Football Manager 2006 v6.0.3 - I've found a fix?
 

Hello there, I think I've found a fix for football manager with 6.0.3 patch and maybe older patches.
Football manager use SafeDisc driver installed on your computer. I think if we disable the access to safedisc driver, the game maybe will start.
The key is located in the registry under:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Secdrv

Right click on folder and deny all to access this services.

Maybe this is a solution but I didnt test it yet. :confused:

Sounds too simple for me... :)

Uhm...
It works fine for me!! :eek:
I've tried just now and FM works, with 6.0.3 patch.
I didn't deny access to secdrv service, I've simply edited the "Start" value in secdrv folder in the registry, setting to a value of "4" (this means disable).
Maybe the simpliest way isn't considered? :P

Still, too simple! Expect this little hole to be fixed in the next version of the game/copy protection... :(

Yes...too simple fix :(
anyway we need to set value to "0" and not to "4" because when disabling safedisc engine we have some problems with the game.
Anyway, settings to 0, game will work and OS didnt hang with BSOD.

F**K 54f3d1sk!

Didn't work for me. Do you need to restart or anything?

I prefer f**k starforce

Does nothing ;)
Value set to 0 & nothing launches whatsoever.
Value set to 4 & it just asks for the CD.

-Leezer-

set to 0 and use a program like "prot.stop" or something which can hide the virtual unit. Without this registry trick, my computer won't boot.

I can post a screenshot if you don't trust me :D

I'm perfectly well aware of how to use Pr0t.St0p, and that does nothing either ;)

Just FYI, this is a Nforce mainboard, & FM2006 runs properly with only a mounted full image anyway.

Some systems are different, and funny things can happen, but it doesn't work here.

-Leezer-

Oh yes that's true, nForce mobo's has trouble with *legally copied* FM 06 :P
Anyway mine is a HP laptop series zd8000 and works fine.

mine is a nforce board and i always have to use safedisk hide to play fm 2006...however it does work from a disc that i had burnt off everytime using the safedisk profile in alcohol when burning.

btw while we are on the subject of fm2006...is there a full update to the game yet? (3rd party made) as my game is well out of date and sites like sortitoutsi.net are either slow or confusing as hell to use.

also doesn't work here with prot.stop

did you change any of the compatibility settings, etc?

Thats a point. I'll try it in Win2k mode tomorrow- I know that was doing funny things to the protection, but was fixed in 6.0.2 iirc.

-Leezer-

No i changed nothing, only the setting in the reg. For mine game works well, I have fm 06 with the latest 6.0.3 patch.
I mount an image with daemon tools and I use prot.stop to hide the virtual unit.
That's all I do before playing.

/Boring ;)

You're doing nothing special, & neither is your reg change. All you're doing is the standard full image procedure.
The reg change is also highly likely to bork up things elsewhere.

-Leezer-

Yeah I know I'm doing nothing special, but if I don't change the reg key, my system won't boot (BSOD and stuck at Windows startup logo).

I have a possible solution, please check if you can get it to work. It worked on both my notebook and my desktop:

0. Install Daemon Tools 4.0.3 and CureROM 2.0.3.
1. Mount the image of the Game using Daemon Tools (Mds ISO etc).
2. Open CureROM - Options (Bottom Right) - CureRom Settings
3. At the Third Party Virtual CD/DVD-ROM section, Make sure Daemon Tools is chosen and the "Do NOT display "DAEMON Tools" in my Virtual CD/DVD-ROM list." check is selected. Click Apply and Close.
4. Create a New CureROM profile - Choose Application by browsing EXE file of The Game. Make sure the "CureROM AntiBlacklist Measures" check is selected.
5. Click: Next, Next, Put in a Good Shortcut Name.
6. Next, Save, Finish.
7. IMPORTANT: Make sure Daemon Tools is NOT running (If there's the Daemon icon on the right bottom icon, right click and then Exit). Do not Unmount the images.
8. Run the Shortcut.

Works for FM 2006 6.0.0 and Patched version 6.0.3.

Let me know if that works for you guys.

EDIT: I have problems setting it using the --windowed, I put that into CureROM setting and it still wouldn't work.

I'd try it...it works well only 2 times, after than my system won't boot.
I think it's the 6.0.3 patch...maybe it has a special securom/safedisc engine...or maybe game's safedisc engine conflict with a windows xp hotfix ?

Its working fine here, I had to make sure my Firewall doesn't crash CureROM, because it was like that the first time. Did u try to re-install and see if that works with 6.0.0?

My troubles is when playing network games, you have to exit almost all (in my case, all of them) of the protection software that I have, ZoneAlarm and Norton Antivirus. Darn it ...

You should get rid of Symantec/Norton Antivirus anyway because it's known to have too many false negatives and positives! :(

Hmm, I often read messages bagging Nortons programs, I have used Nortons SystemWorks for many years now, never had a virus, never had false postives, never had false negatives.
Yes it may be heavy on the resources at times but I really dont have a problem with that.
I dont use game trainers so I dont get false negatives there.

And sometimes out of curiousity I check suspect files with the online virus scanners and they dont tell me anything that Nortons does or doesnt.

So I do believe people who do have problems with Nortons either dont have it configured correctly or are using a warez copy of the program.

Now I still use Norton SystemWorks 2004 and Nortons Ghost, they are the only 2 Norton programs I use and I am more than happy with them both. ;)

But everyone to the own I guess. :)

For those who're having problems using my guide, like not working when it worked before, try restarting. If that doesn't help, reapply the Daemon image (don't forget to exit the program afterwards) and reapply the CureROM profile you made. It helped me. :)