new method to bypass starforce3 !

[john486496]

Bypassing new starforce 3.x games without using SFnightmare or unplugging drives.


Test by Roms6 - 12/07/2005 Translated by French Lover.

This method should be right for all games protected by starforce 3.x without the need to use SF Nightmare or unplug your CD/DVD drives.

You need :

The right image of your game, I don't give you advices, as settings in Alcohol120% to create your image file vary for each game ;
VirtualDrive Pro 10, which will hide your drives safely and perfectly.

Daemon Tools 4.

VirtualDrive Pro 10 installation
Run VirtualDrive Pro, it should take a long time to install, as it copy his own drivers.

By default, VirtualDrive Pro will be installed in C:\Program Files\FarSton\VDPro.

VirtualDrivePro will ask you to install at least one drive. Note you can change the number of drives after installation.
Once it's finished, please reboot your computer as it said.

Using VirtualDrive pro

Before using your image with Daemon Tools 4, you have to set your software.

Right Click to VirtualDrive Pro icon on systeme tray , then click on « VCD Manager ».

In the new windows go to « Tools » then click on « Disable CD ». Quit VirtualDrive Pro ;

Mount image of your game protected by starforce in Daemon Tools 4. Note that all emulation must be set to off .

Run your game from a desktop shortcut. Be patient!


Re-enabling your drive

You can do this by coming back to "Tools" , then click on "Enable CD"

If your CD/DVD drives are not re-enabled, try this:
Go to control Panel, then System.
In new windows, go to Hardware tab, click on device manager
In DVD/CD ROM Drives section, right-click on your drive and select "activate"
Reboot to find again your drive in explorer.

[streetwolf]

I read about using VDP 10 defeating SF awhile back.

Some folks claimed it worked but it seemed to have caused other problems down the line.

I did some testing of it under a Virtual XP system to see what it did. All I could see is that it disabled the CD drive, IDE channel, or both in Device Manager. I can't remember what it did exactly.

I tried to do the same thing myself without using VDP 10 under my real XP system using Device Manager to disable things but could not get around SF.

As we all know those with nforce3/4 chipsets seem to be able to get around SF without the need to disable their IDE drives. I wonder if those that found VDP 10 to work don't also have nforce3/4 boards.

[Reef]

VD10 is the biggest crap I've ever installed. It sure could hide my drives, but not one SF game worked for me.
And when I wanted to re-enable my drives it just showed an error telling me there were no drives to enable. Quite funny to see that this software can hide drives for itself!
So here I was without my drives, even rebooting didn't bring em back. Until I checked device manager and noticed my optical drives were disabled.
Duh! I can do that manually too! I really don't need some buggy software to do that for me. So I just enabled the drives in device manager and everything was back to normal.

Just take a look at the interface of it, to me it looks like those devs spent more time on the interface than on functionality.

I like DT for it's simplicity. It does it's job and it's easy to use.
I hope the mounting part for DT Pro will be the same, with just a seperate tool to create the images.

[john486496]

hI all !

Reef,all drivers can mess a system.However this drivers works perfectly for me, at the contrary to SFNigtmare software and stpd drivers with my system.

People,feel free to try and to post your result here.

This is the consequences of complexity of protection.deprotection driversthat make different issue for each user.



I confirm that this method work with non nforce chipset:I have a intel Pentium M based chip.Be care to order and number correctly your drives.

However I have tested with only Trackmania sunrise (starforce 3.4.71.19).Maybe newest version of starforce blacklist VirtualDrive Pro.

,I think this could be a good product for backup cd/dvd.

It would be interessant to test the backup possibilities with starforce 3 (officially supported in v10)and securom 7..worse than alcohol120% ?
Can someone post his result here ?it would be nice:p

I don't have time to test with other games ,but I think if we combines this method with other and other tips against starforce (sfcure method,rename drivers of VDRIVEpro..) we can find new method to bypass starforce while waiting ide jammer's daemon tools!

Testers and specialists feel free to find this new ways with VirtualDrive pro,daemon tools,alcohol120% : WE NEED YOU !

[streetwolf]

I think you really need to try out VDP on the very latest versions of SF like what's in KK or POP TTT.

If I recall correctly the whole unplugging IDE drives was the result of the very latest version of SF.

Have you tried Trackmania by simply disabling your CD drive/IDE channel in Device Manager yourself? First do it with VDP to see what it does then do it yourself.

Unless VDP installs some low level IDE jamming driver (which btw would trump DT4 Pro) I don't see it doing anything exotic that we can't do in Device Manager ourselves.

[Reef]

For me it didn't work with Trackmania Sunrise (original version without the expansion). The PC I tested this on has a VIA chipset.
I know this game works in DT4 when I disable the secondary IDE channel (which my optical drives are on) in the BIOS. But only without the expansion. The expansion updates Starforce to 3.6 and then it only works with IDE drives unplugged.

[AnalCobra]

However I have tested with only Trackmania sunrise (starforce 3.4.71.19).Maybe newest version of starforce blacklist VirtualDrive Pro.

Trackmania Sunrise works with only disabling your drives (device manager, SFN), try a game like POP T2T or install the Extreme add-on for Trackmania (it can be downloaded for free, legal) this add-on will update the Starforce driver. Try if you can play it then too.

[john486496]

thanx for all your answers,guys !
I do interesting search so post will be long.

--------------------------------
FIRST PART STARFORCE PROTECTION:
The hide function of VirtualDrive Pro 10 is definively not the same as "desactivate" in Windows Device manager.

For me ,Trackmania sunrise doesn't run with desactivating in Windows Device manager.

Trackmania sunrise run with "disabling function" of Windows Device manager

So I think the hide function Tool in VirtualDrive Pro can be compared to SFNIghtmare,with less hardware/software issues than SFNIghtmare .


In addition it will be more safe to rename Virtual Drive oF vDPro10 or uninstall it on device manager (it's called FvFInc-CDDVD-2003-200x0800)
If you uninstall it,it will be reinstalled automatically
on next reboot,no problem

For newest version of starforce, someone has tested succesfully (although method hiding with SFNIGhTmare+DT4 Failed on his system) :
- Worms 4 Mayhem (incl. Update-Patch)
- Prince Of Persia - The Two Thrones
- Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (Retail)
- Trackmania Sunrise (incl. eXtreme Add-On/Patch) (work in !HaGaR! nvidia based system,but not in my Pm system!)

However can someone test it on non-nvidia based system? (no Centrino too,plz?)



I thinks it would be great to send a solution pack for each game on gamescopyworld instead only one with the fixed ******.
So users,who want to play his game without cd/dvd inserted should find a solution on his fit.



Also,I'm still convinced that with this new tools and with old tricks,we can bypass even the new versions of starforce.I repeat for news:

Testers and specialists feel free to find this new ways with VirtualDrive pro,daemon tools,alcohol120% : WE NEED YOU !

Anyone has try to create or copy his cd/dvd with VirtualDrivePro 10 with starforce3 options enabled.This tool should be more etudied with other to find new bypass methods!
------------------------------
SECOND PART:Trackamania sunrise

I have updated trackmania sunrise with trackmania sunrise extrem.

SO,New versions of starforce have been installed there (>3.4)



Before installing trackmania xtrem,I kept a backup of trackmania sunrise exe.


I run the old exe after installing trackmania extrem with VDPRO10 method.Fine,no problem.Of course,I can't play the game because media contents changed,but starforce is bypassed.
Note that I have never run the new exe of trackmania


------
Now I run the new exe,the games doesn't run trick is detected.

Now I run the old exe,it doesn't works anymore.
---Conclusion----:

I think new starforce were really set when I run the new exe.
THis is't not a news,because when you uninstall with sfcleaner (it doesn't do a good job for new version,note that) and you run the exe after it ask you to reboot to complete installation of starforce drivers.

In fact exe unpack starforce drivers which are stored in dat or dll file.

------

If you want to play sunrise extrem,with few restrictions,you can keep the old exe,but you will have to correct path in gamedata and resource.
This works for few things (tracks..)
Note that I have tried to add all features,6 month before to demo version ,but this didn't work.
------------------------------------

[AnalCobra]

I run the old exe after installing trackmania extrem with VDPRO10 method.Fine,no problem.Of course,I can't play the game because media contents changed,but starforce is bypassed.
Note that I have never run the new exe of trackmania


------
Now I run the new exe,the games doesn't run trick is detected.

Now I run the old exe,it doesn't works anymore.

With running the new exe the SF protection will be updated.
And with this new SF VD 10 doesn't work anymore.
I'll test it for myself, if the trial version has the fully functions.:wink:

[AnalCobra]

So i tried it with Worms 4. No luck.
I did it like you described it in your first thread.
Enabling my cd-rom doesn't work it got the same error like Reef but i could enable it in device manager. SF always said "put it into another drive", so the disable cd-rom function of VD Pro has no success with new SF Games. For old SF Games it should work but then you also can use SFN or disable them in device manager. It's easier to disable them with SFN or device Manager than with VD Pro, and SFN is a freeware tool.
So now i agree with reef

VD10 is the biggest crap I've ever installed

[morph55]

I'm downloading the trial of virtual drive 10 pro now.
73.7 mb download and i had to give a name and email address to get a download link.

I will test this tonight and report back.i will test with known\good images of latest starforce games, i have three.

These images run in dt with cables disconnected.
If it fucks my harddrive...no worrys as i use acronis true image and can get a clean install up in less than five minutes

[morph55]

Ok i downloaded and tested it with the directions from the original poster.
It did'nt work,it only disables the ide controller in device manager and this is not good enough for the latest starforce.

I disabled the optical drives from within virtual drive pro and this is the error we all know when i try to run the game.

INSERT THE GT LEGENDS DISC INTO ANOTHER DRIVE THEN PRESS "RETRY".

The funny thing is when i found it don't work "virtual drive pro" i decided to use the program to re-enable my ide controller and this is the message virtual drive pro generated.

ENABLE FAILED! PLEASE CONFIRM THE IDE CD-ROM IS INSTALLED ON YOUR SYSTEM.

How fucking lame is that, i had to go into device manager and enable it myself!!!.

Uninstalled it and used my trusty tune-up utilitys to get rid of all the reg entries.

ROLL ON DAEMON-TOOLS PRO

[Roms6]

Thanks to have quoted me

Thank you to have quoted me This method works to version 3.5 of StarForce, unfortunately, the drivers which this software installs are very unstable... Only the useful thing in this software is finally its dissimulator IDE :wink:

[Faux Carnival]

http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/showthread.php?t=8729

Have a look here!

[morph55]

http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/showthread.php?t=8729

Have a look here!

Don't work for me, cables must be pulled or use the original disc...that works really well.