauts&&Just Purchased: Safecracker, Nibiru, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express, Dreamfall&&Just Finished: Syberia, Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave&&Wishlist: Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek, Syberia 2
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| 31 MAY 2007 at 4:07pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5587
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | I've never actually heard of anyone personally having problems... just a friend of a friend type thing, so I'm starting to wonder if it isn't all just a bunch of hooey.
That's what it is for the most part -
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| 3 JUN 2007 at 9:35pm |
Jenny100Guild Master
Posts : 3510
Joined: 12 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By SLabyrinth (31 MAY 2007 2:35pm)
Ok, so the North American versions of Syberia II does or doesn't have Starforce? I wish that website would state which versions have Starforce because most of them are the Euro versions (sorry Europeans!).
The US version of Syberia II did not have S***Force. It used SafeDisc.
Besides that, has anyone actually had their own personal systems affected with Starforce? And if so, what happened?
Yes. Win 98. 1.2 GHz AMD. General system slowdown, noticeable on a nearly new install of Win 98SE. CD drive began taking longer to read CD's too. At the time, I didn't know to check if SF had enabled PIO mode. SF uninstaller didn't work on Win 98SE. Had to reformat to get rid of SF. The computer was much perkier after the reformat. Maybe if your computer is six times as fast as mine you wouldn't see a difference unless you had some sort of software that measured performance.
I've never actually heard of anyone personally having problems...
I personally had problems
just a friend of a friend type thing,
I've had friends on the Internet who had problems. The only gamer I know in real life is my brother, who has always avoided SF to start with.
so I'm starting to wonder if it isn't all just a bunch of hooey.
Maybe some is, but not all.
The company still is rotten to a core, that's for sure, but the actual ruining of hard drives... I dunno, it just seems far-fetched but still possible.
I don't know about ruining hard drives, but it sure slowed down my Win 98 computer. If it puts something in the MBR, as some people have maintained, an ordinary format won't touch it. But the MBR can be erased with a utility so it's not like it would be there forever. As for CD/DVD drives, at the very least SF stresses your CD drive during the CD check, but other copy prevention software does this as well. The Tages check for my Secrets of Atlantis DVD had my drive spinning up and slowing down 6 or 7 times before the game would start.
There was an article at the r-force.org website where the author claimed SF traversed his network and he found SF files on his iMac. If it actually did that, I'd like to know more about how. Is it set up to install to every partition it can access? Surely he didn't try to install the game to his Mac. Is there something weird about his setup? Unfortunately the more technical explanations have been deleted from the SF forum. There's some info at ***r-force link*** (This link sometimes works and sometimes not.) I'm tempted to register there so I can ask him more about SF traversing networks. He really needs to post the technical stuff, and do it some place where the SF reps can't have it deleted, so other people who are technically knowledgeable about how drivers work can check him out. Otherwise you don't know if he's full of it or not because he's just one guy. Unless he (and others) can duplicate SF infection across a network, you have to wonder whether his iMac might have gotten the SF files on it some other way. ***Another link*** though no technical info there.
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| 4 JUN 2007 at 4:09pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5587
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | If it puts something in the MBR, as some people have maintained, an ordinary format won't touch it. But the MBR can be erased with a utility so it's not like it would be there forever.
A simple DOS command will reset the MBR (IIRC) - FDISK /MBR - It seems unlikely that it would modify the MBR, most AV programs monitor access to it (as do many BIOS routines).
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