I think Civ4 messed up my computer.

[Aro]

Civ IV didn't messed up your computer. Software may harm your system, but not your hardware. Or, at least, it's... very difficult.
I'll not say "it's impossible", 'cause I know quantum mechanics a little...

[Stone-D]

Actually, Civ4 was purchased 3 weeks ago by a NASA engineer on his way to assist with the japanese space program. Two days after arrival, his japanese co-workers 'acquired' a copy and within a day spread it all over the network.

Two weeks ago, a buffer overflow exploit was discovered in the command and control communications rig. Technicians were called in to patch the bugs, a process which took several hours. A side effect of the emergency patching resulted in patchy communications, with zero imaging capability and limited telemetric exchanges.

Five days later full operations resumed.

One week ago disaster struck the japanese space program, as the Hayabusa probe failed in its mission to attach the Minerva surface exploration droid to the Itokawa asteroid. Delayed photo imaging shows the Minerva apparently drifting away from the target asteroid.

It has now vanished... but not forever.

At 7:17 AM on the morning of June 30, 1908, a mysterious explosion occurred in the skies over Siberia.

A wormhole had momentarily torn a hole in the fabric of space-time, a hole that coincidentally connected this region of space to the location of the Minerva droid, one week ago.

There the droid lay buried for two decades, until it was discovered by a german geologist. Although damaged, the droid still proved functional once exposed to the sunlight.

The small LCD display held the following message :

"Congratulations! You have made your first Jewish Missionary in Hamburg!"

And thus, through subsequent rounds of plotting and vile misinformation, was the Holocaust born.

[Zoid]

Dude, what have you been smoking and can I get some of that?

[Illuminatus]

I think Civ4 messed up my work schedule.

I can still play the game though.

[Dis]

civ4 messed up my love life.

oh wait, I never had a love life.

[Stuie]

Well, it also made all my beer disappear and pissed off my wife. Stupid Civ 4.

[Aileron]

Funny stuff, but as for the flames, give siredgar a break, ok? siredgar, you haven't given enough details for anyone to make a decent diagnosis. First of all, what else have you installed or changed on your computer recently? Was it as simple as Internet Worked --> Installed Civ4 --> Internet Didn't Work, or have you done other things in between? Are you running a software or hardware firewall, and have you changed settings in them recently?

[greggbert]

Originally posted by Aro
Civ IV didn't messed up your computer. Software may harm your system, but not your hardware. Or, at least, it's... very difficult.
I'll not say "it's impossible", 'cause I know quantum mechanics a little...

Actually software can render your hardware inoperable. There is a copy protection scheme called STARFORCE (silent hunter 3, and other games) which installs hidden CD-ROM drivers on your system and you can't remove them without a special tool. It installs itself silently the first time you run the game and doesn't go away. It is responsible for all sorts of probelms, much like the Sony DMX thing.

PS: Civ4 doesn't use starforce, does it? I never checked what scheme it uses.

[Stone-D]

greggbert: Don't forget the old favourite, those funky bios-wiping viruses.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Aileron
Funny stuff, but as for the flames, give siredgar a break, ok?

Nobody's flamed him. Some have had some fun with the topic though.