Boy, I sure hope my drive is ok. I'm not sure if it is or not. I built my new computer back in March. I used the DVD-RW drive very little, because I didn't have many programs to install at the time. Shortly after, I got SHIII. My drive doesn't make a loud whizzing sound when I boot-up - even with a CD in the drive. It does make a loud whizzing sound when a CD starts or Autoplay kicks in. I've been figuring it is the nature of the beast (reads CDs at 48x). It is a Lite-On Dual Layer DVD-RW.

http://www.liteonamericas.com/us/DVDRW_1673S.htm

So far I can burn and read discs ok. If it dies I will be quite unhappy, to say the least. The only game I have with Starforce is SHIII. Chances are I will not get any other game with SF (even if that means no SHIV). :cry:

Guys, it isn´t even clear if SF really can destroy drives! For me it´s still some kind of urban legend. Soulcommander has unfortunately ignored my question about how many people reported destroyed drives to him and if that number is much higher than the usual failure rate of such drives. He simply thinks that SF killed his Plextor drive, but he has no proof.

After reading through this thread, I'm also not convinced at this point that SF can physically ruin hardware.

I've had 2 DVD burners replaced in recent machines. Neither had SF installed on them.

That being said, it's obvious that SF is agressively intrusive and certainly interferes with many a system's software/driver functionability.

I have had a lot of CD-ROMs wear out for no reason - they're still in a pile next to the rest of my old computer parts (I never throw anything out). But you're right, we don't know for sure what's happening.

I have also noticed my 5.25" floppy is not working properly anymore (yes, 5.25"). All disks show up as blank 1.2MB, whether or not they are actually 360Kb or have information written on them. It worked fine until about a week after I installed SH3. I also noticed that since installing the game, occasionally when accessing games on CD or DVD, the 5.25 floppy starts up as if there is a disk in it. Meanwhile, a different 5.25 floppy on another of my computers with Windows XP Pro works fine.

Weird...is this some side effect no one knows about? I doubt the floppy is destroyed though - disks still can be read even if they show up with the wrong format and without information on them. Of course, an old 5.25 floppy from a discarded 486 isn't worth as much as a new DVD-RW ($0 compared to $80-$150).

Anyway, I would really like to know if my optical drives are in any danger. Even if they are all right now, maybe they could be destroyed in the future. I might have to remove the game anyway - I can't take a chance on $300 worth of hardware.

No, I don´t think so. You wrote in another post that you´ve never noticed excessive drive speed, there´s no reason to believe that SF harms your hardware.

Well, is there anything I can do to keep it that way? For example, not rebooting with a disk in the drive?

Yeah, remove the disk if you like.

Very good point sir! I have SP! installed when my drive was affected. After troubleshooting (3 reformatts) I decided to take the plunge and now have sp2 installed but no SHIII or Starforce.

Well if an apple falls from the tree that your standing under and hits you on the head you don't look at the apple and say where did you come from. And you don't look at the tree and say why are there apples on it. When countless people are having issues like this and its right after the install of SHIII with Starforce on it or soon after you don't discredit them. Ubisoft has told me there are problems related to Starforce. Please stop trying to discredit us that have problems.

I agree in that it very well may not physically destroy them, but it DOES appear to make them cease to function. (At which point I think most people would consider it a matter of symantics.) If it don't work, it don't work!

In my case, it don't work (burn) ever since I installed the game. IF I have to rebuild my system, (and yes, for the benefit of the person who was confused about this in an earlier post, formatting and reinstalling software IS called rebuilding), then I may as WELL go out and buy another drive. (Assuming of course that I could install it with any potential SF registry keys left in or DLL's that is)

So, destroyed or not, functionality is impaired and that is certainly enough for me, and I think most everyone else.

S

Not everyone is being affected. But we actually don't know the numbers that have been and didn't have enough knowledge or luck to come to the forums or to even think that it could be a game that hurt my drive. The only indication that may have helped some like me is the statment on the box in the USA thats says in very very small print on the back of the box:
NOTICE: This game contains technology intended to prevent copying that may conflict with some CD-RW, DVD-RW and Virtual drives.


Some people take their machines to a repair facility to get them fixed. Some that can do it themselves throw in anotehr drive that may be affected or may not be ...We can't be sure how many have been hurt by this.
To be safe..Just don't install anything with Starforce on it at this time.

Also removing the game does NOT get rid of Starforce. The only way to be certain is a complete reformat. The tools that Starforce gives you to remove the drivers is not a complete clean uninstall. registry entrees and all. So to be sure you have to d a reformatt. Sorry, you want safe? Thats the only way to be sure.

I tried using the SF removal tool and thought it had removed SF, then I looked in Device manager, clicked on View then Hidden Devices... I found SF still had some files there.
I then right clicked to uninstall them, I got a window saying I must reboot to uninstall these drivers, I did this and on the rebooted machine I looked again and they were still there.
Second attempt seemed to work, the SF drivers didn't show, looks like they are gone.

i had to get a new motherboard in order to use my dvd/cd drive because after starforce, i had to buy a controller that plugged into the motherboard in order for the drive to actually work. thanks starforce!

Sir you can't say I have no proof. You don't live in my house.
Your German right? So Am I! Do you discount that the Nazi's killed Jews? I told you Ubi has all the proof they need. I don't need to give you proof. Aaron's Article and his co workers were also affected. Donit you think the folks that come here to this forum are proof? Do you think we are all here to waste your time and ours playing games? Your just like someone else on Ubisofts forum who had to have proof .
Stop with this crap already!
Starforce wants to pay you for your time, go collect your check.

For those of you that want to carry on with getting help and find this forum to be unfriendly you can go here:
http://forums.ubi.com/groupee/forums...2091013073/p/1

Or write me a pm and I will do all I can to help you.

I have already asked you three times about how many people you know whose drives were actually destroyed, just like yours. You always say "countless people", but never tell us some numbers. I have the feeling that you try to spread FUD and I don´t like that!

That´s too much!!! Thread locked. Go somewhere else. This is a place for serious discussions, you have shown that you are not willing to have one.

I just had a very nice two hour chat on the phone with Soulcommander, things are more clear now. Time to unlock the thread.

I will also say that we had a very nice long conversation. The time went by so fast too. Now I have another good friend from my beloved Germany.

Giz thank you for calling and allowing me to talk with you and also for opening up the thread again. It's good to know we are all here to help others as best as we humanly can.

I'm glad to see you guys made up. We've got enough enemies in the Atlantic without turing on each other here. I for one appreciate the efforts of both of you gentlemen.

Thank heavens for that!

Welcome back SC!