Unexpected request for activation

[foxwxl]

Hello..

 

I'm a user of the ENG version DCS. I have install 1.01a and everything is OK, but after some time not playing ,and I saw the 1.01b patch, then I install it and try to run the game.....and the DCS call me to active the game again for the hardware has been changed.

 

I'm using a notebook, and I'm very sure that none of the hardware has ever been change seen I brought the notebook.Also I've active the game again with lost another time of activation, I am very confused why that happen? As we all know the DCS don't have many times for activations, I don't want to lose the activation times again without any reason...

 

So why did that happened? NO changing hardware; NO reinstall the system; NO reinstall the DCS, I'm very confused...:doh:

[foxwxl]

In additional, for the same time and the same computer, my LOCKON FLAMING CLIFFS 1.12A(WEB) does not asking for another activation. That's really a strange thing....Does anybody knows it?

[EtherealN]

Did you have any peripherals connected, like a cellular telephone with storage capacity or suchlike connected to the computer at the time? This hasn't caused issues for myself, but I have seen people reporting some unexpected behaviour when connecting cellulars that use the windows operating system. Further information on that, if that is what might have happened, would be very helpful.

[hamelkarl]

Does DCS have an activation limits on D2D...?

[EtherealN]

As far as I know, all distributon media has the same system - that is, StarForce ProActive with 8 Activations and 10 Deactivations. The exception is the original russian DVD version.

 

I haven't checked D2D specifically, but I would expect it holds true for that. Check your Quicklaunch manual document in your installation folder or Start Menu folder.

[foxwxl]

Did you have any peripherals connected, like a cellular telephone with storage capacity or suchlike connected to the computer at the time? This hasn't caused issues for myself, but I have seen people reporting some unexpected behaviour when connecting cellulars that use the windows operating system. Further information on that, if that is what might have happened, would be very helpful.

 

No...I haven't brought my cell phone connected with my computer at that time....

 

But as you remind , I just remember that I have my PSP newly connected to the PC serval days before the activation , but it is not connected to the computer at that time either......

 

Does the DCS's starforce recgnized the PSP as a NEW HARDWARE?! :shocking:

[EtherealN]

No, it isn't, but depending on how the drivers made for connecting the PSP are made it's possible that your computer designates it as new hardware. F.ex, your computer might decide to treat the memory card on the PSP as just another regular HDD, and the only way for SF to differentiate would be through installing drivers with direct hardware access.

 

...which incidentally was the thing people used to hate with StarForce, and on users specific request ED was nice enough to select a StarForce solution that does not do so. ;)

 

But this is speculation. Even if it were to detect it has a HDD change that shouldn't be enough, since mere change in amount of HDD's isn't enough to make the SF ProActive solution request a new activation. On my gaming rig I've swapped hard drives around a lot of times and it hasn't requested a new activation.

 

It is possible that something completely different changed, like the Operating System doing some kind of maintenance on itself and getting a fault. It really is hard to say.

 

I'll see if I can find the StarForce site that allows you to check your key status. There you should be able to see exactly when activations were requested and updated, and you could go through your computer's maintenance logs to see if something was changed at those times.

[EtherealN]

http://proactive.star-force.com/2.0/activate.php

 

Go there, enter your key, and click the "serial number parameters" link. Do not share your key. The only case where someone would legitimately need to know your key would be if an ED support person handles your case.

 

In there you'll find a log of things happening, including activations and deactivations, dates and times, IP numbers and so on.

 

---

 

EDIT: Also, upon some further review, if I understand the system correctly the hard drives should only matter if it's the hard drive you launch the simulator from.

Edited October 29, 2009 by EtherealN

[hamelkarl]

Ok I found this :

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=568704&postcount=3

 

I think it should be somewhere more easy to see for people downloading the game. Finally I didn't take the game on d2d but on here.

 

Does re-installing my OS with the same license key would count like an activation where I didn't deactivate? This have probably happened once or twice since I have the game and now that I am aware of this, I want to be sure in case for the future. Thanks!

 

Karl

[EtherealN]

Reinstalling the OS is something that you want to deactivate for, yes.

[foxwxl]

Serial Number: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Product: Black Shark

Company: The Fighter collection

 

Activated: Yes

Number of activations has been exceeded: No

Blacklisted: No

Expired: No

 

Type: Release

Number of activations used/total: 2 /8

 

Time parameters

 

Serial Number parameter Value

Serial Number lifetime: Unlimited

Time between activations: Unlimited

First activation date: Unlimited

Serial Number expiration date: Unlimited

Activation key lifetime: Unlimited

Total operation time of the application: Unlimited

 

 

 

Advanced parameters

 

Serial Number parameter Value

Level of binding to computer: Medium

Number of machines: Unlimited

Functionality restrictions

Right1 Disabled

Right2 Disabled

Right3 Disabled

Right4 Disabled

Right5 Disabled

Number of runs: Unlimited

Regions allowed for activation: All regions

User-defined parameter: Unlimited

 

 

Parameters marked out with italic are not available for the version of this protection project. In order to be able to use them, the project has to be updated to more recent version of the protection.

 

 

Hardware Code PNU2X-MU8VT-9B6GU-Q59LY-HF5G6-JEK2M-5MEB

License state Activated

Activation Date May 05 2009 13:01

Region China

IP 58.39.171.XXX

Activated by SMS No

Hardware Code 7W2JP-Z82NR-GGU8Z-JHJYP-EGA9A-YVWCK-GEEL

License state Activated

Activation Date Oct 26 2009 12:18

Region China

IP 221.239.230.XXX

Activated by SMS No

 

Number of the serial number's activations used: 2

Edited October 30, 2009 by foxwxl

[foxwxl]

No detailed informations......all the info is not clickable........Can't find out what's really influence the starforce..........It's very strange the DCS asked for actvation and the LOFC didn't.

 

As a user for using the ED's product for so long time(LOMAC,LOFC,BS), certainly I know ED's worry for those illegal copys of their product and the use of STARFORCE. But I have to say the limations for LOFC and DCS are really too high and cost a lot of problems. Players pay for the products and still have to worry about the times that we can still use the game, that's very annoying...

 

I have bought some other games also using the STARFOCE, but they have better solutions. They just limite the numbers of activations for every year.

Like 8 times per year. This is enough to prevent those illegal copys and not trouble the customers too much. Wish ED could have a change on starforce.

Edited October 30, 2009 by foxwxl

[EtherealN]

Well, what we can se is that your hardware code has changed completely. That means your computer did something drastic (indeed, I have such a change when I installed on a completely new computer...), be it with your knowledge or without it. You still do have 6 activations and 10 deactivations left, however, so you'll be fine for a long time.

 

If you really have no clue what has happened in your computer, I would recommend checking your operating system's update history.

 

Also, there will be no protracted discussion about StarForce. This only leads to flamewars. But I would like you to compare the system ED has selected with the systems selected by many major publishers, for example the 3 activations total and no deactivations used by EA in Spore and many other of their games, the 5 activations of Crysis, Stalker and so on. ED have a comparatively generous solution selected. And that is as far as that discussion will go. We can help you try to figure out what caused your new activation use, but we will not let this transform into a thread about StarForce.

[foxwxl]

Allright , if you're annoying with the SF discussing, then skip it.

 

Back to the main subject, I didn't update the system for a very long time, remain on XP SP2. Just install the MS hotfix ,which I consider will not trouble the SF.

 

And is it available to retrieve the hardware list by those hardware codec? If we can see clearly which hardware has been change, mybe we can prevent this next time