Blocking installation of SF and similar..

[instanto]

Hi,

Does anyone know if there is an application or workaround out there that I can run which will BLOCK the installation of the Starforce drivers (or similar) when I install a game?

Last time I installed a game that had SF I had to reinstall WinXP.. and I dont want to do that again..

[Kinlaadare]

you can try jettico firewall if you don't have a x64 based OS, it will ask you a lot of questions... and when you install a SF based game, it will say "suspicious activity detected..."
There, you can deny, but your game won't run...

[instanto]

Yea, using Xp64.. dont want to get it 'infected'.. so thats why I wanted something to block it,s o I can install demos or whatever without getting fucked.

[Kinlaadare]

Have a look at tiny firewall... problem is it's not cheap (US$99) and i don't find it so reliyable (got stability problems with it)
Or there is the "hard" way : recovery console,

disable sfdrv01
disable sfhlp02 (don't remember if it 01 or 02 for this one)
disable sfvfs02

but when you'll lauch the game or the demo protected by SF, they will be reenable after reboot...

[instanto]

Ack... this really sucks.

The worst annoucement this year was when SF told everyone they are "compatible" with XP64.

Since many game demos released do not even inform you that they are infected before you haev installed it (and by then its too late).. it means you have to wait until 'word gets around'.

I guess it would be possible to install 'fake' starforce drivers/files that could not be overwritten, although I am not sure how much "Pressue" SF applies when it infects your system, possibly out-accessing my permissions to write itself to the %windir%\system32 etc folders.

Anyone tried to block it through fake SF Files + entries in Device Drivers?

Seems kinda excessive to use Tiny PF for this purpose actually. I remember I once had an application that 'warned me' whenever an application tried to do shit like write to the Windir folder or hook other processes.. I just forgot what it was called, it was like an "application firewall" protecting one process against another.

Thanks for your suggestions anyway :-)

I guess this Dual Boot system is gonna stay... have to install the demos in XP32 and see what they do. My 64-bit system is gonna stay clean. :-)

[Kinlaadare]

this is the problem... you will always need at least 2 OS on your computer, one to play, one to work... and maybe another to burn datas...

It was a pleasure

[instanto]

Could be that this would help in blocking SF installation..

http://www.diamondcs.com.au/processguard/index.php?page=download

Have to buy the full version to try it out though...


Anyone already have this application (or a similar one) who want to try blocking Starforce from being installed on their system? =)

[CLHatch]

Ack... this really sucks.
...
Seems kinda excessive to use Tiny PF for this purpose actually. I remember I once had an application that 'warned me' whenever an application tried to do shit like write to the Windir folder or hook other processes.. I just forgot what it was called, it was like an "application firewall" protecting one process against another.
...

An "Application Firewall" is part of ZoneAlarm now, so maybe that was it. That is the name they use for it, and it does basically what you said.

[Nikos]

Since many game demos released do not even inform you that they are infected before you haev installed it (and by then its too late).. it means you have to wait until 'word gets around'.

Demos install SF drivers too? Sounds funny; a demo doesn't need to verify if a CD is an original.

[Underheaven]

...

Spend some time on the starforce website. They're good at encryption, anti-debugging, and memory dumping protection.

I, however, would love to see a link of a game demo using this technology.

[NetSoerfer]

Demos install SF drivers too? Sounds funny; a demo doesn't need to verify if a CD is an original.

Think about it: Usually, in a game demo only the content changes, the .exe is the same (or very similar at the least). If they released a non-protected .exe, hackers could reverse-engineer that one instead of the retails version's .exe, so despite the copy protection's anti-reverse-engineering mechanisms it'd be pretty easy to write NoCDs.

I think that's the reason why they copy-protect demos.

[,jACkdA\W]

Hmm... but i think it shouldn't be that difficult for the game's programmers to just make the demo .exe 'incomplete' in some way, like they did f.e. with Gothic II or Urban Chaos... (yep, quite old stuff, i'm not interested in demos normally, as i prefer to check out retail versions for good reasons )

[Kinlaadare]

the GT legends is protected via SF... Bet on soldier, King Kong too...

[instanto]

There have been instances of game demos containing Starforce.. and unfortunately they are not flagged as such so you wont notice until you're tol to "reboot now".. and by then you're already infected...

Which is the reason I'd want something to block it before that happens.... =)

Really sucks that you can not buy the games (because of SF) and now you can not even play the demos (Because of the same)... Good thing World of Warcraft only uses WARDEN to spy on you. :-)

[,jACkdA\W]

I've found you can use their removal tool straight after getting this message (and of course answering it with a freaking big NO ), no point taken. And these days just check almost everything beforehand (means before running something) withA-Ray, for example... hey i ain't paranoid, i just use a computer in the year of our lord 2005 :P