03.02.2005 1.01 The problem by starting the program on XP systems without installed updates fixed
01.02.2005 1.0 First version
1. Overview
This tool lets you deactivate CDRom drives in your system. Actually it supports
not just deactivating of all drives on IDE channel, like starfuck it do, but even a
cd drive separately. Also the combination of hard drive and cd drive on the same channel
would be possible too.
This program is the technical further stage of starfuck project. The project starfuck
had to be freezed for undefined time because our development team has changed.
Before using this program keep in mind: all what you do, you do on your own risk.
Be carefull, if you are using it: not all features will work for every one, it depends
on your hardware and software combination.
If you are not sure about it, delete this program.
2. Short briefing (how to)
- IMPORTANT: For correct working you must have administrator rights
Control buttons purposes explanation
- "Disable ch1" // this button lets disable first IDE channel of built-in ATA controller (Primary Channel)
- "Disable ch2" // this button lets disable second IDE channel of built-in ATA controller (Secondary Channel)
- "Disable ATA" // this button lets disable built-in ATA controller
- "Disable CD" // this button lets disable installed ATAPI CDROMs on built-in ATA controller automatically
- "Disable node" // this button lets disable relation to SCSI CDROMs device nodes
.
.
- "Enable ch1" // this button lets reenable first IDE channel of built-in ATA controller (Primary Channel)
- "Enable ch2" // this button lets reenable second IDE channel of built-in ATA controller (Secondary Channel)
- "Enable ATA" // this button lets reenable built-in ATA controller
- "Enable CD" // this button lets reenable installed ATAPI CDROMs on built-in ATA controller automatically
- "Enable node" // this button lets reenable relation to SCSI CDROMs device nodes
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If automatical handling doesn't help you to deactivate your drives, you can try its manual equivalent.
- "Pr.Master Off" // this button lets disable one installed drive in master position on Primary Channel
- "Pr.Slave Off" // this button lets disable one installed drive in slave position on Primary Channel
- "Sc.Master Off" // this button lets disable one installed drive in master position on Secondary Channel
- "Sc.Slave Off" // this button lets disable one installed drive in slave position on Secondary Channel
-
- "Pr.Mas-Sl Off" // this button lets disable two installed drives in master and slave positions on Primary Channel
- "Sc.Mas-Sl Off" // this button lets disable two installed drives in master and slave positions on Secondary Channel
-
- "Pr.M-Sc.M Off" // this button lets disable two installed drives in both master positions on Primary and Secondary Channel
- "Pr.M-Sc.S Off" // this button lets disable two installed drives in master position on Primary Channel and in slave position on Secondary Channel
- "Pr.S-Sc.M Off" // this button lets disable two installed drives in slave position on Primary Channel and in master position on Secondary Channel
- "Pr.S-Sc.S Off" // this button lets disable two installed drives in both slave positions on Primary and Secondary Channel
.
.
- "Pr.Master On" // this button lets reenable one installed drive in master position on Primary Channel
- "Pr.Slave On" // this button lets reenable one installed drive in slave position on Primary Channel
- "Sc.Master On" // this button lets reenable one installed drive in master position on Secondary Channel
- "Sc.Slave On" // this button lets reenable one installed drive in slave position on Secondary Channel
-
- "Pr.Mas-Sl On" // this button lets reenable two installed drives in master and slave positions on Primary Channel
- "Sc.Mas-Sl On" // this button lets reenable two installed drives in master and slave positions on Secondary Channel
-
- "Pr.M-Sc.M On" // this button lets reenable two installed drives in both master positions on Primary and Secondary Channel
- "Pr.M-Sc.S On" // this button lets reenable two installed drives in master position on Primary Channel and in slave position on Secondary Channel
- "Pr.S-Sc.M On" // this button lets reenable two installed drives in slave position on Primary Channel and in master position on Secondary Channel
- "Pr.S-Sc.S On" // this button lets reenable two installed drives in both slave positions on Primary and Secondary Channel
- IMPORTANT: After clicking on needed button you'll see "Processing..." in main window caption
!!!Be patient, dont click any button till "Processing..." caption will be changed to "Starforce Nightmare"
3. System requirements
This tool is designed for using under Windows XP-Windows 2003 Server
(IMPORTANT: This tool will not work under Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows 98 and Windows 95)
4. Known issues
Since starforce version 3.4.65.09 to prevent old starfuck methods for deactivating
cd drives starforce goes a very hardware incompatible way. StarForce protected game tries
to reset ide channel before it begins to check protected disc. Therefore this can take up
to 2 minutes before starforce begins with its disc check. All users, who have CD
drive on SCSI controller, ATAPI CD Drive on ATA/RAID controller, CD drive on USB controller
and even coming hardware innovation called CD drive on SATA controller, all those users are
involved by this hardware incompability issue of Starfore protection. This hardware
incompability appears even than, if you remove all your drives from IDE channel physically
and deactivate your IDE channels in BIOS to set needed resources free, also you don't even
need to use our program to find it out. That's, what you get with Starforce.
It seems, starforce team doesn't care about its hardware compability and not just that, they
don't care about software compability of their product, for which they want money.
If they try to reset the channel, they "play" with priority system of windows os, therefore don't
wonder if your computer will crash or after few times starting the starforce protected game
in such environment you will not be able to start any windows application more. It happens since
starforce version 3.4.65.09 and above.
On our test systems we were very often able to reproduce this software crash issue.
As you see, all what starforce has done before is useless. What they added to the protection
is just rapidly increased hardware and software incompability, nothing more, nothing less.
It's diffucult to imagine, what will be next hardware/software incompability level, if starforce
tries to prevent methods present in this program. How far they will go with their paranoid
idea to don't care about the hardware and software compability of their protection?
How it will work on coming PCI Express? How it will work with controllers in native mode?
I have already noticed many problems with starforce and native mode controllers.
For example most of Nforce2,3+ users can already set their IDE controller in native mode since
windows xp sp1> http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/Native-modeATA.mspx
Just add to registry
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PnP\Pci]
"EnableNativeModeATA"=dword:00000001
And in the near feature native mode for IDE controllers will be necessity for coming windows
systems to get "Windows hardware logo" from Microsoft. As you see, the world of hardware
don't stay on the same level, but all what starforce do is degrading its hardware and software
compability.
If you, as game developer or distributer, bring your software, games or updates to users
you have to take into account, that even with update of starforce protection the compability of
your software will rapidly sink instead expected improvements. Especially by considering last
events.
Still want to protect your games with starforce?
As user you have to take into account, that if you buy new hardware, for example, just
new motherboard, it may happen, that your favorite games will not run on such system
due the hardware incompability with starforce protection. Or if you are already a
owner of last computer hardware and starforce game started till now without problems, than you
can just install update on your game and you will no more be able to run it from original
disc on your computer.
Still want to buy such games protected by starforce?
You see, to create this program you need deep expert knowledge of hardware
architecture and as you see, we have it, else this program wouldn't exist.
All, what I want to say with, my opinion described above is not just yeasty words, it is
reality. So think about it, what you buy for your money.
PS: it works fine even for starforce version 3.4.65.11, but as described above, by
using the function "deactivate channel" since version 3.4.65.09 you may have to wait up
to 2 minutes till starforce finished its senseless trying to reset your channel.
It is the problem of hardware incompability of starforce and appears on every system
without physically installed ATAPI drives on IDE controller.
By using the function of deactivating cd drives separately it should start immediately :)
5. Contacts
If you have some comments and suggestions, send your mail to: starforce.for.de@gmail.com附件:StarforceNightmare101.zip
