rec.autos.simulators

> posted by I3thHouR

> Let me start by saying I am a developer and a Webmaster of a number of
> major Game related sites.

> I have 25 years experience in the Business thus I make very sure that
> I have fully researched what I comment about. My credentials precede
> me, I do not agree with or endorse software piracy. However to play my
> existing Starforce games I have had to crack them.

> Issues concerning Starforce.

> 1. They are based in Moscow so exempt from a number of the laws that
> we in the West rely upon. The 3rd Party Companies that use their copy
> protection are not exempt.

> 2. In Windows XP Starforce gives Ring 0 (super user level access) to
> Ring 3 (Standard users). In normal English this basically means that
> any third party application such as Trojans or Viri are given the
> ability to have full access the both software and hardware.

> 3. As many of you will be aware XP does have DMA/IDE issue thats
> dates back to its creation. In which if packets are lost during the
> reading or writing of a disk. XP interprets this as an error and steps
> the IDE speed down. Eventually it will revert to 16bit compatibility
> mode rendering a CD/DVD writer virtually unusable. In some
> circumstances certain drives cannot cope with this mode and it results
> in physical hardware failure (Most commonly in multiformat CD/DVD
> writer drives). A sure sign of this step down occurring is that the
> burn speeds will get slower and slower (no matter what speed you
> select to burn at). Starforce on a regular basis triggers this silent
> step down. Until it reaches the latter stages most peeps do not even
> realise it is happening.

> Excluding the Hardware failure, the normal way to cure this is to
> uninstall all the CD/DVD drivers and the Primary/Secondary IDE
> controllers. (Then reboot). If you did not know about Starforce, you
> can now be faced with another problem. Normally windows searches and
> reinstalls the drivers. However with Starforce present this can cause
> the system to either fail to find the hardware or fail to find the
> drivers. Creating the illusion that the hardware has failed.

> This gets even worse if you have SCSI hardware/virtual drives. SCSI
> virtual printer driver (basically any SCSI hardware/Virtual drivers
> present) As these may have to be removed before the other hardware
> becomes visible.

> 4. Because Starforce are aware of these issues (Including the Trojan
> Gateway) this is exempt from the EULA and could be deemed as "Gaining
> access with malicious intent". Not only would starforce be liable, but
> also the 3rd party company that endorsed/used that application.

> Ubisoft really need to do themselves a favour and dump Starforce. They
> have earned their quotas on the existing titles. So there is no reason
> not to make full bypasses available in a legit format.

> An example of my system using Starforce from a Ubisoft Game. My Athlon
> 64Bit 3200+ Clawhammer started running like its components where stuck
> on treacle, My Burn proof DVD writers created more coasters than they
> use at a state banquet and overall it was about as stable as a one
> legged man in a hurricane.

> It's not my intention to put the industry out of business (They are
> achieving that under their own steam), however using so called copy
> protection that is nothing more than a glorified Trojan Gateway is not
> the way to stay in business.

> Trojan Gateway:
> I do not make such a comment lightly and I have proof of this
> occurring and of exploits already using it. I have openly challenged
> Starforce to prove otherwise and their response was not to comment or
> to refer to the EULA (As if the EULA exempted them from installing
> malicious software). Although to be fair technically Starforce is not
> malicious, it just leaves the door wide open for software that is.

> In my professional capacity I am aware that a number of corporations
> that had been previously flexible about staff playing games during
> normal breaks. Now ban the usage of any 3rd party Games in the work
> place (Because of the Starforce security issues). Also a number of us
> who review games are now refusing to touch any games protected by
> Starforce as we are not prepared to compromise our system stability
> and security anymore.

> So basically if us reviewers will not handle them and the customers
> are now boycotting them. How exactly do Ubisoft intend to continue to
> sell games?

>> XP/XP Dualboot with a seperate ***/simming partition will limmit the
>> sideeffects of Starforce. Tripple boot would probably be best.
>> Productivity,
>> ***/simming and ***/simming with SF. :)

>> Jone T.

> Starting with Vista, you will no longer have the ability to boot
> multiple OS's from the same hard drive (or system?) that contains Vista.

> > I suspect that's a side-effect of the image-installation process it will
> > have.

> I tend to agree with the "don't blame on malice what can be explained by
> stupidity" viewpoint, but to me it looks like another attempt by M$ to
> "own" our PC's  and make it as hard as possible for the user to install
> competing products on the same hardware.

> Anyone remember M$ explicitly denying major hardware vendors the right
> to sell multi-boot configuration machines under the threat of increasing
> windows volume licensing costs to them?

> All the best, uwe

> They have identified dual-booting as a "security risk".

> > They have identified dual-booting as a "security risk".

> I guess they're on about the security of their account balance. MS
> taking a stab at IT security always sounds a bit funny ;)

> > Technically,
> > they are correct.  You can boot into another OS and, with a sector
> > editor, modify system files of any other OS installed on the disk.  
> > Granted, that's out of reach of most people nowadays, but it's possible.

> I assume they've also gotten rid of the possibility to boot off a CD /
> DVD, network PROM  or floppy then? Oh wait, that's a BIOS feature, I
> wonder if they'll pressure BIOS makers into removing that feature in the
> name of "security", too. ;-)

> All the best, uwe