I went ahead and bought Poser 5 after several months saving up for it (being layed off helped). I have seen several threads on problems with mis-installed Poser 5. Is there a correct sequence that I should load the main program and any other fix packs from Curious Labs? Thanks in advance, Tankred

This is the sequence according to Curious Labs: - Poser 5 - Poser 5 Figures Updater - SR 2.1 The SR 2.1 contains all fixes from previous service releases, so you do not need to install those.

Do NOT run Poser 5 until after you've installed SR 2.1. SR 2.1 gets rid of that copy protection scheme that caused some problems. Make sure no other programs are running during the installs. Be sure you don't have an antivirus program running in the background. Be sure to restart your computer after each install. Poser asks you to restart.

Also then obtain and runt the InterLok install program - assuming you have no other programs that rely on this hideous piece of usage-protection software. Run it twice - once for a full install (then reboot) then to remove. This will remove InterLok from your PC completely as far as I've been able to see.

Thanks for the info - can you point me in the direction to find the InterLok install program? I think that is what is trying to connect to the web every time I reboot, but don't know how to get rid of it. Thanks

Poser always behaves like it tries to connect to the Internet (according to the firewall), but in fact it isn't. It's just checking for other copies installed on a local network. The firewall usually interprets that as an attempt to get access to the Internet, which is wrong.

I got the program and in stalled the base Poser 5. I then tried to run the Figure updates and it said that it could not update anything. I went ahead ad ran the SR 2.1 and that updated fine. I then tried the Figure updater again and it would not update anything again. I was rebooting between each successful installation. Any advice on this? P5 seems to be running fine and I REALLY like it so far. It is going to take some getting used to. Should I also load the Content CD? Tankred

ye olde bookemarke mac

Maybe they had the figure uodater already implemented in the version that is selling now? Try e.g. the body morphs on Judy, if they work fine, then you are OK. The content CD contains a lot of extra stuff. None of it is necessary for Poser to run correctly, you install the things that you want to use from there.

Kelderek's sequence for installing is correct and Peter Wahoo is correct about not running P5 until after you install the figure updater and then SR-1...reboot, reboot, reboot. But I have never heard of an "Interlok Install" program. What is that exactly who3d and why is it needed, if SR-1 removes the copy protection stuff? Kelderek: I'm planning on installing Norton firewall to stop those idiots who have started using the Messenger Service to send their dumb ads. What do I have to do with Poser and the firewall, if anything, to prevent the firewall from interfering when I'm trying to render or load textures? That seems to be when Poser dings the internet.

SR 2.1 disconnects Loser5 from the "protection" afforded to it by Interlok. That's all. (I.e. CL recompliled without including call to Interlok - already installed by Loser 5 from teh CD.) So if you do nothing else Interlok is still running. CL claimed they didn't have it set to market-harvest data beyond the registration stuff, and PACE (author of this game-protection software) says they don't have it calling home. But it is capable of all that and then some, and it's still present and running, using up memory and cycles. And whatever it does/doesn't do, it sure ain't going to improve the smooth operation of your system! The install/de-install still doesn't remove everything, but it removes the drivers, so the puppy is not able to run or consume memory anymore. To remove everything, you'll need a Registry cleaning application - Interlok is set to prevent removal of it's entries by hand. You could find install on PACE's site, for people who need to upgrade Interlok, and CL posted a like in the Beta forum if you want to search - just after the 2.1 release. (Still sucks to have to do a full install from a company like PACE - which might do ANYTHING - to remove GARBAGE put on your system by CL, IMHO - but that's how it is... I did it, and could see nothing untoward going on - but I did stop all network access while running it ;-) But before you remove it, you'll need to know that no prior application of yours was using it. If you're wrong, a) that other app won't run, and b) you'll have to go through a full install, re-register / prove you didn't dteal it ritual. BTW, anyone know how to remove Macrovision's similar tool that came as a "free gift" from Intuit?

Sounds like it might be easier to leave the freeking thing alone! :) I run XP Pro and I haven't really noticed any denegration of my system performance after running P5. Once it's closed, XP runs like it always did. I really don't want to go to PACE for an installer....I don't know them....and I don't trust them any more than I trust CL right now. Furthermore, I believe CL should be responsible for providing an update that does exactly what you are describing...including a safe and clean removal of any garbage that their silly protection scheme placed in our registry. If they ever create an SR-3, that should be included.....or better yet, they should provide a seperate tool for that purpose. When the day comes that my machine needs to be reformated, I will never install P5 again....unless CL starts living up to its promises. Hopefully before that happens DAZ will have released their product, or CL will permit PC users to purchase P4 by itself or a ProPack that doesn't require P4 and interfaces with Vue. If I could purchase P4 as a stand alone, P5 would be a gone goose. The little I've spent on P5 merchandise, I would gladly dump for a version of P4 that I could use with Vue. I should have made my Poser purchase a year ago....not waited for P5. I am still interested in finding out what adjustments I have to make to the firewall to use it with Poser, if any.

anyone have the URL to the interlock uninstaller? I tried it before from the beta site and go all confused. who3d, wasn't that easy for me, but maybe you know the site?

Sandpoppe, the firewall will only detect Poser activity during start-up. You can safely set the firewall to any setting (even letting it block Poser access), Poser won't mind. It is not absolutely sure that the firewall will stopp these new Messenger ads. The best way to stop them is to disable the Messenger service in Windows totally. Do like this: - Right click on "My computer" and select "Manage" - Select "Services and application" and then "Services" - Find the service "Messenger" - Right click on it and select "Properties" - Set "Startup type" to "Disabled" This will turn off the Messenger service permanently. This is usually not a problem since only a fraction of the Windows user will ever use it. It is intended for system administrators to send messages to users over local networks and allows the message to be targeted to specific IP's. Spammers has recently found this well hidden and up until now forgotten Windows feature and is using it to send their weird offers randomly to entire IP-ranges.

Tell me about it! I get them about once a week. It's bad enough that they invade my inbox, but I'll be danged if they're going to invade my desktop! I know I can disable Messenger Service, but have not done so because it is not recommended by Microsoft. Here is what they have to say about it: "...If the Messenger service is stopped, messages from the Alerter service (notifications from your antivirus software, for example) are not transmitted. If the Messenger service is turned off, any services that explicitly depend on the Messenger service do not start, and an error message is logged in the System event log. For this reason, Microsoft recommends that you install a firewall and configure it to block NetBIOS and RPC traffic instead of turning off the Messenger service." My ISP also recommended that I get a firewall and specifically Norton Internet Security for Virus and Firewall protection. I have to update this weekend, so I may as well give it a try. If it doesn't work, then I will turn the blasted thing off regardless of what Microsoft says. Thanks for the feedback on Poser :)

Attached Link: http://www.paceap.com/tpkd.zip

I've got the Interlok setup/remove program locally - saved it somewhere I can find it for re-installs at any later date! I'll try and dig ou the link for it in a moment or two... Ah, here it is... http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12440&Form.ShowMessage=989060 Tells you that you can find the Interlok "Install" program at: http://www.paceap.com/tpkd.zip I unzip this to a temp folder and run the setup program (setup.exe) which installs the then-latest version of the program (I assume they may update this set from time to time). Then I reboot. Then I run the setup program again. This time, because we're using the developer version, there IS an entry in Windows's "installed programs" info. This means that you can elect to choose from various options. I choose to uninstall the whole thing, and reboot. AFAICS this also actually cleans out the registry (ISTR checking the 1st time I did it, but not since). Hope that helps :) As for CL providing a program to remove the protection *completely*, that would either require that their program have a complete database of all programs that use the protection technique (impractical, probably impossible as I doubt PACE would provide the info) OR we'd have a bunch of complaints from people with programs that no longer work becaus eCL's SR3 killed them by removing Interlok... It's a no-win situation for them, and any uninstall they provided would be from PACE (just as the install sequence will have been). Cheers, Cliff Bowman

Poser 5 ( do not open) - Poser 5 Figures Updater (do not open) - SR 2.1 (open or reboot then open?) Do I have to reboot between each install or just the last install?

IIRC you will be asked to reboot at each stage. Might as well, only adds a short time to the overall intall.

While I agree that CL is in a no-win situation over Interlok for us dumbies who bought the early copies, they SHOULD have replaced the retail CD master copy now, so that they don't keep installing Interlok on the systems of new purchasers, should they not? (After all Kupa has said he knew a major fix was need before P5 release so they shouldn't have made that big a first run CD imprints - particularly as they didn't even QA that all the files were on the CD master tape!!!) Re the firewall blocking, Poser is quite happy if ZoneAlarm is set to block entirely, but P5 (not P4) can sometimes get it's-nickers-in-a-twist if it's set to ask. It seems to be a question of responding to ZoneAlarm's prompt before P5 times out the internet connection and tries again - and screws up the retry. Don't have Norton firewall, but default-guy was reporting a problem with P5, and suggesting to not block fully - his message should still be in the SR-2 forum, it was one of his last few messages around the time he left CL, just before it became a near-virtual co.

Based on what layingback just said, I thought of another question for those of you in the know.....I think someone else may have eluded to this elsewhere. If Interlok is installed, would it not appear in the services folder (for those runing W2K and XP versions)? If so, does it go by the name "Interlok"? I looked at the services running on my system and could not find it. Just curious. I purchased Poser 5 on cd just before Christmas btw. I did not run it after installing from the cd, but went straight to installing the figures updater and SR 2.1. so I don't know what version came in the box.

"While I agree that CL is in a no-win situation over Interlok for us dumbies who bought the early copies, they SHOULD have replaced the retail CD master copy now, so that they don't keep installing Interlok on the systems of new purchasers, should they not?" I agreed so much I repeated the whole statement :) I don't even care if they've still got stock because they over-estimated original supply. New custoemrs AT LEAST should have new CD's which simply do not contain Interlok (but if such a new CD were forced upon me by CL I wouldn't argue). "Don't have Norton firewall, but default-guy was reporting a problem with P5, and suggesting to not block fully - his message should still be in the SR-2 forum" I have Norton's firewall set to decide for itself what programs to block. I never see a problem with P5 and Norton clashing in any way (Internet Security 2003). Didn't see one when I was using 2002 either :)

Sandoppe, Can't remember now, but I don't think so, appear as a service. Remember this thing is running outside of the scope of the OS - that's how it can do the dastardly things it does, or can do, when it notices what it believes is inappropriate use of your machine by YOU. But you can tell that you have Interlok installed by looking for the driver in the OS directory, and/or looking for it in the Registry. It is named Interlok. But hard to kill it via either of these paths. (You can even find denials about it on M$ knowledge base under Interlok.) Oh, and it messes with the HDD boot sector... You can read all about it on PACE's site, even download a PDF. Seems they are well proud! Wonder how many of PACE employees have it running undefeated on their own personal systems ;-)

Geez Louise! Ok....well I searched my computer. Found a folder in Windows called Interlok. Inside is a notepad doc called "Auth". Copied it...read it....garbage as a text file. There are no drivers by that name and I set to show all hidden files and protected system files as well. Registry: Pace folder does appear. Keys found in the main folder and about 4 nested folders show keys with "value not set". I don't know squat about the registry, so I'm not sure what that means. If you think it might be running somewhere, I suppose I could run that file after I uninstall Norton Internet Security 2002 and before installing Norton Internet Security 2003. I always buy a new CD every year versus upgrading on-line as I have much better results that way...in case anyone's wondering about that :) I would think though that if the drivers don't exist (assuming they are called Interlok or would be in that folder), the registry keys as they are now are of little consequence? I assume Microsoft does not use this for anything? I have a lot of Microsoft products which should not be affected? My main programs beyond that are Poser, Bryce 4, Vue d'Esprit, and PsP 7. I doubt if anything else I run would rely on this critter. Your thoughts?

Eureka! Went to the Microsoft site and got the name of the actual driver (I think someone may have posted it here as well....just can't remember where)Tpkd.sys. I do indeed have it under Windows/system32/drivers. What happens if you simply "delete" this driver? Or is that more dangerous than running the developer file? I'm not getting the errors described in the Microsoft Knowledge base, so at this time am not experiencing any problems that could be directly related to this thing. The solution Microsoft offers is different I think than what's been proposed by Cliff,as they provide a link to download the driver updates....this assumes you really want and need this bugger :) At the PACE site (http://www.paceap.com/)there is a list of companies that use this. Corel is one of them, as is Adobe, Kodak, Pantone, Linotype, Kodak, Nikon, Dolby, Electronic Arts, Digidesign and Net Objects and of course, CL among others. Not sure which of the products these companies produce are affected. The only one that comes close for me is Corel, but I would guess Bryce 4 does not use it as it's not even listed as a product anymore....possibly Bryce 5 does though.