bitraider... it needs to go. there's 0 reason for this software to monopolize 100% of my system's storage bandwidth. People have been telling you this is a problem for years, its well past the point of absurdity.

2ndly, again, something that you've dodged for years... this video game does not need complete, unrestricted, administrative access to my PC. I'm more than willing to put star wars in its own location so that it can update itself as needed with out requiring rights to protected system folders. There is nothing else on my PC that your company needs access to beyond the initial registry keys at the time of install. It's 2017, IT security and privacy are a big deal these days.

bitraider... it needs to go. there's 0 reason for this software to monopolize 100% of my system's storage bandwidth. People have been telling you this is a problem for years, its well past the point of absurdity.

 

2ndly, again, something that you've dodged for years... this video game does not need complete, unrestricted, administrative access to my PC. I'm more than willing to put star wars in its own location so that it can update itself as needed with out requiring rights to protected system folders. There is nothing else on my PC that your company needs access to beyond the initial registry keys at the time of install. It's 2017, IT security and privacy are a big deal these days.

There are dozens of posts here that tell you how to remove Bitraider and although it requires a complete re-download it is still easy to do, it also makes the downloading much faster when you do.

As far as the security issues you are referring to, it must be a Windows 8 or 10 thing since Win 7 does not require any of that. I would imagine there is a simple solution on your end to bypass all of that.

There are dozens of posts here that tell you how to remove Bitraider and although it requires a complete re-download it is still easy to do, it also makes the downloading much faster when you do.

 

As far as the security issues you are referring to, it must be a Windows 8 or 10 thing since Win 7 does not require any of that. I would imagine there is a simple solution on your end to bypass all of that.

I already disabled bitraider, that's not the point though. It's been a problem for years and BW hasn't twitched a finger to do anything about it.

2ndly, unless you disabled UAC in windows 7, you should still get an elevation prompt every time the launcher starts. There's BS shim workarounds to get around this, but I shouldn't have to do that to safeguard my privacy or PC from this video game. There's no reason they designed this game to require complete access to any system. It's a video game, not an administrative tool.

BW/EA wouldn't allow standard user applications on their corporate systems that need administrative rights to run. So why should they require it of us? With SWTOR running as an admin, it wouldn't be difficult for your device to be hacked. You've given it permission to do whatever it wants to your PC.

I'm sorry these are just petty arguments. There is likely a simple reason why Bitraider is part of their system. Most like corporate related. As far as UAC goes, who do you think is going to hack you? I always disable UAC and I have never been hacked. I don't run a business on my personal gaming computer so why would I need to worry about being hacked? I do not even use antivirus software and I never have any problems. All those security features that Windows uses are part of Windows not EA/BW so complaining to them is pointless. Make your complaints to Microsoft.

Really is sounds more like you just need someone to rage at.

bitraider... it needs to go. there's 0 reason for this software to monopolize 100% of my system's storage bandwidth.

That isn't Bitraider using your storage bandwidth.

It's the launcher reading and writing multiple files when updating the game client and related game files, if you had opened resource monitor when it is doing this, you would be aware of that. Bitraider is removable from your system (and you can even block access on first install via your firewall to stop it communicating).

So which part are you complaining about? Have you actually read the ToS for using this software?

When you connect to TOR Service, we may retrieve information from the computer used to log onto the TOR Service. The information we collect may include information about the computer's hardware system and any data related to the computer's operation of the TOR Software or use of TOR Services. We will not collect any personal information about you, however, without your knowledge and consent as stated in our Privacy Policy at http://www.swtor.com/legalnotices/privacypolicy.]

Essentially, if you use this game, then you accept the terms of use. If you don't accept them, don't use the game.

That isn't Bitraider using your storage bandwidth.

 

It's the launcher reading and writing multiple files when updating the game client and related game files, if you had opened resource monitor when it is doing this, you would be aware of that. Bitraider is removable from your system (and you can even block access on first install via your firewall to stop it communicating).

 

Actually, it was bitraider. When I noticed my system became sluggish in responding, I pulled up the resource monitor and saw bitraider pegging out my storage at 100%. The launcher was behaving normally.

Actually, it was bitraider. When I noticed my system became sluggish in responding, I pulled up the resource monitor and saw bitraider pegging out my storage at 100%. The launcher was behaving normally.

I thought you said you had disabled Bitraider?!

If not, then you are actually aware of what Bitraider does I assume? If not, read up a little bit on it, you'll also see why it requires admin access - http://www.bitraider.com/

Edit: Also, I do strongly suggest if you haven't removed it that you do so, it is exploitable.

I thought you said you had disabled Bitraider?!

 

If not, then you are actually aware of what Bitraider does I assume? If not, read up a little bit on it, you'll also see why it requires admin access - http://www.bitraider.com/

 

Edit: Also, I do strongly suggest if you haven't removed it that you do so, it is exploitable.

I did disable bitraider, after i found it killing my system performance. Again, whole point of this is to, for the bajillionth time, tell bioware there's a problem and to fix it. workarounds aren't solutions, they're workarounds. Only bioware can fix it.

Again, whole point of this is to, for the bajillionth time, tell bioware there's a problem and to fix it. workarounds aren't solutions, they're workarounds. Only bioware can fix it.

Tell away!.

I did disable bitraider, after i found it killing my system performance. Again, whole point of this is to, for the bajillionth time, tell bioware there's a problem and to fix it. workarounds aren't solutions, they're workarounds. Only bioware can fix it.

I have never had the bitraider version of the launcher/client. And I am on my second computer playing SWTOR. All I do is install from the original disks and patch from there and I never have to deal with the questions or issues of the bitraider version of the game. So there is simply nothing that needs fixing as long as they give the player the freedom to choose the bitraider or non-bitraider versions.

And though you claim you disabled bitraider, I don't believe you. Please, to establish a measure of credibility here.... tell me what steps you took to disable it. I ask because disabling it requires making specific changes to your configuration files and a complete redownload of the game (all 37 GB) before you can play on in a non-streaming fashion.

As for your alleged UAC complaints..... your issue is with Microsoft, not SWTOR. And, you have complete control over UAC on your computer.

I have never had the bitraider version of the launcher/client. And I am on my second computer playing SWTOR. All I do is install from the original disks and patch from there and I never have to deal with the questions or issues of the bitraider version of the game. So there is simply nothing that needs fixing as long as they give the player the freedom to choose the bitraider or non-bitraider versions.

 

And though you claim you disabled bitraider, I don't believe you. Please, to establish a measure of credibility here.... tell me what steps you took to disable it. I ask because disabling it requires making specific changes to your configuration files and a complete redownload of the game (all 37 GB) before you can play on in a non-streaming fashion.

 

As for your alleged UAC complaints..... your issue is with Microsoft, not SWTOR. And, you have complete control over UAC on your computer.

You do realize that UAC is a security measure designed to prevent software from modifying your system with out your knowledge, right? It does so by separating administrative user space from standard user space by prompting you to allow or deny software from running that requests access to protected system areas and functions. The issue there is that a video game does not need access to protected system areas to function. THAT is a problem that bioware created when they wrote this crapfest software years ago. UAC/Microsoft is not to blame, BioWare is. It's one thing to need rights to install, its another thing to need rights to run.

And as to your doubts as to whether or not I disabled bitraider, I really don't know why you think I have to prove myself to you but I edited the corresponding fields of the launcher.settings file located in the SWTOR install folder. Followed by a prompt uninstall of the bitraider client.

The issue there is that a video game does not need access to protected system areas to function. THAT is a problem that bioware created when they wrote this crapfest software years ago. UAC/Microsoft is not to blame, BioWare is. It's one thing to need rights to install, its another thing to need rights to run.

Actually, if you had followed the link to the Bitraider site you would know that for the streaming client to work, it does need access to protected system areas. Equally as pointed out, BioWare didn't write the Bitraider Client, they licensed its use for this game and chose to integrate it so players can begin playing the game before the complete download had finished.

That's the whole point of a streaming client.

As to the UAC issue, technically Bitraider should only require authorisation once, not multiple times. Again, that's more likely due to a change in how Microsoft protects the OS, and again not something BioWare have control over.

Actually, if you had followed the link to the Bitraider site you would know that for the streaming client to work, it does need access to protected system areas. Equally as pointed out, BioWare didn't write the Bitraider Client, they licensed its use for this game and chose to integrate it so players can begin playing the game before the complete download had finished.

 

That's the whole point of a streaming client.

 

As to the UAC issue, technically Bitraider should only require authorisation once, not multiple times. Again, that's more likely due to a change in how Microsoft protects the OS, and again not something BioWare have control over.

Actually, its the launcher that prompts for admin rights, not bitraider. With the launcher being granted admin privileges, everything it executed, including bitraider, runs as admin. Even with it disabled, the launcher still prompts for elevation. BioWare wrote the launcher, and it prompts every single time its started. Further more, the game itself is running in administrator user space, which is why you also have to run discord or w/e as admin to use it with SWTOR. BioWare has full control over what its software is trying to access, they wrote it.

Actually, its the launcher that prompts for admin rights, not bitraider. With the launcher being granted admin privileges, everything it executed, including bitraider, runs as admin. Even with it disabled, the launcher still prompts for elevation. BioWare wrote the launcher, and it prompts every single time its started. Further more, the game itself is running in administrator user space, which is why you also have to run discord or w/e as admin to use it with SWTOR. BioWare has full control over what its software is trying to access, they wrote it.

So now we're going around in circles.

So what's the issue now? Bitraider or the launcher? If you have issues with the launcher requesting admin rights, again I'll refer you back to the ToS I linked above. The choice you have on that is simple, if you don't accept the ToS then you don't play the game. Simple as that.

So now we're going around in circles.

 

So what's the issue now? Bitraider or the launcher? If you have issues with the launcher requesting admin rights, again I'll refer you back to the ToS I linked above. The choice you have on that is simple, if you don't accept the ToS then you don't play the game. Simple as that.

I don't see how we're going in circles. I stated in the original post that bitraider was a problem and the game requiring administrative rights is a problem. Two separate issues, both of which the resolution lies with BioWare.

The ToS does not say they can do whatever they want to our systems and/or compromise security. Running this game as an administrator opens the door to do exactly that. They have chosen to ignore both issues for years. Whose to say that some pissed off dev wont slip malicious code into this game and wreak havoc? We all know that BW is seriously lacking in the QA area and I highly doubt they would be able to catch it until its too late. Whose to say some hacker wouldn't hijack the connection between you and BW and use this game as an avenue to gain access to your machine? As long as this game has full rights to our systems, its a vulnerability that no one should just accept, ToS or no.

You do realize that UAC is a security measure designed to prevent software from modifying your system with out your knowledge, right? It does so by separating administrative user space from standard user space by prompting you to allow or deny software from running that requests access to protected system areas and functions. The issue there is that a video game does not need access to protected system areas to function. THAT is a problem that bioware created when they wrote this crapfest software years ago. UAC/Microsoft is not to blame, BioWare is. It's one thing to need rights to install, its another thing to need rights to run.

Yes, I know exactly what UAC is for and how it works. It is there for your protection, and you as the user can turn it off if you like.... and if you understand the risks and manage them accordingly.

And I'm sorry... but exactly how do you know that any given application does not need UAC access to your system? SWTOR does in fact modify files and such and UAC is an interlock to be sure the user grants permission to do so.

And as to your doubts as to whether or not I disabled bitraider, I really don't know why you think I have to prove myself to you but I edited the corresponding fields of the launcher.settings file located in the SWTOR install folder. Followed by a prompt uninstall of the bitraider client.

Why? Because you have been presenting mixed information here and have not clearly demonstrated that you actually have removed bitraider (not turned it off, but actually removed it and downloaded the non-streaming version.

It's not my fault you keep contradicting yourself about bitraider.

Yes, I know exactly what UAC is for and how it works. It is there for your protection, and you as the user can turn it off if you like.... and if you understand the risks and manage them accordingly.

I do understand the risks, which is why I made this post to begin with, and am ignoring the moron that posted above you, sharkhonn, who obviously doesn't.

Why? Because you have been presenting mixed information here and have not clearly demonstrated that you actually have removed bitraider (not turned it off, but actually removed it and downloaded the non-streaming version.

 

It's not my fault you keep contradicting yourself about bitraider.

It's not on my machine any longer. It's gone. I disabled and uninstalled it after I determined it was causing a problem. Does that mean bitraider is fixed? no, it simply means its not on my machine. BW put it there, BW decided to add it to the SWTOR install, BW didn't openly provide any option to use it or not, ergo, BW's issue to resolve. I dunno what else to tell you man.

And I'm sorry... but exactly how do you know that any given application does not need UAC access to your system? SWTOR does in fact modify files and such and UAC is an interlock to be sure the user grants permission to do so.

As i've stated over and over again, it's a video game, not an administrative tool. There's nothing in the OS this game needs to modify to play. It's own data, yes, absolutely it needs to modify it, none of which is in a protected system area. The registry? newp... all entries are made during time of install. Cache? newp, none stored in a protected system area. System settings? hell no. The only protected area the game would feasibly need access to modify at all is the program files folder if it was installed there, which on my machine, isn't.

Any video game, not just SWTOR, does not need the ability to modify system settings. It's unreasonable to code it to require that. SWTOR just happens to be the only game I've encountered that seems to want it. It's one of the many reason UAC was introduced in the first place with Vista. Needing admin rights to function was something uninformed developers did for XP, which, if I recall correctly, SWTOR is no longer supported on XP.

As i've stated over and over again, it's a video game, not an administrative tool. There's nothing in the OS this game needs to modify to play. It's own data, yes, absolutely it needs to modify it, none of which is in a protected system area. The registry? newp... all entries are made during time of install. Cache? newp, none stored in a protected system area. System settings? hell no. The only protected area the game would feasibly need access to modify at all is the program files folder if it was installed there, which on my machine, isn't.

 

Any video game, not just SWTOR, does not need the ability to modify system settings. It's unreasonable to code it to require that. SWTOR just happens to be the only game I've encountered that seems to want it. It's one of the many reason UAC was introduced in the first place with Vista. Needing admin rights to function was something uninformed developers did for XP, which, if I recall correctly, SWTOR is no longer supported on XP.

Actually all of your game settings are stored in a protected area in your USER folder.. Your graphics settings, quickbar settings, and other settings. All of which are not in the program files folder. They are in your USER folder, which is one of the reasons for the UAC prompt. Coarse you already know that since you are obviously an expert.

Actually all of your game settings are stored in a protected area in your USER folder.. Your graphics settings, quickbar settings, and other settings. All of which are not in the program files folder. They are in your USER folder, which is one of the reasons for the UAC prompt. Coarse you already know that since you are obviously an expert.

You're right, I am an expert, which is why I know I have rights to my own user folder... genius. And OBTW, user folders are not protected folders. The only reason admin rights would be necessary in your uninformed example is if the application was trying to access a user folder that belonged to a different user.

As i've stated over and over again, it's a video game, not an administrative tool. There's nothing in the OS this game needs to modify to play. It's own data, yes, absolutely it needs to modify it, none of which is in a protected system area. The registry? newp... all entries are made during time of install. Cache? newp, none stored in a protected system area. System settings? hell no. The only protected area the game would feasibly need access to modify at all is the program files folder if it was installed there, which on my machine, isn't.

 

Any video game, not just SWTOR, does not need the ability to modify system settings. It's unreasonable to code it to require that. SWTOR just happens to be the only game I've encountered that seems to want it. It's one of the many reason UAC was introduced in the first place with Vista. Needing admin rights to function was something uninformed developers did for XP, which, if I recall correctly, SWTOR is no longer supported on XP.

So, considering you're knowledgeable in the area of game engine development.

What system files does the game engine access to run this game? Simple question.

So, considering you're knowledgeable in the area of game engine development.

 

What system files does the game engine access to run this game? Simple question.

Err this has little to do with game engine developing than it does to do with software development in general. Anyway to answer your question, procmon reveals queries against several registry keys, queries, not writes (no admin needed to read), which all point to various directX and visual C++ functions. As a matter of fact, all of the hard file read and writes are taking place in the SWTOR folder... so again, no reason for this game to need admin rights to function.

This is the most enjoyable thread I've seen in quite some time. It's like watching a soap opera - did he or didn't he uninstall bitraider? Did he or didn't he ignore the people he publicly announced he was ignoring?

10/10

Err this has little to do with game engine developing than it does to do with software development in general. Anyway to answer your question, procmon reveals queries against several registry keys, queries, not writes (no admin needed to read), which all point to various directX and visual C++ functions. As a matter of fact, all of the hard file read and writes are taking place in the SWTOR folder... so again, no reason for this game to need admin rights to function.

No reason that is visible to you using procmon. Please do carry on, this is actually quite enlightening.