Lost my CD

[thedevilsjester]

Stop asking and just torrent it already.

When downloading the client via a torrent site there is no way to verify that its a legitimate copy and not one that has been stealthily modified. If you do not care about your account getting stolen, more power to you, but for those that do care, you should never get an MMORPG client through a torrent site unless you have the (independently obtained) MD5 or SHA1 hash to verify that its an original, unmodified, copy.

[Bigcatman]

When downloading the client via a torrent site there is no way to verify that its a legitimate copy and not one that has been stealthily modified. If you do not care about your account getting stolen, more power to you, but for those that do care, you should never get an MMORPG client through a torrent site unless you have the (independently obtained) MD5 or SHA1 hash to verify that its an original, unmodified, copy.

Very true, but there are other ways to verify: some torrent sites have a VIP or TRUSTED status that allay fears of malware modification. Also, the comments section is also a good place to verify the integrity of the download. Although these aren't as fool proof as MD5 or SHA1, it is something that I always look for and have never had issues. Besides, those with security tokens are safe from that anyway.

[thedevilsjester]

Very true, but there are other ways to verify: some torrent sites have a VIP or TRUSTED status that allay fears of malware modification. Also, the comments section is also a good place to verify the integrity of the download. Although these aren't as fool proof as MD5 or SHA1, it is something that I always look for and have never had issues. Besides, those with security tokens are safe from that anyway.

Security tokens may save your FFXIV account, but the malware/trojans that may be stealthy installed through a 'bad' torrent, could easily have other consequences that are not FFXIV related. Also 'vip' and 'trusted' statues on torrent sites do not mean you can trust the uploader absolutely. Its all based solely on the judgement of the person giving out the status badges, if you trust their judgement with your security, thats your choice but I would not recommend downloading any executable from a torrent site for any reason from any uploader. Try and find a buddy that can burn you a copy of the disc, or send you a trusted iso.

I understand that some of you will go this route anyway (and some may not have a choice) but this should not be the de facto solution and should be recommended as a last resort only.