StarForce copy protection - has it trashed my DVD drives?

[Virtualwombat]

Hi folks, Last week I was unwise enough to try a disk from the cover of PC User magazine, which had a demo version of the new King Kong game. The game would not run on my machine and so I uninstalled it. I then found my DVD multiformat burner had stopped working properly. It could no longer burn CDs, although it could still read DVDs. I then read a disclaimer on the disk that said the game I had tried to load was copy protected with the StarForce system and to use it at my own risk. On further investigation, I found there is a furore raging on the net about StarForce trashing multiformat DVD burners; exactly what has happened to me.I had already uninstalled the game, and tried to uninstall the StarForce copy protection files with the tool available from the manufacturer for this purpose. The drive still would not work, so I had to go out and buy a new one. This I installed and it seems to work OK.Now on further testing I find the second DVD drive on my system is also not working. Something must still be wrong somewhere!Do you think I should try re-formatting the hard disk and re-loading Windows. Or is there some less drastic solution?Cheers,Noel.

[Guest SoarPics]

Do you think I should try re-formatting the hard disk and re-loading Windows.That seems a bit drastic at this point in time. Have you tried reinstalling the drive's firmware? Certainly it would be a good thing to get the Starforce stuff off your system. It's as bad as any virus out there.Good luck,Greg

[Virtualwombat]

Thanks Greg! Didn't even know about firmware until you made the suggestion. I'll give it a go and see if it helps.Cheers,Noel.

[Guest christianholmes]

Hi,The whole thing seems a bit drastic to tell you the truth. I can say with 100% certainty that Starforce did not actually break your drive- It's nearly an impossible feat for software drivers to actually destroy hardware. Basic exceptions of course would be a program that forced your hardrive heads to seek back and forth non-stop for a week or so (I've seen Emule and other file sharing programs that cause heavy disk use cause them to fail).But in 99.999% of situations it's just not possible. They certainly didn't modify the firmware on your drive. They are even holding a contest for the first person who can prove that Starforce actually caused damage to their drive. It does work in annoying, intrusive ways, and probably screwed up some drivers or windows settings.Don't get me wrong- I think Starforce is annoying, but I haven't had any trouble with 3 different drives so far, and certainly you shouldn't have to buy a new drive to get it to work.Personally, I think reinstalling Windows is a good option. All versions of Windows can benefit from a clean install every now and then. If you configure an install early, and plan ahead, then reinstalling is usually not a big deal. I just upgraded on Saturday, and I too had to buy a new drive- My old one would not work with my new mobo. Oh well. But the actuall install about an hour.What you should do is put in a second drive that you use for "archives". i.e. put everything important on this drive. You can redirect the "My Documents" folder, save your .pst, etc. to this drive. Then, when you wipe your C: drive, most of your stuff (including system drivers you might need for the install) will be readily available. Then you just need to reinstall your programs.Anyway, I'm rambling- But I would take that drive back, and save your money. Reinstalling Windows might help speed things up a little for you too.

[Guest SoarPics]

http://www.glop.org/starforce/Greg

[Cruachan]

Very handy reference, Greg. Thanks :)Currently, the only game I have on the list is 'X2: The Threat' and I see I applied the patch some time a go.Regards,Mike