Destroy your PC and receive $1000 from StarForce

V

Vol

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
213
"Destroy your PC and receive $1000 from StarForce!"

This should be interesting to see how this thing concludes. Here are the full details:
StarForce is announcing world wide contest among users of StarForce protected applications!!!

There have been a lot of rumors in the Internet concerning DVD/CD writers malfunction after installation and star-up of StarForce protected applications. Some have even mentioned that should such “malfunctioning” drive be placed in any other PC without StarForce protection installed it will fail to work as well.

In the past year our staff and many of our clients tried restlessly to reproduce the matter based on these rumors. Using our hardware collection we assembled systems alike, but such problems never took place.
Therefore, we have no proven facts of such issues and we have found out that all of these rumors are false.

We have serious reasons to believe that such problems are pure fiction.
However, if such problem does exist, it should be repeatable. Therefore, just to make sure, StarForce decided to have a worldwide contest among users of StarForce protected applications.

Anyone who can reproduce and demonstrate the mentioned above problem with CD/DVD drive in our office will receive $1000.00 US.

You should arrive in our office with your PC or use any of our PCs and reproduce the problem.

Here are the terms of the contest:

* All the drives in the system should be properly functioning prior to the installation of a StarForce protected product.

* After the installation and start-up of StarForce protected product the problem with (CD/DVD read-write malfunction) must exist and be reproduced in any other configuration.

If you can be the first to reproduce this situation in our office, we will be happy to award you with $1000.00 US, cover your trip to Moscow and pay 2 days’ lodging.

Please submit your applications before January 31 2006.
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Wow.... just, wow.

I'll say one thing about it, the software developer has complete confidence in their product. And for that they should be commended.
 
Still, they are putting their money where their mouths are... commendable.
 
You have to go to there office >.>
Thats not really fair is it? Even if they have a US office I for one have to buy 2 $500 tickets (assuming they are in san fran). Car rental, logging, etc...
 
Way too little money for such a trip to Moscow, without knowing they'll actually give you the 1000$.
Maybe if you actually live in Moscow?
 
That's *IF* you can prove that it screws up your PC (if it doesn't, it's YOUR expense). It's your expense initially anyway... as I said, if you prove to them that StarForce messes up your PC, they will pay all that stuff.
 
There was a very lengthy discussion about this on another forum...

Basically everyone laughed as probably what will happen here. This is actually worse than a practical joke. It's pretty pathetic.

"No third party software"

Ok... so if I have AIM installed on my computer I'm disqualified and go on the "losers list"

This company is an absolute joke. To me it sounds like their software REALLY WORKS!!! (but only if you have a clean install of windows on a system w/ no 3rd party software)

....right.
 
At first, I was excited about this thread. I've never used software that contained StarForce, so I don't have any experience with it, but I was excited to see a company willing to admit publically that they may have made a mistake. Then I read this:

If you are acknowledged as the Winner StarForce shall compensate your travel expenses (air fare round trip to Moscow economy class, pay your two days lodging (three star hotel of your choice) in Moscow and pay 1000 USD as prize.
Your full name will be mentioned on www.star-force.com as the Winner of the Contest.

If you fail to reproduce the mentioned above terms, you will be acknowledged the loser and StarForce will mention your full name on www.star-force.com in the list of Losers of the Contest and any expenses shall not be compensated.
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When is it a good business practice to publically humilate your customers? My guess is that they truely hope noone comes at all.
 
flynlr said:
cept you have to goto moscow at your expense and prove it.
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Maybe it's just too early in the morning, or maybe I can't read, but... the article says

"If you can be the first to reproduce this situation in our office, we will be happy to award you with $1000.00 US, cover your trip to Moscow and pay 2 days’ lodging."
 
versello said:
Maybe it's just too early in the morning, or maybe I can't read, but... the article says

"If you can be the first to reproduce this situation in our office, we will be happy to award you with $1000.00 US, cover your trip to Moscow and pay 2 days’ lodging."
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Yes... take your computer w/ a fresh install of windows and no software installed to Moscow only to lose by some technicallity (omg you have omega ati drivers installed - YOU LOSE!! HAHA) then your list is on the internet for everyone to see what a moron you are for going there in the first place.

.... Then you have to fly back home dejected. :D
 
Well, Well, Here we have a DRM solution from a company who is so confident in their product that they are putting their money where their mouth is. Commendable, very commendable, but unfortunately for them no matter what steps are taken, someone will always be able to get around these things, especially if it's software-based, It's funny that it took another group of russians to bypass thier efforts.

Now, I understand that they are saying that their protection system does not in no way cause any kind of harm to a user's system, correct me if i'm wrong, but it makes you wonder why have alot of people claimed this very thing spanning all kinds of different system configurations.

It is almost, just shy of a hair, similar to Sony's rootkit fiasco in a way to me. In that it installs to your system without any pretext or labeling on the actual game box, again correct me if i'm wrong.

The bad thing is for me is that I have it on my system, in the form of Splinter cell chaos theory but I don't seem to have any issues with it so far. But the minute I do then any game publisher that uses it can say goodbye to my contribution to their bottom line plain and simple.
 
Asian Dub Foundation said:
yup very commendable for them... but... who wants to go to moscow?? bloody cold i say ;)
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mail-in order bride for local pick-up, anyone? :D
 
Ludic said:
Wow.... just, wow.

I'll say one thing about it, the software developer has complete confidence in their product. And for that they should be commended.
Click to expand...

More like condemned. It's just a PR stunt.

It isn't sufficient to get a drive fscked by their product. You have to travel to Moscow, on your own dime, and get ANOTHER drive to get screwed up by their product. If, for the sake of argument, 1 in a 100 drives gets screwed up by their product, that's a huge knock on their product. However, you're left with a 99% chance of looking like an idiot and wasting a pile of money (unless you live in/near Moscow) if you try to collect.
 
if they are so confident, why only offer $1k? A company with that much money and confidence should at least offer $10k.

I think they have a problem (and know it) and dont know how to fix it because they are tards.
 
would 3rd party software include the game that Starforce came bundled with?


[H]
 
Just a PR stunt.

The company is a joke, read the contest rules. Only 1k? They post your name on their site if you lose?

Just google "starforce" and you'll see how reputable this company really is.
 
So is this like the crackhead in NYC who tells you to come in the back alley if you want to buy a fake ID, then kicks your ass and steals your wallet?
 
Hah. If they have such confidence, they'd make it $10,000, with a free round-trip ticket if you can prove it to them.

This is just another PR move.
 
steviep said:
That's *IF* you can prove that it screws up your PC (if it doesn't, it's YOUR expense). It's your expense initially anyway... as I said, if you prove to them that StarForce messes up your PC, they will pay all that stuff.
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If you can prove it, then its like getting your money back from the trip.
 
Fuck StarForce. It's invasive, underhanded and totally ineffective (ask me how I know). I'll never buy a game that uses this "protection". As for this so-called contest, they've left themselves so many holes in the agreement that noboby will ever make a claim. Who's going to pay out of pocket to travel to Moscow on the off chance they'll be reimbursed? Nobody, that's who.

-Ace-
 
valkyre said:
Hah. If they have such confidence, they'd make it $10,000, with a free round-trip ticket if you can prove it to them.

This is just another PR move.
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Ok, how many posts did you not read? How much of the OP did you read? THEY DO PAY YOUR FARE IF YOU WIN. :rolleyes:

It doesn't matter how much they offer because they know nobody will step forward. They probably know that the people complaining all have their own legal issues to worry about if they bring their system to be analysed.

I hear that in Russia they chop your toes off and let your blood run out for copyright infringement. ;)
 
the "no third party software" clause could be used to disqualify you since you installed a third-party software product containing their copy protection. sneaky russians... this is a big pr stunt.

maybe this is their way at getting back at western europe and the usa for the cold war:p
 
If someone could put together a good video of this causing a problem on their computer I say we all band together and donate a dollar for them to go to moscow and publicly humiliate starforce. Although that will never happen in the next month. Not only is it rediculous the amount of loopholes they put in their "modest proposal", but it is stupid to think somebody can drop everything during the holidays to plan a trip halfway across the world to moscow :rolleyes:
 
Yeah it's funny just now I have was having a good discussion with a friend about this so called contest. He mentioned a good point I didn't really think of about how it's going to be somebody like Mark Russinovich from sysinternals.com or some other security/hardware expert that's going to do a full blown run-down of thier program on thier blog or just posted on a site somewhere that validates the accusations lol. All without having even a passing interest in participating in so called said contest, no notoriety, no credit taken for themselves, just plain old concern turned into a public free for all against the starforce guys.
 
bobbydole said:
Family Guy? Huh? Try Yakov Smirnoff.. Catch his next show in Branson Missouri!
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OT: Yakov is funnier than a monkey throwing poop! :) I loved him when I was a kid, I haven't seen anything from him in a while! :) I'll check him out if he comes to my area!

On Topic: I've never used any thing with Star Force, and I doubt I will. I won't support crap like this. If they use some copy protection that does things like that (or Sony's BS), then I won't use it. It's wrong, it's going a little too far.
 
Pirating StarForce games FTW! lol j/k :p
Yakov still lives in an episode of Family Guy :D
 
I have never and probably will never install a starforce protected game on my system.. Not worth the trouble.. Copy protection schemes are so out of hand these days.. I have bought games legitimately that will not install on my computer because copy protection does not like my cd drive or my software/hardware config or other software on my computer.. "Please insert correct disk in drive" errors make me want to begin the mass slaughter of securerom and starforce corporate officials.. IT'S ALREADY IN THE DRIVE DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!!

This has got to be the most silly pr crap I have ever seen.. Companies that create copy protection sofware that have half a brain should try to stay out of sight of the of the media and the gaming community, imo anyway
 
v6maro said:
if they are so confident, why only offer $1k? A company with that much money and confidence should at least offer $10k.

I think they have a problem (and know it) and dont know how to fix it because they are tards.
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I will e-mail them and ask.
 
Alright I sent them an e-mail here it is I will let you know when I get a response.


I was just wondering if your company is so confident about your product why not offer a little bit more of a prize. I mean 1,000.00 US is not very much you can't even build a high end gaming computer with that much money. I mean you have to fly all the way to Moscow to prove if your software works or not and then you could easily get rejected for some lame technicality. You should offer a little bigger prize than 1,000.00 US what about 10,000.00 US I mean your SO confident right.

[H]
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Oh god...Good going getting the [H] into your ill-thought out email.....:rolleyes:
 
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