I have read the old threads regarding this game freezing at launch. I have even posted some myself. I gave up for a while but now I am trying to get this game to launch. Does anyone know if a solution was found? I am operating on Windows ME and meet all system requirements. I have changed the refresh rate to 60 and re-sized the desktop as well as tweaking the sound acceleration. The only thing I can figure out that I haven't tried is updating my soundcard drivers. This may sound stupid, but where do I find out what soundcard I have? Then do I just go to the website and update the driver?

Any help in getting this game to run would be greatly appreciated.

Susan

In Win 98 and I think ME as well,
Right-click My Computer, then Properties.
Device Manager tab
Click the + next to Sound, Video, and Game controllers to expand it.
Your sound card should be listed there.

Thanks, Jenny100. It says "Riptide Audio Device". Where do I go to update the driver?

Susan

Good question. I think that's an onboard sound card, which means you'd go to the website of the manufacturer of your motherboard. If you don't know what motherboard you have, try downloading something like the Belarc Advisor to identify it for you.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Or if you have a name brand computer, like a Dell or HP, go to the website of the computer.

Actually I don't think that drivers are the problem with BS3. If you reduce your audio acceleration, that's supposed to take care of the problem with BS3 - if it's audio card related.

I have an HP. I have just about given up on this game. I have tried everything I have read on the boards and nothing works. It takes a long time to load, then I get the "checking disk" window, then it goes to the gray screen and freezes. I have hard booted my computer I don't know how many times today trying to get this game to run.
I appreciate you taking the time to reply and help me.

Very frustrated,

Susan

The StarForce got you.
That's what it did to me when it didn't like something in my registry. It froze to a grey screen like that and I had to use the reset button on the front of the computer to get out of the freeze. I had to clean my registry out. And even then it would only play from one of my drives.

You can try the StarForce update program that DC/TAC has on the support page for BS3.
http://www.adventurecompanygames.com/tac/support/broken_sword.html

It's supposed to improve compatibility and might help you, though it didn't help me.

Sorry, you're losing me here. If I update this Starforce program will it clean out the registry? I've never even heard of the registry. Thanks again for your help.

Susan

I went to the link you suggested and downloaded the Starforce Protection thing. I "opened" it instead of "saving" it and it asked me to restart the computer. Does this mean it is installed? I then tried BS3 again and I am still having the same problem. If it is installed do I need to uninstall and re-install the game for this Starforce thing to work? This is getting way to techie for a dumbo like me.

Thanks,

Susan

Yes. The StarForce Update asks you to reboot after it installs. So the update must have installed.

I doubt reinstalling BS3 will make any difference, but you can try it.

The StarForce update doesn't do anything about cleaning your registry. It just updates the StarForce installation to something that supposedly improves drive incompatibility. That's what Dreamcatcher claims anyway. It didn't help me and I guess it didn't help you.

My guess is that the problem is something in your registry. I say that because after I cleaned my registry, the grey screen freeze went away. But one of my drives still could not pass the StarForce and start the game. The incompatibility with the drive didn't cause a crash though. The StarForce logo came up and the drive spun around for about 20 minutes and finally said the CD key didn't match. But no freeze due to the drive incompatibility. In my case, it was the stuff in the registry that caused the grey screen freeze.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help.
I don't know of a crack for the US version of BS3, and the UK version uses another form of copy "protection."

Is there a way to clean the registry? I went to a thread about games that use Starforce and went to a link for this but the page could not be displayed. I really don't understand all of this because I just finished Black Mirror (which uses Starforce) and played it just fine. Also, I have looked on some older threads and other people have had this same problem with BS3. Did they just give up or did they get it to work? If so, how? (rhetorical questions) I appreciate your patience and trying to help me.

Susan

Check AHuber's post here .
He also played Black Mirror but couldn't get BS3 to play.
BS3 has a "new and improved" version of StarForce.

Which link for a registry cleaner didn't work?
Over at DC/TAC, "Melissa" recommended the trial version of "jv16 power tools."
http://www.macecraft.com/brief_pt/

What registry cleaners do is clean out remnants of uninstalled programs that the uninstaller left behind.

By the way, if you have any virtual drive programs, you'll probably have to uninstall them to satisfy StarForce. I don't know all the programs that StarForce might conflict with, but programs like Virtual CD or CD Anywhere are virtual drive programs. If you've never had anything like that, I don't know what StarForce could be objecting to. Do you have Nero? Apparently newer versions of Nero have an image mounting utility that some copy "protection" systems don't like.

The link was in the thread "Games that use Starforce". I clicked "here" and it went to 3d gamer...something about Frontline Command. I just went to it again and it says "page not displayed". I guess I don't have Nero since I don't know what that is and I don't know if I have any virtual drive programs. Since I last posted I have updated my video card. That still didn't help.

Susan

I'm a little confused.
There are some links there for the StarForce updater and uninstaller which were posted before Dreamcatcher saw fit to offer these programs on the Dreamcatcher website. The people who made Frontline Command were faster getting these programs online. But there's no link for a registry cleaner there.

I'm sorry. I don't mean to be confusing. This is what was in the link:

Currently the only online source I know of for the sfclean.exe utility that removes the problematic StarForce drivers is the patch for Frontline Command that can be found here. You unzip the patch and the tiny sfclean.exe utility is part of it. For some reason, Dreamcatcher/TAC does not offer this utility for download at their own site.

The word "here" was a link. That was what I was trying to download and it didn't work.

Susan

OK I see the problem. That message was posted back in January. I should update it. Dreamcatcher now has the utilities on their support page for BS3 .

The "here" link still works for me though. Maybe the site was busy when you tried it.