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Jun 10, 2004, 12:48 AM
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#1 | Advertisement (Guests Only)
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Banned
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 411
 
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Copy Protection Has Gone Too Far!
First we have Safedisc and the like black listing our legal software and hardware. I hated that with a passion, but it didn't do anything to my PC, other than stop the program it came with from working without me making changes or cracking it. Now we have Starforce, which came with my new TocA -Race Driver 2 DVD. I was looking around my Device Manager while updating to the Cat 4.6 drivers and lookie what I found. It has actually installed drivers/controllers/whatever they are on my PC without my knowledge....all sneeky like too, in the hidden section.   EDIT: I have confirmed that, just like nasty spyware or a virus, these to not get uninstalled when you uninstall the game that put them there! They stay forever...causing who knows what kind of problems later on. If you then uninstall them manually, they reinstall themselves after a reboot or 2. EDIT2: More Info: http://community.codemasters.com/for...threadid=41263 http://www.adventurecompanygames.com...1&fpart=1&vc=1 http://www.adventurecompanygames.com...b=5&o=&fpart=1 http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/9888 http://www.bluesnews.com/ http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl.../06/11/1920245 http://forums.avault.com/cgi-bin/ult...3;t=005286;p=1 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/rema...7449~mode=flat  After uninstalling ToCa Race Driver 2, rebooting, then running the StarForce uninstaller from CodeMasters website and rebooting twice...  Last edited by spamatron : Jun 16, 2004 at 07:42 PM. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 01:00 AM
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#2 |
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Banned
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada
Posts: 4,952
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Hmmmm. Lawsuit |
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Jun 10, 2004, 01:13 AM
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#3 |
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Poison Tester
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: ...
Posts: 1,400
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Agreed. I understand the purpose of copy protection, but lately it has gotten ridiculous. For instance, just to be able to play Max Payne 2, I actually had to download a cracked exe. I don't mean in order to play it with no cd or something along those lines. The game would not even load with the executable the game installs, and it still didn't work after the update. All because of the copy protection, and it is a known issue. In my mind that is absolutely ridiculous. If I knew that was the case, I would have just downloaded the warez copy of the game. Why should I (or anyone for that matter) support companies that care so little about their customers that they will: install hidden invasive software, disallow use of certain programs with legal purposes (ex. Daemon tools), or just flat out sell you software that doesn't work because of the copy protection? What is really scary, is that it would seem the worst has yet to come.
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A message in a bottle written in gas and oil, signed with a rag and a match.
Here, catch. Last edited by NonSoft : Jun 10, 2004 at 02:09 AM. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 01:14 AM
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#4 |
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Birth CTRL+Z
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location:
 Seattle, WA
Posts: 4,298
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AHHH! I found that crap on my pc too! |
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Jun 10, 2004, 01:19 AM
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#5 | |
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Me
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location:
San Jose, CA USA
Posts: 2,141
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Quote:
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Jun 10, 2004, 01:32 AM
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#6 |
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Banned
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada
Posts: 4,952
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I found it as well. Can those be removed without any side effects? |
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:00 AM
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#7 | |
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Banned
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 411
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Quote:
If you remove or disable these Starforce things, the game reinstalls them when you try to run it. That's your side effect. Remember the little message about "Application Installed Successfully, Reboot Now?" The first time you try to run the game? I thought it was odd because I had already rebooted unprompted after installing the game. That will happen again. It's not the game that installed successfully, it's the #$#%#@ copy protection IDE driver hijacker software. Last edited by spamatron : Jun 10, 2004 at 02:12 AM. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:05 AM
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#8 |
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ಠ_ಠ
Join Date: May 2003
Location:
Buckeye, AZ
Posts: 1,686
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none here 
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:08 AM
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#9 |
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Chronic Repostinator
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Terran Faction, Earth Sector
Posts: 5,933
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Well the only way to really MAKE A STAND is to well DON"T BUY THE GAME and if you want you can copy it and use a crack.
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Athlon 2200+ @ (~1981) 47C/35C (idle) GA-7VAXP (0-4 RAID 100G WD Special ED) / AX-7 w/ 4500RPM 50cfm Fan / Mushkin 512MB DDR-2700 / Radeon R200 285/285 / Lite-On 48X CDRW & Lite-on 16X DVD / C-media sound (6spk) (sold the audigy crap) / Firewire/USB 2 (preferr firewire) "You need to delete your video card and format your modem, and install AOL on your motherboard" "Windows is a 32-bit extensions to a 16-bit graphical shell for an 8-bit operating system originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor by a 2-bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition " www.DJSystemIntegrators.com" NOT FOLDING due to lack of $$$!! Folding costs you about $25 a month. http://www.danasoft.com/vipersig.jpg |
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:17 AM
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#10 |
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Banned
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 411
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I'll be making a copy of this game and returning it to the store tomorrow now too. GG Codemasters. I just uninstalled the game and guess what. The damned things are still there and do not get uninstalled with the scumware that put them there. Not only that, but I then uninstalled them from device manager and they returned after 2 reboots without the game being installed at all! This sh** is a virus! Now I have to completely reformat my PC to get clean again. #$#@#@! Last edited by spamatron : Jun 10, 2004 at 02:43 AM. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:19 AM
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#11 |
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Rage3D Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 7,129
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its kinda weird too cause i think ive had more instances where ive bought the retail game and it didnt work, compared to not buying the game and having it not work.
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:41 AM
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#12 |
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Radeon HD 6950
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location:
Michigan
Posts: 388
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What the hell...... I just have the Toca 2 Demo and I have that **** in my device manager. This is a month old install of XP too. FCKERS........ |
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:43 AM
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#13 |
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Incarnation of the Nether
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Amanackia
Posts: 8,223
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Seems to me like you're behind the times, copy protection went too far years ago. Frankly, when they started forcing you to have the CD in the drive for absolutely no reason they went too far. Copy protection does jack to stop piracy and I've long since become totally sick of this BS. In the first place, software piracy is nowhere near as bad as these companies make out (it's just an excuse to explain why their games aren't selling, when the truth is it's because they're crap). In the second place, I can find a crack for a game in 0.5 seconds time. If you're able to download the frickin' game (know where to get it, etc), you're going to be able to download the crack. Hell, some warez even comes with the cracks! It's just ridiculous that those of us who actually pay for the games have to put up with this crap! |
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:45 AM
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#14 |
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Radeon HD 6950
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location:
Michigan
Posts: 388
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Can someon tell Slashdot about this?. I wonder how many machines are affected. Last edited by dohcmark8 : Jun 10, 2004 at 03:12 AM. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 02:47 AM
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#15 |
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Radeon HD 6950
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location:
Michigan
Posts: 388
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I just emailed them. lol To: support@star-force.com "Why is there a “Starforce protection environment” driver installed on my system?. I never approved it, I was never told it was being installed, I never got a message dialog or anything, why are you installing software on peoples system without telling them?. This is akin to a trojan." |
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Jun 10, 2004, 03:10 AM
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#16 |
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Crysis ftw
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location:
 Lithuania - Baltic States
Posts: 4,465
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It makes sur yu dont warez the demo, f00 
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Jun 10, 2004, 03:12 AM
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#17 |
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Radeon HD 6950
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 352
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Hmm I dont have any of those listed either. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 03:24 AM
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#18 |
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Radeon HD 6770
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Sweden
Posts: 82
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Where ever people are unhappy about a product, there is a black market for it (warez).
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Comp: AMD 2500+ @ 3200+/2*256MB TwinMOS DDR400/Abit NForce2/Powercolor 9800SE 256 Bit softmodded to 9800PRO (370/338) "Of all the things I've lost, I think I miss my mind the most." |
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Jun 10, 2004, 03:47 AM
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#19 |
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Radeon HD 6950
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location:
Michigan
Posts: 388
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Here is the skinny.... I just emailed Star-Force and they have attached a removal tool to the reply. email them If you want the removal tool. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 03:49 AM
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#20 |
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Banned
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 411
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I've already removed it myself by restoring a backup image of my drive. Removal tool...pfffft. That s*** should never have been there in the first place, and damned sure should have been uninstalled with the game. I wouldn't trust their removal tool as far as I could spit lead. Besides, I don't even want their funk left over in my registry. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 04:27 AM
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#22 |
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Rage3D Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location:
The Armpit of America (Ohio)
Posts: 1,337
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WTF I never even installed the demo for that game, but I just looked at my device manager for the hell of it and sure enough there that crap is. It's probably some other demos that install this crap. OMFG we're gonna pirate free demos, thats just gonna put these companies out of business!  |
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Jun 10, 2004, 04:28 AM
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#23 |
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Anonymous Proletariat
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location:
The Big Guava
Posts: 3,064
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True Crime:Streets of LA won't run if you have Alcohol 120% or CCD installed or virtual drives on your system. These are LEGAL and legit yet this game can't run if these are present without... you guessed it... a crack! I use virtual drives for my sons' games (they are kids games and they all run from the CD, so using virtual drives saves me from switching out cds for them). Copy Protection has had the opposite of the intended effect- now otherwise legit users are being forced to the warez scene. Warezers have it easy, legit owners are caused all sorts of trouble. What's wrong with this picture? |
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Jun 10, 2004, 04:30 AM
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#24 | |
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Rage3D Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location:
The Armpit of America (Ohio)
Posts: 1,337
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Quote:
 and of course they never bother to tell you that since you have one of these drives, you cant use the game, but everyone who didnt buy the game can.The idiocy of these companies never ceases to amaze me. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 05:35 AM
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#25 | |
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Radeon HD 6970
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: UK > England > Kent
Posts: 552
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Quote:
Same here.....GRRRRRRRR.... Oh well...uninstall. To think I was considering buying it too.... I think I will send off a stinky email to Codemasters with a screenshot, I am not happy about this from FREE demo software that they distribute with their name on it. Has anyone checked the EULA of the full retail version to see if there is somehting that everyone unwittingly signs up to by clicking it? If there isn't I am sure this is actionable.
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Asus P5Q Pro | Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @2.4, for now | 2x2GB OCZ Vista Gold DDR 800 (PC6400) Powercolor Radeon HD 4870 1GB Seagate 7200.11 500GB 32MB Cache | Pioneer DVR109XL (Black) Windows 7 64bit CoolerMaster Centurion 5 | Coolermaster Real Power M520 Iiyama E435S 17" TFT 10ms | Logitech Compact Keyboard & MX510 Mouse Last edited by -MB- : Jun 10, 2004 at 06:22 AM. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 06:03 AM
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#26 |
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Whiney Supersnob
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location:
Flying Teapot on Oven!
Posts: 2,792
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Crap- i get it from both TOCA demo and Soldiers demo, and i was thinking about "buying" these games.. And that uninstaller didn't make it go away for me, neither  Also, Dreamcather uses this "software" as well, I am not sure about their demos |
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Jun 10, 2004, 06:17 AM
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#27 |
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Radeon HD 6770
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 53
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wacked, but not surprising, this needs to be slashdotted |
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Jun 10, 2004, 07:27 AM
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#28 |
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MAXIMUM TECH
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Planet TrES-4
Posts: 1,988
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We should stop buying games that over-reacts to copy protection sh!t
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1) "Pro" Gaming PC : Athlon64 X2 4800+ , ATi X1900XTX 512MB , 2GB DDR400 OCZ Titanium , DFI nF4 SLI-DR Venus 2) "Avarage" Laptop PC : Intel Dothan 760@2GHz 2MB L2 , GeForce Go 6800 256MB DDR1 , 1GB DDR2 RAM (@533Mhz) , 100GB SATA HDD 3) "1337" Gaming PC : Intel C2Q Q6600@2.7GHz , Abit AB9 , Thermaltake ToughPower 850W , XFX GTX 280 1GB GDDR3 , 3GB OCZ Gold DDR2 6400 Last edited by SH64 : Jun 10, 2004 at 07:30 AM. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 07:36 AM
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#29 |
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Radeon HD 6870
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 323
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My retail copy of Thief: Deadly Shadows ran fine until I had to reinstall windows... Now it can't verify the authenticity of my store bought disc, all on the exact same hardware that it previously COULD! I hate having to use a cracked EXE in order to play a game that I spent my hard earned money to buy!
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Athlon XP 2500-M @ 2520 Mhz (10.5x 240 @ 1.825v) Koolance EXOS cooled 2x 256 Mb Mushkin BH-5 (11,2,2,2,2 @3.3v) DFI NFII Ultra Infinity Radeon 9800 NP (R350, Samsung 8E-GC33) @ 479.25 Core/418.5 Mem Windows XP Pro SP2 on 2x 74 GB Western Digital Raptors in Raid 0 3DMark01se: 21054 3DMark03: 7134 AquaMark3: 50910 PCMark04: 4666 Due to lack of funding, The light at the end of the tunnel has been shut off. |
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Jun 10, 2004, 07:50 AM
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#30 |
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Jesus
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 778
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This is redidulous, what exactly does this Starforce thing do? Edit: After reading the site a bit, Star Force gives a rediculous amount of power to the companies distributing this crap.
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Athlon64 3800+//2048 Patriot CAS2//36 Gig Raptor//Connect3d X800XT PE//HDA Mystique 7.1//Slackware 10.2// Last edited by uglydot : Jun 10, 2004 at 07:54 AM. |
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