StarForce

No more drivers in StarForce DRM. As you see we try to avoid disc based protection as the only possible way to perfom protection agains emulators - use own driver. No disc = no emulator threat.

Нет, две не будет. Максимум одна.

Sure. For example publisher decided to set time preiod = 2 weeks. That means that after you burn last activation StarForce server starts to count 2 weeks and then added one actrivation for your serial number. So, in a 2 weeks you may activate the game one more time. After you activate it, server starts to count time period again. And this process goes permanently.

Уважаемые пилоты! Рад сообщить, что "DCS: A-10C Warthog" станет первой игрой с внедренной технологией автоматического добавления активаций. Что это за штука, вкратце. Технология позволяет легитимному пользователю КАК БЫ иметь бесконечное количество активаций. Безусловно мы не можем предоставить бесконечное количество активаций напрямую, так как это = неконтролируемое распространение = потеря доходя разработчика. Мы решили сделать вот что: как только вы потратили последнюю активацию, сервер StarForce начнет считать период времени (который задается издателем), по истечении которого вам будет возвращена одна активация. Потратили ее, сервер опять считает и так далее. Надеюсь это пригодится. Готов ответить на вопросы.

Dear community, I'm glad to announce that "DCS: A-10C Warthog" game is the very first one that use StarForcer AAA Technology. What AAA is? AAA - Automatically Add Activations Shortly, it offer licensed user unlimited number of activations. But you may understand that actually unlimited activation = no control over sales = huge piracy rate. That's why we decided to add one activation back in time period = X secs/mins/hours/days............., after the last activation is burnt (time period is decided by publisher). It's mean that right after you use you last activation StarForce Server starts to count the time period, and give activation back once this period is over. Hope this option will be usefull for you. Have a nice flight! NB. Ready to answer questions.

Did you ever heard of customer support? Those SH3 users, who did and who had some problems with drives, contacted us and got their game working after 1-2 e-mails.

No wonder why I haven't seen any Dlink produced games. Try considering the possibility that the publisher may know the industry better. Furthermore I will only answer exact technical questions about protection system.

1. Don't see how this is related to the thread. 2. The protection system is quite complex. It is possible to create a real strong protection, but in this case the time is required for source code modification. Not every publisher has such time for each title. There are examples of the games that were never cracked both on Russian and world-wide market.

No idea, it's up to ED policy. On our side it takes less then 30 seconds to generate a new serial number(s).

Don't know the details about that program, but basically the protection is completely transparent for the protected application, i.e. it works exactly the same way as unprotected one. The only difference is hardware/CD check on startup.

Once again, not after 5 installs, but after 5 serious hardware updates.

The version and settings are defined while the protection process and are hardcoded into the protection library as well as into the protected application. Therefore, you cannot replace the protection library from one title to another (otherwise, there is no lot of sense in the protection system, isn't it? :)). You can install drivers by simple calling LoadLibrary function on any protection library. I can send you a sample if you privmsg your e-mail address.

It's impossible to fix the bug in the prohlp02.sys + prodrv06.sys files. The newer version of StarForce doesn't use these files. However, if updater finds one of them and contains some newer version it still updates the files. I can send you some recent protect.dll if you're interesting.

Sorry for the delay. Tried to login several days ago but got "forum is not available" error or something like this. The error appears in prohlp02.sys + prodrv06.sys files. It was fixed in 3.04.066 version (you may check the version in the properties of the protection library, protect.dll by default). This version uses sfhlp02.sys + sfdrv01.sys files. So if you use StarForce driver remover and then starts some newly protected (3.04.066 or above) game in order to install the drivers, then you won’t be able to use the exploit.

See above. Moscow, Russia. The company was founded in 1998. SF provides publishers with copy protection system, which decides whether to block the protected application startup or to allow it. In case if you change your hardware and there are no more activations left for your serial number, then yes, you would not be able to start the game unless you get new serial number. See above. There are versions with and without drivers. It is up to publisher to decide which one to use. The driver version is much more stronger protected against the crackers; therefore, it is usually used for highly expected games. Drivers don’t disable using of the ISO and also doesn't have any hidden functionality. If you have any technical question/problem, send a mail to support@star-force.com; we'll find a solution.