How do they know it's me?

I got banned by my favorite game server a few weeks ago after a huge argument with the guy who runs the server. Since I was banned by my GUID, I knew that I would have to buy a new copy of the game if I wanted to play on that server again. I did and everything was fine for a week. Then one evening when I tried to join, I was banned again. Since the game only costs $9.99 I decided to give it another try and bought another new copy. This time I also changed my IP address thinking that there was no possible way for them to identify me. Wrong again!

My question is, how the hell do they know it's me? Are they able to track me based on the location of my connection to the internet? Is the fact that I have a router making it possible to identify me even after an IP address change? I'm kind of a noob to this whole thing so any help is appeciated.

isp addressinyourface_12

So they're able to track the location of my connection to my ISP. Is there a way to change that? Would changing my DNS servers do the trick?

how the hell do they know it's me?Zman68

Your IP.

Are they able to track me based on the location of my connection to the internet? Zman68

They could.... But i really, really doubt it. Its a lot fo trouble and work to do that.

Is the fact that I have a router making it possible to identify me even after an IP address change? Zman68

Yes. Changing your IP via network settings or other means does nothing. Its the same IP address going to your house. Changing the IP address anywhere in Windows changes what the IP address of the router see for each computer in your network. The router splits up the data that goes to each computer and each computer needs a unique ID - an internal IP address - to know who to send it to (its usually 192.168.0.x).

Your ISP assigns you your IP address. You cant change that except by requesting a new/different one. Most companies dont let you do that if you have cable/dsl.

I change my IP address my switching ethernet cards in my PC. After doing so I always check to be sure that it's different on a site like www.whatismyipaddress.com. It always shows a new one so I'm positive that they aren't identifying me by IP address.Zman68

like he just explained. thats just the isp address for your comp. your whole network has one assigned by the provider

So would buying a new router change it?Zman68

Your GUID via punkbuster is not only attached by a CD Key, but by your hard-drive identity as well. Think of it as a personal MAC Address to your HD.

So would buying a new router change it?Zman68

all of you guys are wrong....

GUID is a your PC's identification number bassiclly...the only way you can change it, is by changing 3 crittlcle components of your PC....

simply put, its not worth the trouble.

Didn't he say he's tried 3 different times of purchasing the game though. That would give him a new cd-key each and every time and change his steam account.

If he were to have changed his IP via through is ISP, it would be an all new set of IP addresses. The same IP wouldn't be going to the router.

The only way they could be even guessing that it's him is just by bannign anyone with the same area IP. They wouldn't really know it's him, but they are just banning anyone who connects from that certain region.

This is a rather simplistic explanation,but it should get the idea across.

GUID is a "Globally Unique Identifier" based, most likely in this case, on your hardware. Microsoft uses them for copy protection with XP and Vista, which is really irritating if your like me and upgrade quite often. In the case of MS, the GUID number is constructed from all your hardware, some hardware having larger portions of the number then others, the largest of which is your hard drive.

Changing out an Ethernet card would change the number, but most likely not enough to trick the system into thinking your another machine.

There are a number of articles about GUIDs and UUIDs at the MS site, but you have dig through a lot of crap to get any real information.

Either try to get unbanned by posting on your clan's forums or just move on man. If there are other people in the clan who will back you and you like apologize to the guy I dunno maybe they will let you get on. I don't know your clan mates but if they are being a bunch of babies and not giving you a chance then they aren't worth the trouble.

Where you permabanned or just ip banned? I'm under the influence of my medicatio and can't recall what all what said prior to this. But if you were only ip banned, you coudl call your local ISP and have them change your ISP. But, I don't think that is the case due to the fact that you have purchased multiple copies ( I can't recall if you had called your ISP and changed your IP)

And still, if you weren't permabanned, it could be them just banning anyojne that shows up with that local area connection.