Your only problem is that your image is not good enough.If your device cannot backup SF3 correctly just download correct .mds file from www.copybase.ch and replace your .mds with the downloaded.Then just mount and play.

err... did I mention that I also tried to use different .mds files from multiple sources? I didn't? :D
well I did download three or four different .mds files (one of them was from that copybase.ch site you've mentioned, and btw that one didn't work with my .mdf file)... all the others with "correct topology" left me where I was - several minutes of SF thinking then same message about my CD key...

Did you activate all emulation options of daemon tools?

@Azagoth: You could try making your own full image yourself, from your original disk, with Blindwrite (preferably) or Alcohol 120%. See the FAQ subforum for a small guide about using Blindwrite. Good luck!

well this is fun, i never played a starforce game for a long time because this f*ckin around with the protection bugged me. just for fun i made an image of this game here, got a copybase.ch mds file, dvd version, installed it mounted in daemon 4 - plays right off the second without any disabling stuff like daemon tools emulation settings, my dvd drive... absolutely no problems. might be because i got a laptop?!

neptun thx for try to help me,

i did all u said... but nothing was worked... i emulated the image in
Daemon tools 4.0.3 86x
put all option ON
uninstaled the alcohol
wen i run the game.. crash in the middle of CHECKING DISK... i have to disable the starforce driver in device manager TOO?

thx for all

that was the first thing I did... err... that were the several first things I did to be exact :D

100% Working!
 

Hi Dudes!

Listen:

Ive done a Image from my Original DVD with latest Alcohol 120%

Then Ive downloaded a perfect .mds (for DPM) from copybase.ch for the EURO Version ... think there should be the US Version also.

So I was able to play the Game with DT4 (with DVD unplugged)! Good but not great...

But now Ive burned the Game and loaded it with my USB-DVD-Drive (with DVD(IDE) unplugged) ... AND IT WORKS :eek: :D ... its like i have my original dvd in the drive!

Hope it works 4 ya! I think you must have a absolut perfect image ... so better make one by yourself with your original dvd and use a clean .mds!

Erm by the way, please sorry my bad english (is it so bad??) ... german boy ;)

The same with GT Legends!!

-----
UPDATE:
YOU HAVE TO START IT FROM PrinceOfPersia.exe NOT FROM THE CD MENU... I DONT KNOW Y BUT ONLY SO IT WORKS!!!

Hi there... What I always don't really understand when StarForce is mentioned:

Ok... so there probably is no good way of getting past the protection driver itself, but the executable for the protected game has to contact the diver first, doesn't it?

So why not beat the protection there by making a no-dvd-cracked version of pop3.exe that just bypasses the driver?

Another way could maybe be a faked protection driver that games recognize as StarForce but that just does nothing but saying "ok" when asked. Has that been tried?

I mean... hey common I've always been the greatest defender of the theory that any protection made up by men can also be bypassed by men. You don't want to prove me wrong, do you? ;)

A good protection makes use of the data read from the copy protected area of the media. (E.g. if I made a copy protection for an expensive CAD software, I would build a cheap dongle that computes the sinus function - or whatever else - instead of software. Crack that!) If you replace the original driver with a fake one, you'll lose this data so that game will crash.

Hello everyone, i have a laptop where i can't physically disconnect any of my cd drives, how the hell do i play this game without the original cd inserted ?
My brother has bought it but he lives in another city, how do i install the game from an image and play with it ?

Thank u for any help...im quite desperate

You don't install the game from an image; if you don't have the original CD/DVD (with you), you're not eligible for help on this forum. Read the forum rules!

Well I know, i can install it from an original disc but i won't be able to play it, i can't turn off my cdrom devices it's a laptop...is there a way?

Try everything listed in the FAQ. If it doesn't work, you'll have to use your original CD/DVD. (Or ask the publisher about alternative methods but I'm sure they won't be very helpful...)

I see absolutely no reason you wouldn't be able to play with the original disc.

And you can remove the CD/DVD drive from a laptop. I think there's usually a switch somewhere on the side or bottom near (or possibly on?) the drive and it'll just pop out.

i've allready play the game, i didn't use my original CD, i didn't use cracks, and i didn't disabled my CD drive

BUT HEY!!!!!!!

i could still play the game anyway!!!!......:cool:

How?? I played all the game with unplug IDEs method :(

Who needs an intern Drive???

I have my selfmade USB DVD-DL-Burner and its perfect!
Silent, fast and no problems! Best solution in my eyes!
And if you want an intern drive then connect it via USB also (USB Cable trough the case and in the usb port)

Such a adapter cost around 10€ (Ebay etc.) or you buy a extern 5.11" case (around 20-40€)

About Persia's prince 3 Use d Version can not come into
 

These days, all 3 at test's Persia's prince All have not method, enter success.
Try all sorts of's law side, Be like use DT4 Come up to STARFUCK Wait for open tool.
Too close Cd-rom drive. Or won't work, I suppose this dvd Version's serials number is of no avail.
Why is of no avail! !! Aboriginal, SETUP. INI Maybe is have altered, I point enactment
Parameter. In have a group travelling together set up is.
ShowPasswordDialog= N
As installation's shi bu show enter password.
Can normal installation accomplishment.
But if set up: Y
As installation's time can show enter password, if import this' a group of password certain can not install.
So I want can not enter should is this a group of password relevance.

http://tinypic.com/jugwg6.jpg
Install Game, use SF KEY: <removed>

Quaere have who can open real dvd Version's serials number!:D

Nice posts, newgoodman...

Yea, is he asking something or trying to explain something?

@newgoodman: Bye, Bye!

Man, I've got a headache now from trying to read that post...

I re-read newgoodman's post to see if I could understand anything at all of it, but I swear, he talks like Yoda - in Gibberish...

pop3 censorship
 

hi all. i was browsing my pop3 folder today and discovered 2 quite interesting things (my version of pop is eu dvd):

1. file "POPData.bf" - there is a section "region" in it (default emea), maybe messing withit could help with uncensoring the game?
2. (which is more interesting) in file "Hardware.ini" there is section "UseBoneSplitting" which is "0" by default. maybe changin it to "1" would help with decapitation?

im not able to check if anything happens after messin with this 2 files because i cannot restart my comp and disable ide drives right now. could someone try it and write if it works? please... :P

Does PATA or SATA hard drive got any involvement in StarFucker things?? I got a SATA hard drive and I don't have to unplug my DVD drive, but my friends who has a PATA hard drive has to unplug his DVD drive to play the game. and why is it that NF3 owner doesn't have to unplug the drive??? could you explain it please???

try this: make an image of the game using alcohol 120% and then mount the image (if you got CD, make 3 virtual drive using alcohol, and mount all 3 images), install the game, dont type the serial yet. shut down your PC, remove your DVD/CD drive, turn on your PC, disable all alcohol virtual drive and start using daemon tools 4, make 1 DT4 drive, mount the CD play image (CD3), and type the serial but dont play the game yet. after you type the serial, shut down your PC, plug your DVD drive back to your system and start your PC, if the CD3 image is stil mounted using DT4, now you will be able to play PoP:T2T without removing your DVD drive, like I did.
hope all OK!:)

The newer versions of starforce ( 3.5 and 3.6 ) are trying to communicate directly with IDE controller and reenable the disabled optical drives and this is the reason software disable ( through device manager or SFNightmare ) don´t work for most people anymore for this new versions.It looks like the IDE controller used in nvidia chipsets is strange enough for starforce so the protection can not reenable the disabled drives and for many people having nforce motherboards software disable still works.The best situation is for nforce3 chipset where sometimes is not even necessary to disable drives.The type of your harddrive does matter but i don´t know how exactly this is involved.

I think PoPData.bf relates only to menu text - in any case, changing the region here makes no difference. There's also a region setting in the registry, which makes no difference either.

I'm fairly positive the difference is in the PoP3.exe. This file cannot be modified because of the Starforce protection. Replacing it (along with the Starforce files amir.exe and amir.dll, and the game disc) with the US version seems to be the only way to uncensor it without cracking the Starforce protection.

Of course, you don't have a US disc... and neither do I...

So I'm just waiting on a (working) US mini-image.

You built your own DVD burner? I'm impressed...

But I don't disable my DVD drive via any software or sfnightmare, I just use DT4 to mount the image. I think it has to do with what you said that the IDE controller in nforce3 is strange enough to confuse the starfoce...
anyway thanks for the info...;)

Alright... Having well and truly waited the "reasonable" length of time outlined in the forum rules (two weeks), I am officially requesting a mini-image of the US version of PoP:TTT.

As I've mentioned several times, I need it for my EU gore patch... I really, really want to slice some heads off :D.

Is it Starforce causing a lot of problems, or is it just that no one's gotten around to doing it yet? 'Cause King Kong also uses SF 3.6.10.06, and there seems to be a mini-image for that now (dunno if it actually works though...).

EDIT: Downloaded the King Kong mini-image and... it's not a mini-image, just an exe which patches the full image to make it work.

There's a No CD for UFO:Aftershock, which also uses SF 3.6.10.06, but it's for version 1.2, so it's possible copy protection was eased off in a patch due to numerous complaints (wouldn't be the first time...). Does anyone know if any games running this version of Starforce have been mini-imaged?

Censorship is one of the worst thing I know. We REALLY need a uncensor-patch for this game. Hope you'll find a way, Anti669.

@Anti669: I'm also officially informing you that noone from the professional cracker groups visits this forum so your request is just yet another shout into the wind... ;)

pop censorship... again :)
 

hi. i've checked my previous advices and i cen tell this:
as for number 1 - messin with "POPData.bf" file (changin region) does the same effect as switching the european exe (5,44mb) with us exe (5,13mb) - starforce checking succeeds but the game wont launch anyway (after starforce window nothing happens at all), so i think that u dont even have to switch european exe at all, just the starforce files.
as for number 2 - bone splitting setting makes no difference for me at all :)

and i've been thinking that maybe switchin "amir" files with starforce other versions (or same versions from games already cra... cooked) would be a good idea?

and finally - censorship in pop really sucks and im really dissapointed with ubisoft's policy (not even a single word from them in this subject). Also that's not the first time they've made their game unplayable for some gamers due to "security reasons". i still remember copyprotection problems with XIII and that they did not respond at all (i had to use a non-official patch (not a crack, a patch to 1.3version) just to run an original game on my computer. hell, 'xcuse me for this offtop :P

It's impossible to create mini-images for Starforce3, SecuROM7, and Safedisc4.6 games

@Joe: Yeah, I know it's not gonna do any good :(

Impossible's a bit of a strong word, don't you think? Just 'cause no one's figured it out yet doesn't mean no one ever willl...

@qrpiech: If you have a read through PoPData.bf, you'll see it contains nothing but menu text - no game variables or anything else in there.

Someone over at the official PoP forums got it running, uncensored, by replacing PoP3.exe, amir.exe and amir.dll with the US versions, and running the game with the US disc. So we know where the problem is now, but can't do any more without a mini-image (as I'm presuming you don't have a US CD...) Unless someone here wants to crack Starforce for me? :D.

game loads, but crashes in 30 seconds
 

hi..

I disconnected my cd and dvd drives.

i mount the image with DT 4.0 with all Emulation options on.

I installed the game with full installation.

I run the game.

It loads a few animation screens then my PC crashes.

PC restarts, I try to run it again. This time it asks me if I want ot run it in safe mode? so I choose 'Yes'. This time it loads all the animations then it asks me to create a profile. I type in a name and press Enter. PC crashes.

I noticed that some people also got this problem, but has anyone overcome this?

any help would be appreciated.

@reviled
And do all these problems exsists when using your original disc to play?

Trying with the original CD/DVD is only one of the ideas listed in the FAQ; there are more... ;)

have not tried with original disc and i dont want to, the whole point of my post is to try and get it to work with the image. anyone who has any solutions, I would really appreciate a reply, as would many others.

thanks

-reviled