Hollywood Screenwiter

Question

"Hollywood Screenwriter requires the original CD to be inserted upon each launch of the program. This method of copy protection ensures compliance with the application licensing agreement."
Wow. Talk about a major inconvenience. Basically you have to keep the CD laying around the computer 24/7 if you are going to use it regularly. It also means that after it gets scratched up from laying around it won't boot up the program anymore and you have to contact Write-Bros with your receipt, Registration Code, and Serial Number so that they can mail out the replacement disk for a nominal fee.
I never would have bought Hollywood Screenwriter if I had known this. CD launching is like something from the 1980s when you had to keep the program disks in the floppy tray in order for the program to work. Any company that has no consideration for the customer does not deserve customer loyalty.

I think that selling a program that does not work without the CD to launch it EVERY TIME is tantamount to fraud. I expected that Write-Bros sold only quality products. I also would point out that their attitude presumes that every customer is a software pirate or thief. After all, they view their customers as criminals.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]"Hollywood Screenwriter requires the original CD to be inserted upon each launch of the program. This method of copy protection ... your receipt, Registration Code, and Serial Number so that they can mail out the replacement disk for a nominal fee.[/nq]
I think one way to get around this is copy the entire CD to a directory on your HD and mount that directory as a virtual drive. There's software out there to do this.
jaybee

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Hollywood Screenwriter requires the original CD to be inserted upon each launch of the program. This method of copy protection ... their attitude presumes that every customer is a software pirate or thief. After all, they view their customers as criminals.[/nq]
Read past page 4.
Joe Myers
"I actually read past page 4 before posting."

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Hollywood Screenwriter requires the original CD to be inserted upon each launch of the program. This method of copy protection ... their attitude presumes that every customer is a software pirate or thief. After all, they view their customers as criminals.[/nq]
This is how you do it in Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000. Does this work for HS?
1 Eject the Movie Magic Screenwriter CD-ROM from your computer.
2 Run Screenwriter (you can use the shortcut on your desktop or fromyour Start menu).

3 A message will appear that indicates that Screenwriter needs theCD to run (click here for an image of the message).
4 Click Register via Internet.
5 The Screenwriter Internet Registration window will appear. Fill inall your information and click the Register Information Now button.
6 A window will appear indicating the status of the download process(i.e. "Waiting for a response."). It may take some time and a few attempts. Please keep trying.

7 The Congratulations! window will appear indicating thatScreenwriter has been validated. Click OK.

8 Movie Magic Screenwriter will now open without the CD-ROM!

"You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you've got something to say."
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Hollywood Screenwriter requires the original CD to be inserted upon each launch of the program. This method of copy protection ensures compliance with the application licensing agreement."[/nq]
http://www.farstone.com/home/ensite/products/virtualdrive.shtml

Find it cheap on eBay. I'm using version 7.0 works fine.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Hollywood Screenwriter requires the original CD to be inserted upon each launch of the program. This method of copy protection ... their attitude presumes that every customer is a software pirate or thief. After all, they view their customers as criminals.[/nq]
Yeah, but what do you think of the program, other than that?

I don't like having to have the CD either. Stephen Greenfield, president of Write Brothers, reported several months ago that, in the newest version of "Movie Magic Screenwriter," they were going to change the copy protection to something completely different and less intrusive. I'm hoping that will also apply to "Hollywood Screenwriter."

Meanwhile I would get one of the CD Emulator programs (Farstone's is one of the best and it costs next to nothing on eBay) and copy the CD to your hard drive (as others have mentioned). And/or I would make a physical copy the CD, put the original away, and use the copy for day to day work.

I use the floppy version of ScriptThing, partly because I don't want to mess with the validation issue each time Windows decides to take a ****.

And seriously, other than the CD issue admittedly a pain how do you like "Hollywood Screenwriter?"

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]This is how you do it in Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000. Does this work for HS?[/nq]
Unfortunately no.

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Usenet · Answer

"RonB" >
Using the CD to boot the program is prehistoric. I have not used Hollywood Screenwriter because I think any software that believes that its customers are thieves is not anything I want to support or use. I asked them for a refund. If that fails, I will sell it on e-bay or toss it in the dumpster.

Not even Microsoft does that. BTW, every software program that is not 3rd World has other ways of ensuring copy protection. The most obvious is that the program does not work if it is not registered after X number of days. Most legit companies have software registration with the serial number. You can usually register 3-5 computers on a personal version of software.

I have heard Sophocles is pretty good. Do they use the same method of copy protection? Is the CD launch the way writers are treated by all of the Software companies? I want to buy a program that I can use as conveniently as all the others on my CPU. Even Word and Wordperfect do not use such 3rd World security measures. Greenfield must clearly have a low view of the market that he caters to.
Thanks to everyone who responded. I never realized that all of the Write-Bros software is 1980s-style copy-protected.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"RonB" < Yeah, but what do you think of the program, other than that?they were going to change the copy ... personal version of software. I have heard Sophocles is pretty good. Do they use the same method of copy protection?[/nq]
Movie Magic Screenwriter is exceptional, and all I've heard from users has been positive. Furthermore, Stephen Greenfield, the company's president exemplifies coolness and I'm sure he would help you sort out issues you're having with the installation/registration.
That said, I use Sophocles and think it's great. It's layout is especially good for story development. In answer to your questions about Sophocles, from www.sophocles.net :
Frequently Asked Registration Questions
Q: How does registration work?
A: The trial version of Sophocles represents the complete application, with some functionality disabled. When you register, you'll receive an unlock code, along with instructions for entering the code. Entering the code activates the disabled functionality.
Q: What functionality is disabled in the trial version? A: Printed pages are marked TRIAL VERSION and export functionality (including clipboard-related functionality) is disabled. The registered version provides full clipboard support and allows you to export your scripts to txt, rtf, html and pdf formats.
Q: After I register, can I use Sophocles on more than one computer? A: Yes. Registered users are entitled to three installations at a time. To claim an extra installation, just install Sophocles to the new computer then visit the Unlock Code Request Tool to obtain a new unlock code.

Q: What if something goes wrong and I lose my installation? A: We recognize that hard drives crash, the wrong buttons get pushed, and so forth. If you somehow lose your registered copy of Sophocles, just download and reinstall the trial version, then visit the Unlock Code Request Tool.

Q: What if I switch to a new computer?
A: Same as above. Just install Sophocles to the new computer, then visit the Unlock Code Request Tool. You're entitled to three operational installations at a time; naturally, an installation on a computer you no longer have access to wouldn't count towards the total. (This is enforced by the honor system.)
Is the CD launch the way writers are treated by all of the

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"RonB" < Yeah, but what do you think of the program, other than that? they were going to change the ... asked them for a refund. If that fails, I will sell it on e-bay or toss it in the dumpster.[/nq]
I'm guessing the reason they started using this copy protection is because people were stealing it. But I agree, this kind of copy protection is obnoxious. And I don't understand why they don't at least have a verification system like they use with Movie Magic Screenwriter.
[nq:1]Not even Microsoft does that. BTW, every software program that is not 3rd World has other ways of ensuring copy ... companies have software registration with the serial number. You can usually register 3-5 computers on a personal version of software.[/nq]
I won't use XP, partly because of the fact that the OS quits working if it's not registered. I also don't like the way it wants to call home to mothership each you make too many changes in you hardware. But like Write Brothers, I would imagine the reason M$ made these changes was because people were stealing their product.
[nq:1]I have heard Sophocles is pretty good. Do they use the same method of copy protection? Is the CD launch ... use such 3rd World security measures. Greenfield must clearly have a low view of the market that he caters to.[/nq]
I've tried Sophocles, it's small and well designed, but I like ScriptThing/MMS much more. What I did was found a used copy on eBay for about the price that Hollywood Screenwriter now sells for.

You might also download and try out SceneWriter (www.visualamnesia.com). It uses the single scene approach which I don't like but it's a pretty slick program and only costs $20 to register.
[nq:1]Thanks to everyone who responded. I never realized that all of the Write-Bros software is 1980s-style copy-protected.[/nq]
I'm hoping they change it especially since Hollywood Screenwriter has gotten so cheap.

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Hollywood Screenwiter

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