Tech Notes

It seems that the threat of malware, especially root kits, is the topic du jour these days. Essentially any software program that installs its self on your PC without flashing banners and warning signs is automatically considered evil. At least that's what some are claiming is the case with a protection scheme called StarForce.

Now I admit, I own a game that contains StarForce, and I've noticed no ill effects other than the incredible annoyance of inserting the game disk ever time I want to play. Still there are those that claim that ruin your CD Burner, or cause your system to crash. They claim that StarForce installs automatically and doesn't give you the option to decline. All of this is bunk however.

First off, the EULA for the software I purchased, FIA-GT Racing (aka GTR), explicitly states that it needs to install StarForce so that you can run the game. It also states that if you do not, you will be unable to run the software. Second, when you install the software it doesn't purposefully hide its self on your system. In fact you can locate it easily by checking "show hidden devices" in the device manager. Oh and just for the record, this check box shows you all device drivers that are installed but currently not connected to anything, not items that are stealthily installed on your PC.

Another reason that the claims of instability are bunk has to do with how StarForce works. When you launch the game, the driver starts up and makes the obligatory "authentic CD / serial #" check. Most likely this is the reason that the device driver doesn't show up unless you unhide it, simply because it is not running.

The last and quite possibly most compelling reason that StarForce is not malware is that it comes with a clearly defined removal program. The installation routine even explains how to remove the drivers if you are uninstalling the game. The company has also gone as far too officially sanction a site to distribute the removal tool. That's not something a malware company would do, willingly.

Now before you start typing up your hate letters declaring me a "StarForce" sympathizer, read the next paragraph. In spite of the apparent benign nature of the StarForce driver, I think in general it's a bad practice by software companies. I'd much rather have piece of software phone home for validation, or require some sort of activation code than to have a piece of copy protection software installed on my machine. I don't care how benign it is, I for one take great pride in keeping my system as pristine as possible, and I don't want any program that I don't need hogging up my resources.

Likewise, we bought the game and the game company (SimBin) licensed the technology from StarForce. We don't need the threatening legal action against people because we criticized their protection scheme. Our real beef is with SimBin, to let them know how much I don't appreciate their add-on nuggets of IP protection. It really doesn't paint StarForce in a good light if they go around threatening legal action against legitimate customers. If I were the game makers, I'd be ashamed to be associated with likes of these guys.

So what does this mean for me, and my power of consumer choice? Well, though I've had no problems with StarForce, I'm really very hesitant about buying another game that utilizes their product. The truth is that gaming companies can do better when it comes to copy protection, and they should strive for a smarter way to not only protect their content, but make it less invasive on legitimate customer's computers. The technology is there, all they have to do is use it.