StarForce copy protection

Software theme

A copy protection scheme that has garnered perhaps the most criticism when compared to other mechanisms (barring things like Steam).

Installs low-level system drivers to perform their task.

60
games
2
platforms
StarForce usually includes protect.dll, protect.drv and protect.exe somewhere in the game directory. The icon on the .exe file is that of an application window overlayed with large golden-yellow key.

May also install following low level drivers: prohlp02.sys, prosync1.sys, and sfhlp01.sys.
StarForce may have issues if you have [[link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Execution_Prevention DEP]] turned on, so you need to add the game's executable to DEP's exception list in case the game crashes or plain old refuses to work right at the start (when the copy-protection check kicks in).
The low-level nature of the copy-protection mechanism has caused great deal of anguish to all people, especially legal owners of games using it (the only ones that matter, really). Since compatibility with all manner of drives and other things there is unlikely to be accomplished in such a software in timely fashion, there have been reports of even drive failures, but most common perhaps is that it truly interferes with normal operation of the O/S causing more common kinds of problems, such as slow-downs, decreased system stability, false positives, and originally also the impossibility of uninstalling the drivers without great deal of effort from the end-user, [[link:http://www.onlinesecurity-on.com/protect.phtml?c=55 a removal tool]] was introduced silently at some point.

Popular tags

actionadventure actionrpg aspectratio-16-9 aspectratio-4-3 cdrom cpplanguage directx8 directx9 download drm drm-removed dvd eax firstpersonshooter fmod gamespy leveleditor lua mediaindrive milessound openal securom7 serialkey shadermodel1 shadermodel2 shadermodel3 stacsim tactical vorbis widescreen win2k win98 winxp

Parent group

Digital rights management

Games by year

989900010203040506070809101112131415161718192021 1648120

The first StarForce copy protection video game was released in 1998.

Ubisoft, 1C Company and cdv Software Entertainment published most of these games.

Related sites

Platforms

Windows 57
Linux 3