Your point has been made and we answer your questions for you as best we can.

My suggestion to everyone is to then just ignor Gizzmoe's questions.


We have answerd your questions.

Let it rest!!!!!!!

I'm sorry Giz but you are upsetting many people here and I don't like getting emails about it constantly...
I get enough just on Starforce alone, you know that.

So for those of you that know me and are sending emails I ask you to write your complaints to the owner of this forum. I don't moderate here.

I would just like to point out quickly, that there is a version without starforce availible. If you get the download only version from direct2drive, it does not contain starforce.

I´ve heard that "accusation" quite often. For the umpteenth time, I don´t work for SF, I´m just a curious and skeptical being.

Sorry, I don´t get what you mean.

Have you checked in device manager?
Open it up...go to view, click on show hidden devices, and then click on the + for NON Plug and play drivers. See if you find any Sf drivers listed.

let us know.

That´s not very nice.

Not the questions that came up in the recent days.

If I´ve questions or doubts I´ll post them. I´m sorry if people bother you because of that, but don´t blame me for that! I don´t know why they think that you are the right contact person.

Exactly. For complaints contact the moderators or Neal Stevens. Or me via PM or email, if you like.

I would DEFINATELY like to know the outcome of this too.

I am afraid thats not true. This has been discussed before and it was discovered that the download version also comes with SF, it just doesn't require a DVD check. Please correct me if I am wrong as I have the DVD version and I heard the above here on the forums myself (check for drivers as stated above).

In any case, it doesnt help thousands who have already bought the DVD version, unless UBISOFT offers them all free download as well i.e., if the download is free of SF and they all have super fast internet connection. My 7Kb/sec connection won't cope with it ofcourse even if I was offered a free download of SH3.

But thats the problem - We show you how you are wrong - in my case I showed you that it is even a hidden device driver that modifies IDE calls and is designed for the normal user to not even be able to find it, yet you continue to defend it. By definition - that is a rootkit. Call me crazy, but I think this is VERY weird or abnormal behavior to blindly defend it like that. That is why I asked if you worked for Starforce, and you still never answered the question. Do you work for Starforce?

-S

It appears you are right, which is strange. It wasn't there after I installed, and restarted, but after playing the game, it is now listed.

Glad you posted and now you know how to find them.
Once you run the game they have to initiate and that's when they get installed.



SC

It´s the responsibility of the publishers to make SF removable, that is what also Mark Russinovich´s said just in case you don´t believe me. Without the removal tool it´s very difficult or almost impossible for the average user to remove it.

I´m not defending it blindly.

I´ve answered that already several times. No, I don´t.

Take a look at this guys:

http://virtual-hideout.net/articles/...t2/index.shtml

Sounds exactly like my problems with my Plextor 712A, except after removing SF, I do not notice any write problems anymore, so theoretically, my drive didn't get damaged. Then again, maybe I should run a PIO test in Plextools Pro? I don't think I've done one since I first bought the drive so now may be a good time to check its health.

My other two drives in the system are a crappy Sony DVD-ROM that I use to keep my Plextors from getting worn out, and a Plextor Premium CD burner (Best CD burner ever made!). I can reliably squeeze about 100 minutes of music onto a 80 minute CD. It will do 113 min of music, but playback in a lot of drives is not completely reliable. DVD readers still seem to be able to read the 113 min of music, but junk CD players have issue.

Basically the point is, my Plex Premium still works good. I should check the DVD burner though.

-S

Yeah you may want to check it out. His article sounded very much like what happened to me.

Allright, messing with the Silent Hunter 3 install program, and it is possible to defeat Starforce and 'never' have it install on your system (This is not a guide to bypassing SF, so don't ask me, and everything I write here has to be legal - This is just a workaround to keep it from installing). I won't say how this is possible other than the fact that Starforces flaw is in how it installs itself - and I discovered it tonight (but had an inkling of before which is what prompted me to try). The key is that SF is 'not' installed upon installing the said software, nor is it installed by patching the said software. It is installed by 'playing' the said software since it is embedded in the exe. That is the key. Don't run it!

To get around the rest, you guys will have to use your own minds because it is against this boards policy to post about bypassing the actual copyprotection.

The point is, if SH3 is your thing to play, it is possible to keep you sys secure and still play SH3. Hopefully SF will be dropped like a hot potato by dev's in the future and we all won't need to worry about it ever again! I'm off to play now, so don't expect me around for a while! :)

-S

PS. I can play SH3 and Sf has never graced the sectors of my HD!!! At least not in this install of XP MCE 2005!!!