Got mine today..
2 Splinter Cells(black usb drives)

Plastic packaging with seal around the edge.. I opened the first one all around the edges, Nothing but the drive and the paper flier was in there(no code for Splinter Cell) So the second I just cut a circle right around the drive and popped it out.

First thing I noticed was some fine dust/powder around the USB plug after I opened it. I just wiped it off, looks like a little was inside the clear plastic as well.

Plugged it in, recognized and all. Did some speed testing with it and a couple of my other drives. This compared practically even with my 8GB Sandisk Cruzer Micro, read speed ~24MB/s write at 10.6MB/s. My 2GB Corsair Flash VoyagerGT ran at ~24 read and 18.4 write. So not bad comparisons.

I tried a real world test with a 1.36GB file and it took ~4 mins for the DaneElec and Sandisk Cruzer. Only ~2 mins for the Corsair.
Seeing as the Corsair is smaller, I don't know if that's a fair test might be equal for an 8GB Corsair who knows.

Either way, I'm just glad to have a couple more 8GB flash drives. Also it was mentioned around page 2-4 but these games most probably have StarForce with them. It can possibly be nasty with your hardware and software(the paper packaging has a notice stating that it does have copy protection that can conflict with CD-RW, DVD-RW, and virtual drives.) I believe there's an uninstall utility out there for StarForce. I do not know, however, if the game will work after that.

I got mine yesterday with rainbow six lockdown. I installed the game and everything worked, but I couldn't get to the online multiplayer feature of the game... I did some searching on the net, and come to find out ubi took down the lockdown servers a long time ago...thanks woot for promising "quality online game play" when the online servers are down... very disappointing cause the online feature was what I was really excited for in the first place...oh well, maybe i should stop being cheap and go buy Vegas2. message to Woot...please dont lie to us anymore...its not nice. ;)

My delivery date went from the 18th to the 20th and now today I see it says the 22nd.
Are they f'ing walking it here?

I got my 2 drives today and they are filled with white stuff all over them. They are even inside of the drive. I dont trust plugging this in my computer. Its all over the inside of the drive. Anybody else have this issue? I want my money back!

cleaner00 wrote:I got the FedEx # yesterday but still today FedEx does not recognize the # in their tracking system.
chocolatey

When you copy and paste the tracking number, make sure you don't have an asterisk or space at the end of the number. Use the backspace until the pointer is dead against the last number then try it. It should now work.

As far as I can tell, these games are unprotected. I was wary because of the packaging but I can't find anything about Starforce in any install directories. I copied the games off the flash drives to the hard drive, removed the flash drives, and installed the games. I have Windows 7 RC1 64-bit. Brother in Arms ran great as-is. For Splinter Cell, it didn't work. I set Windows XP SP2 compatibility, disable visual themes, disable desktop composition, run this program as administrator. Game works great. Since it's an old game and I have a great card (ATI 4670), I was able to totally max out the graphics settings and it still runs really fast.

Underneath the flash drive for Brother, there's a code imprinted on the cardboard. I have no clue whether this is needed or not. I'm saving it just in case.

Just installed Brothers in Arms. Very excited to play it. I get the developer screen and the violence warning but when it goes to what I think is the menu screen it is black. I hear the music and when I move the mouse I hear the sound effects as it moves over the options but I can't see anything. Anyone else having this problem or have any ideas?

trashtrampoline wrote:When you copy and paste the tracking number, make sure you don't have an asterisk or space at the end of the number. Use the backspace until the pointer is dead against the last number then try it. It should now work.

I used the provided link.

Has anyone found the CD Key for Splinter Cell anywhere? You need to enter it for online play, but I can't find it anywhere on the packaging or in any of the directories.

splinter cell takes up about 4.06 gigs of space, there is 3.38 gigs of free space left...
someone stole .56 gigs...
oh, well, that seems to always be the case I guess.
still a great price though, but testing the game will have to wait until tomorrow, it just happened to arrive right before I leave for work, now I will be thinking about the game while I work.

cwipperman wrote:Just installed Brothers in Arms. Very excited to play it. I get the developer screen and the violence warning but when it goes to what I think is the menu screen it is black. I hear the music and when I move the mouse I hear the sound effects as it moves over the options but I can't see anything. Anyone else having this problem or have any ideas?

This is what we got also. The game starts but all we can see after the opening graphics is a black screen. Tried installing on laptop and desktop, same result.

onlysublime wrote:As far as I can tell, these games are unprotected. I was wary because of the packaging but I can't find anything about Starforce in any install directories. I copied the games off the flash drives to the hard drive, removed the flash drives, and installed the games. I have Windows 7 RC1 64-bit.

can anyone else please confirm whether or not starforce is installed? I'm hearing conflicting stories and don't want to install on my new laptop. Thanks.

barbndew wrote:This is what we got also. The game starts but all we can see after the opening graphics is a black screen. Tried installing on laptop and desktop, same result.

Do you have Vista operating system? In that case, it may be that it's starforce and you need to update your drivers to the latest version to run the game.

danielg33125 wrote:splinter cell takes up about 4.06 gigs of space, there is 3.38 gigs of free space left...
someone stole .56 gigs...
oh, well, that seems to always be the case I guess.

When a flash drive is actually formatted for use you never actually get the full capacity stated for the drive. No one actually stole a half gig from you, its there in theory just kind of formatted away in order to make the drive usable. Atleast that's my understanding of it.

well golly gee, it was at the house yesterday when I got home from work, no white apcray as other posts.

This was my first woot and shall be my last, 14 day from purchase to delivery, Oops! I crapped my pants.. That same 5 bucks for shipping could have just went first class mail and I would have had it in 2 to 3 days. Even with 5 days to proces it I would have had it sooner with a secret! mail. This fedex smartpost is apcray.

I got my Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory version today and there is no game on the drive. It is completely wiped. What should I do?

Any one else using Windows 7? I haven't done ant troubleshooting yet, but the drive is not recognized. Yes, I know the game is "XP only", but I still expect the drive to work.

tuningproblem wrote:I got my Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory version today and there is no game on the drive. It is completely wiped. What should I do?

You should check what the computer reports as the total size. Don't go by whether or not you see any files on it.

PatMcRotch wrote:You should check what the computer reports as the total size. Don't go by whether or not you see any files on it.

It says it has 7.45GB free, and I checked in two different computers. I even scanned it with one of those file recovery programs and it didn't find anything. Maybe it was reformatted--mine is FAT32, what are everybody elses?

StumpFreak wrote:Has anyone found the CD Key for Splinter Cell anywhere? You need to enter it for online play, but I can't find it anywhere on the packaging or in any of the directories.

I have not been able to find the key either. Will contact Ubi.

cwipperman wrote:Just installed Brothers in Arms. Very excited to play it. I get the developer screen and the violence warning but when it goes to what I think is the menu screen it is black. I hear the music and when I move the mouse I hear the sound effects as it moves over the options but I can't see anything. Anyone else having this problem or have any ideas?

I tried installing BIA on a Dell 640M with an Intel 915GM Graphics Chipset. I have a problem identical to yours.

After some Googling:
Ubi Support Website

ATI Radeon 8500/9000/X series
NVIDIA GeForce 4/FX/6 series (GeForce 4 MX not supported)

These chipsets are the only ones that will run this game. Laptop models of these cards not supported.

Further Googling showed no workarounds or patches. Looks like we're out of luck.

mellowspaz wrote:Do you have Vista operating system? In that case, it may be that it's starforce and you need to update your drivers to the latest version to run the game.

Thanks for the help. I have Vista and did my windows update, but I searched google for a "starforce driver update" and I was sent to a bunch of sites that wanted me to download $100+ driver update utilities. Could you please add a link to a place where I could get this update without all the hassle. Thanks in advance. And, has anyone else with the same problem (black screen after all the title screens) been able to get this to work or did I just buy a cheap flashdrive instead of drive plus game?

mellowspaz wrote:Do you have Vista operating system? In that case, it may be that it's starforce and you need to update your drivers to the latest version to run the game.

Thanks for the help. I have Vista and did my windows update, but I searched google for a "starforce driver update" and I was sent to a bunch of sites that wanted me to download $100+ driver update utilities. Could you please add a link to a place where I could get this update without all the hassle. Thanks in advance. And, has anyone else with the same problem (black screen after all the title screens) been able to get this to work or did I just buy a cheap flashdrive instead of drive plus game?

So what should I do? My flash drive has no game on it.

Brothers in Arms purchased, installed on laptop; not playable. Website for Hill 30 version has apparently been taken down. Patches on gamesites won't load (wrong version or nonmatching file names).

It'll load, put on display screens with audio,but I can't get any game menus or options. Just the same splash page with voiceover.

I'm guessing that the graphics in my laptop are incompatible, but it's always a bummer to buy such an orphaned product.

cwipperman wrote:Thanks for the help. I have Vista and did my windows update, but I searched google for a "starforce driver update" and I was sent to a bunch of sites that wanted me to download $100+ driver update utilities. Could you please add a link to a place where I could get this update without all the hassle. Thanks in advance. And, has anyone else with the same problem (black screen after all the title screens) been able to get this to work or did I just buy a cheap flashdrive instead of drive plus game?

http://www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=8390

See the bottom of the page, it turns out that you need to run as an administrator and set as windows xp compatibility mode. I don't think it has to do with drivers. Hope that helps.

What did you do?!?!?! Did you format the flash drive? Please contact the manufacturer of the product you bought at http://www.dane-elec.com/. You will likely get a replacement or better item from them. If by the off chance Dane-Elec will not help you, please write into service@woot.com. We will be glad to assist you.

tuningproblem wrote:So what should I do? My flash drive has no game on it.

StumpFreak wrote:Has anyone found the CD Key for Splinter Cell anywhere? You need to enter it for online play, but I can't find it anywhere on the packaging or in any of the directories.

I have the same problem. My friends and I bought Splinter Cell solely for the online play, and have not been able to find a CD-Key to enter. I contacted Ubisoft about it, and this was their response

Some bundled versions of the game are not usable online and do not include a multiplayer key. You will need to contact the company that bundled the game to see if yours was supposed to include a key.

I feel kind of mislead, as Woot! clearly highlighted online play as one of the features of the game.

nights0223 wrote:I feel kind of mislead, as Woot! clearly highlighted online play as one of the features of the game.

That was the same response that I received from Ubi. I, too, feel a little mislead. The packaging of the product clearly states online play. I'm going to forward my question to Dane-Electric and see what they have to say about it.

Veyec wrote:I'm going to forward my question to Dane-Electric and see what they have to say about it.

I have done the same. I hope we can get this resolved, I really want to play some online Splinter Cell!

If you guys have Intel graphics, you should know that Intel graphics have a lot of problems with a lot of games. If you have a laptop, you're out of luck. but if you have a desktop, get a cheap ATI or NVIDIA card and save the headache. You can buy a $25 ATI card that has full H.264, VC-1 hardware acceleration and decent game playing ability (at least compared to Intel graphics). Intel is terrible.

cwipperman wrote:Thanks for the help. I have Vista and did my windows update, but I searched google for a "starforce driver update" and I was sent to a bunch of sites that wanted me to download $100+ driver update utilities. Could you please add a link to a place where I could get this update without all the hassle. Thanks in advance. And, has anyone else with the same problem (black screen after all the title screens) been able to get this to work or did I just buy a cheap flashdrive instead of drive plus game?

Before you start trying to find out whether you needed starforce or not (because i see no proof anywhere that there is starforce in this version of the games)... after installing the game, right-click on the shortcut and go to properties. go to the compatibility tab and choose winxp sp2. choose "run as administrator" and it wouldn't hurt to disable the visual stuff related to vista or windows 7 aero.

if you have intel graphics, i wouldn't hold your breath. intel always has problems with games.

Thanks for all the responses with suggestions. Still have the same problem. Splash screens load but menu screen is black with music running. Moving the mouse around I can hear it going over buttons (get the sound effect that I'm sure represents a mouseover) but clicking does nothing. I DID change the properties to the compatibility mode and administrator but still nothing. I AM trying to play this on a Sony Vaio laptop (previous Woot! purchase) and it has Intel Inside, so I may not be able to play the game. If anyone has any more suggestions they are greatly appreciated but I'm thinking I ended up getting a good deal on an 8 gig flash drive instead of an incredible deal on an 8 gig flash drive and a game. I'm still a satisfied Wooter (until I miss out on the next wootoff BagO'Crapola) so thanks for all the help.

cwipperman wrote:but I'm thinking I ended up getting a good deal on an 8 gig flash drive instead of an incredible deal on an 8 gig flash drive and a game. I'm still a satisfied Wooter (until I miss out on the next wootoff BagO'Crapola) so thanks for all the help.

For the people that have these games and it doesn't work, you can save the games for later or give the games away or burn the game to a DVD. These are unprotected versions of the games. You can copy it to your hard drive and install later when you get a computer or graphics card that can handle them. No need to just erase the game without getting some benefit out of it.

zerogame wrote:well golly gee, it was at the house yesterday when I got home from work, no white apcray as other posts.

This was my first woot and shall be my last, 14 day from purchase to delivery, Oops! I crapped my pants.. That same 5 bucks for shipping could have just went first class mail and I would have had it in 2 to 3 days. Even with 5 days to proces it I would have had it sooner with a secret! mail. This fedex smartpost is apcray.

Hey man, you're lucky. It's now the 23rd and I STILL haven't even gotten mine yet. And woot is now telling me I have to wait ANOTHER 10 days before they'll do anything about it. This was my second purchase off this site and unless they make good, it will be my last purchase as well.

pdxphreek wrote:Hey man, you're lucky. It's now the 23rd and I STILL haven't even gotten mine yet. And woot is now telling me I have to wait ANOTHER 10 days before they'll do anything about it. This was my second purchase off this site and unless they make good, it will be my last purchase as well.

Yeah this s.u.c.k.s. PDXPHREEK and I bought a drive within 5 minutes of each other I got mine about 9 days after the order was placed. I have been thinking because of their lack of customer service, woot can eat it. I'll never buy from them again. I dont care how good of a deal it is.

According to our records, your order was given to USPS for delivery. Please contact USPS for further information. If by the off chance USPS will not help you, please write into service@woot.com. We will be glad to assist you.

pdxphreek wrote:Hey man, you're lucky. It's now the 23rd and I STILL haven't even gotten mine yet. And woot is now telling me I have to wait ANOTHER 10 days before they'll do anything about it. This was my second purchase off this site and unless they make good, it will be my last purchase as well.

onlysublime wrote:For the people that have these games and it doesn't work, you can save the games for later or give the games away or burn the game to a DVD. These are unprotected versions of the games. You can copy it to your hard drive and install later when you get a computer or graphics card that can handle them. No need to just erase the game without getting some benefit out of it.

100% sure? Starforce really scares the crappers out of me as I've had numerous DRM issues in the past. Would you consider yourself a bonafide computer technical expert to know where to find Starforce? Thanks in advance, I don't want to mess up my computer's dvd drive when installing.

nights0223 wrote:I have done the same. I hope we can get this resolved, I really want to play some online Splinter Cell!

Sent Dane-Elect my info and copies of my email to Ubi.com several days agao. Have not received a response from them. Nothing. Nada. Not even an automated reply. This really blows!

From the packagaing on the product, it is unclear to me weather this is a Dane-Elect product with a bundled game or a Ubi game that happens to come loaded on a flash drive. Or it could be a partnership between the two. Anyways, it sure gives each a convenient out by being able to say that it was the other companies responsability.

Well it's been a week and still no reply. I'm more than a little disappointed. This is the third bad experience I've had with a woot! item lately, 2 of which woot! said had features which they really didn't have. They really need to make sure they are giving you what is advertised, because this is getting ridiculous. If this is the kind of service you can expect from woot! from now on, you can be rest assured they won't be getting any more of my business.