seems the signature on starforce disks is so critical and without any kind of error correction, that once it has collected a few scratches you may well find your original will no longer authenticate.

Of course this is what game producers really want to hear, a protection system that is virtually uncopyable, and gives the discs a very short time out value. Starforce gives pc game disks an equivalent to the consumers the disposable DVD time bomb, but you pay full RRP for the privelage.

This will end up affecting the consumer severely as it will also hit the second game market very hard, and you never know it may also backfire on producers who use the protection.

This is why Starforce have a "customer" line. They know that problem quite well. You should e-mail them and will send u a new key.
And you are right. Starforce is not only quite sensitive to scratchs, but the drive state too.
By this i means that launching the copy after a ripping process ( for example), when the drive is overheated wil make the checks fails even with an original and in a perfect state copy. On the other way, the "weather" of your room where important too. In a very cool room, drive is "slowest" till all the system warms up, and copy will fail too first check.
Rebooting, or just waiting a few minutes will make the copy to work again.
Starforce is very picky with that, and they know that. If you have a scratched CD, then email them, and will obtain a UNIQUE key that will only work on THAT PC.
Checks are so accurate, that a simple scratch will make everything to fail.
in the other way, u can try to copy ur backup and launch it with Alcohol, and will work, but u know what limitations u will find.

Anyway, we must wait.

Good luck!

My PC evolves on a rapid basis, a unique key would not last long enuff if its along the lines of XP activation.

Besides MAC can be reprogrammed, and HD volume name forced, Starforce uses to its checks the Windows registry configuration (Windows License key and ports names) so with minor changes should work anyway.

U haven't more choice, sorry.

Godd luck!

And then what if 1 of my kidz want to borrow the ORIGINAL to use on their comp, because they certainly are not gonna use my comp.

No software EULA can say licenced for 1 person 1 comp, for the life of that comp ONLY, not ONE component change. next it will be DRM injections @ birth not paid cant see the movie/ listen to the music, play the game.

This is taking intelectual ownership to the extreme where you cannot even share ORIGINALS within your own household. and no its not illegal, 1 ORIGINAL = 1 PLAYER even if you got 20 kids in your house each with a comp. On top of that its more loss to software authors, In the past you could go to a friends with an ORIGINAL and show him/her the game, have some fun and they may well pop out and buy it that week. BIggest advertising is word of mouth, it can make a company and break a company and has 1000s X's more power than tv or internet adds.

Any game in the future protected to such an extent can Kiss it, It will be returned.