Beware starf**k (Possible dodgy software installed with your game)

Arthur Krupp

Err, Starforce....
http://www.gonegold.com/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007806
http://www.gonegold.com/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=017575

Basically, malware, but given to you from games...
Here's the lowdown:
* Starforce is an extremely aggressive method of copy protection that actually works at the hardware level of your PC.

* It installs device drivers WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE or CONSENT.

* these device drivers are HIDDEN from normal view. They can be displayed by opening Device Manager, and clicking on "View" and then on "Show Hidden Devices"

* Even DEMOS install Starforce! as if there could be ANY possible reason for copy protecting a DEMO.

* Removal of the full game or demo that installed the drivers DOES NOT REMOVE THE STARFORCE DEVICE DRIVERS.

* important: manual removal of the device drivers can result in severe system problems.
* as far as I know, there is NO MENTION of the Starforce drivers in the EULA's of games that use it. If anyone knows different, please let us know.

So we've gone from sopy protection that doesn't allow you to play your games to stuff that f**ks up your computer....joy....

jesus_thats_gre

Dirty filthy bastards!

Boro

Absolutely disgusting

http://www.boycottstarforce.org/

that site is still under construction atm - think they are reviewing legal implications before they post all their info.

Squall

Crap too late. Installed with the chaos league demo. This is taking it too far. :mad:

Deadwing

What do they do to your system? Bork it up if you use pirate version or something?

Mr E

Seems to bork up your system if you try and remove it.

List of starforced games here: http://home.insightbb.com/~gime/modules.htm

Deadwing

Theyve some cheek, intalling potentially dangerous software in your system without forewarning you. It'd be like installing a time bomb in a car, so if it gets stolen, it blows up and kills the thief. Now i know youd want justice on someone who nicked your car, but blowing them up would be a tad over the line. And in alot of cases its be like the timebomb blowing up the owner of the vehicle just for trying to remove the damn thing!

Down with this sort of thing!

Stephen

****, I have broken sword 3 installed, apparently that uses this ****ty system.

shinzon

Bloody hell i have X2 here and had it installed for ages, wonder was that what was fooking up my machine

If its is then theres legal implications involved

This really is not on

Shin

[CrimsonGhost]

UFO: AFtermath had/has it. Totally borked my system when I uninstalled the game a few months back. I had been wondering just what had caused that.

LoBo

any actual info on this?

http://www.star-force.com/ appears to be the official site for the product, but can't find much info about it...

Töpher

IS that list frequently updated? Because frankly I'm going to outright refuse to purchase any game that uses this system. [Even HL2/Doom3 if thats the route they choose...]

bizmark

Originally posted by shinzon
Bloody hell i have X2 here and had it installed for ages, wonder was that what was fooking up my machine

If its is then theres legal implications involved

This really is not on

Shin

Me too

Boro

Apparently jsut having Starf***up installed can seriously compromise your system leading to instability and system crashed. Lots of people have reported issues with CDRWs and DVDRoms - in both reading and burning cd's. Some drives refuse to read any discs at all. Some of the software refuses to install if you have any disc copying software such as Nero installed also.

If you want to remove the software (not automatic with the game removal) you can b0rk your system completely. I think the removal tool on that boycottstarforce page will get rid of it without the complications.

Squall

I think the removal tool on that boycottstarforce page will get rid of it without the complications.

Ya. Tryed it last night. Seems to have removed the drivers alright. Ill wait and see if theres any instability.

Sleipnir

Fcuk me!


From the starforce website.


The StarForce Protection Shell generates a hash encrypted and condensed "Hardware Code", (amongst other parameters a very unique signature to identify the end users unique PC hardware, system, and software-configuration and its changes).

The end user forwards the Serial Number and Hardware Code to the StarForce ProActive Server by either a fully automated and secure Internet connection, or manually via email, phone or fax.

Boro

From the GoneGold website linked in the first post:

"I looked at the error report from Starforce 3 and it contained a list over all running programmes, a list of every application/game/whatever I have installed on my computer including ALL items from the "start/programs" menu, and some other details I did'nt want to send off - and which would'nt be of interest for troubleshooting anyway." -- Alexander B.

CombatCow

Yeah i noticed that codename panzers installed SCSI drivers after the game installed and i had to reboot, like WTF....:mad:

CC

RobertFoster

Originally posted by Stephen
****, I have broken sword 3 installed, apparently that uses this ****ty system.

It says it's Region: US

Run this and let me know if it turns anything up for the European version.

SantaHoe

Originally posted by Arthur Krupp
* these device drivers are HIDDEN from normal view. They can be displayed by opening Device Manager, and clicking on "View" and then on "Show Hidden Devices"

Any idea what they're called?
Just incase it's not something obvious like "Starforce malware device"

Down with starforce the cheeky bastagers.

Töpher

Its StarForce <Something>, I think the name will dpeend on the version being used by the publisher, but it should always begin with Starforce...

jonski

for XP pro , roughly the same for other os's

right click "my computer"
click "properties"
click "hardware"
click "device manager"
click "view"
click "show hidden devices"
click "non plug and play drivers "
check under "s"

bingo! 3 of them .

balkieb2002

Any idea what they're called? Just incase it's not something obvious like "Starforce malware device" Down with starforce the cheeky bastagers.

got this off that gone gold page. Should be all the names ya looking for.

Jetpilot

3 of em here, and I dont even have any of the games on that list!

flogen

thats pretty fúcked up tbh...

thanks jonski, btw, couldnt figure out where my device manager was!!
thankfully theres no sign of the drivers on my PC.... will be vigilant in future too

flogen

Töpher

Jetpilot, that list isn't up to date and comprehensive. There's lots more that aren't know about/have come out since. :mad:

Champ

If you want to remove the software (not automatic with the game removal) you can b0rk your system completely. I think the removal tool on that boycottstarforce page will get rid of it without the complications.

Ah damn; i went through the manual way of getting rid of it both in the registry and system files. Didn't know there was a tool:rolleyes:

Well no problems here after that little operation; and i think its gone i've no reason to believe otherwise.

That starforce crap left stuff littered all over the place; especially in the registry.. :mad:

Talk about blatantly modifying a system without permission :mad:

ArphaRima

I'm really pissed off about this.

I have two of those games. One of them was a DEMO. bastards.

amp

I'm going to sticky this for a while.

RobertFoster

Originally posted by Stephen
****, I have broken sword 3 installed, apparently that uses this ****ty system.

contacted a few friends with the PC version (one english guy and a new zealander) and neither found starforce drivers, so it seems to be the US version of BS3 only.

neXus9

Originally posted by LoBo
any actual info on this?

http://www.star-force.com/ appears to be the official site for the product, but can't find much info about it...

I just imagined, when seeing the picture on the right in the site, the guy in the middle going "starforce f*cked up my computer!!!" and the other guys laughing their asses off.

hal9000

GRRRR!! this makes me really angry :mad: god damn X2 and i thought germans had more class than to put this on it

Syth

That's atrocious. I'm sure there is some legal definition of virus out there. Everyone affected should send an offical letter to them demanding compensation. If they get enough complaints they might stop. Or go into the shop you baught it from and say it has a virus and you want compensation from them. That might encourage shops not to stock those games, they'd listen to that.

neXus9

Originally posted by Syth
Or go into the shop you baught it from and say it has a virus and you want compensation from them. That might encourage shops not to stock those games, they'd listen to that.

Yeah, good idea.

neXus9

You want a removal tool???

Here ya go!!!

Yay for codemasters!!

Hobbes

Originally posted by neXus9
You want a removal tool???

Here ya go!!!

Yay for codemasters!!

I don't know what the fuss is about.

If you email the Starforce company they will supply you with a removal tool you can use.

Not all the games require starforce to be there to play the game.

Töpher

It's too late for some people though, because of the nature of this program, alot of people are having to format drives etc. Removal tools a bit late then. It should have been properly tested before being unleashed upon the public. It clearly can't have been, because something with this many issues would not have been allowed out! It's disgraceful, botching cd drives and everything, jesus. Even IF it had been tested properly, I still disagree with installing hardware level drivers, thats asking for trouble tbh.

Ciaran500

There are alot of rumours that Doom 3 is going to be protected by Starforce in the US. Just a warning to anyone thinking of importing. :dunno:

Mad Mike

Another victim of Starforce here - suspect it was X2 did it.

Nice interview on Firing Squad gives a fairly balanced view
http://www.firingsquad.com/features/starforce_interview/

Lets not fool ourselves here - copy protection is a nessecary evil and those thoughtless f*ckwits who download cracked versions of Doom3 are doing more harm to genuine gamers than any of this.

That said Starforce and those publishers who suscribe to it have gone about this the wrong way. This cloak and dagger business of installing hidden drivers which are hard to get rid of is very seedy and extremely unsettling.

If they must install intrusive security measures then
i) Tell us they are doing it
ii) don't hide the bloody things
iii) Give us an option to opt out (and I don't mean a twenty page EULA that no-one ever reads)
iv) Tell use eactly what they are doing.
iii) Point us to a FAQ allaying our fears
iv) Allow us to uninstall them when we uninstall the game.
v) Open a real dialog with end users (forum /faq & so on for reporting and fixing problems).

Microsoft may be everybodys favorite enemy but they certainly handled their intrusive copy protection a lot better than this. You may not like having to register Msoft software but at least Microsoft tell you what they are doing and what the implications are.

neXus9

Mad Mike wrote:

Microsoft may be everybodys favorite enemy but they certainly handled their intrusive copy protection a lot better than this. You may not like having to register Msoft software but at least Microsoft tell you what they are doing and what the implications are.

Well, there was a time where they were checking our PCs for legitimate copies without telling us. They first denied it, then said they don't do it anymore, now they say they only check the code.

Also if you have illegal code they totally f*ck up your hard disk. My dad's friend forgot to get his copy registered so they nuked his PC. AFAIK, all his data was fecked.

jimoc

I've installed about 15 games on my systems, both cracked and uncracked that use starforce.
So far I haven't even had a crash on my systems and they've been running for over 6 months, which in and of itself is a miracle where windows is concerned!!!
Is it possible that its only certain hardware configurations that starforce are causing issues with.
Maybe we could start a new thread and people could post in what games they've installed, what componenents they have and what has happened to them.
I'm against Starforce myself and believe its the unholy spawn of Bill Gates and the devil but its the way publishers are going and there is little enough we can do about it.
I think the number of people who buy and install the games and know nothing about drivers etc, far outweigh the number of us who know what is going on and refuse to buy the game. Therefore complaining or boycotting will get no action.
However if we can give the developers a list of hardware configurations that it craps out on then maybe we can get something fixed.

amp

Unstickied.