Avoiding SecuROM

[Damiana]

Hello, I've just purchased The Sims Medieval and want to avoid SecuROM installing on my computer. I d/l'ed the No-DVD/Fixed EXE and extracted it. So I'm ready to go with installation of the game. But I'm mystified that the instructions say to start the game once and then exit. Won't launching the game with my purchased disc install SecuROM? Also, there aren't two .exe files in the extracted files. There's a .dll and the one that looks like the game's .exe file that I know I'll use to replace the game's .exe file. Thanks for the help!

* Install the game - Full Installation.
* Start the Game once and then exit.
* Apply the official The Sims: Medieval v1.3.13 Patch.
* Replace the original TSM.EXE & TSLHOST.EXE files with the ones from the File Archive.
* Play the Game!

[Damiana]

I want to install my game, but not before I know that I'm doing it without installing SecuROM. I despise SecuROM.. it's so invasive. When I've installed Sims 2 before, there has been no launching of the game with the original purchased disc because that installs SecuROM and I'm thinking it's the same with this EA game, yes? So why would I start the game once.. ?

[TippeX]

sigh, you dont have a fucking clue
securom isn't 'installed', its not an extra component its a wrapper.. if you're going to despise something at least know how it works.. lemme guess you're from / read the reclaim your game web site 'information' ?

[Damiana]

Okay, so SecuROM doesn't install.. it's a wrapper. I've looked but not found the "Reclaim your game" web site information. Please answer my original questions or tell me where to find "Reclaim your game". Thanks.

p.s. The truly clueless don't even know that SecuROM exists and happily allow it onto their system..

Edit: I have a new question.. How does this work if you purchase the download version of the game from the EA store? Can you just switch out the original .exe file with the No-DVD/Fixed EXE file and yay, no SecuROM? I haven't opened the disc that I purchased at Target for $42.00 and today in the EA online store it's $24.99. Thanks.

[Cowsheep]

The DVD version of this game got only a DVD Check, only if downloaded via EA Downloader it got Securom.

[Damiana]

Hi Cowsheep,

So it's actually better to keep the DVD.. ? I wanted to save some money. Dammit. lol. How do you know EA didn't include SecuROM with the DVD version?

Do you know if it works to replace the No-DVD/Fixed EXE with the game's original .exe file to avoid SecuROM if I purchase the d/l version from EA's store?

Thanks for your response. I appreciate you answering.

[Damiana]

*sigh* Where is "Reclaim your game" so I can freakin' reclaim my game?

[TippeX]

try googling?

and its not a site like that. you'll see..

other point worth mentioning is that few people have problems with securom on most recent games.. infact i have a few securom games installed, and activated with no issues, so your comments (as well as being misinformed.. and i doubt you even know what a wrapper is) had to have come from somewhere?.. whats the actual fear you have? there's other protections out there too, infact if you scanned your pc i'd guesstimate you'd have at least 1 protection on it.. be it armadillo, microsoft activation for windows (see.. you'd definately have that.. or rather, should have)... securom, safedisc, etc..

[Damiana]

Hey TippeX..

You sound almost human underneath the binary code and reaper cloak. Thanks for the heads up on where to find Reclaim Your Game. It originally sounded like it was part of this site.

What I've heard about SecuROM is that it installs a rootkit that virtually takes your system hostage. Also, some have reported not being about to burn to re-writable disc after SecuROM.

You're right, I don't know what a wrapper is, and I don't care. Do you know what a mask is in graphic design? Or how to apply filters to an image for special effects? Can you define hierarchy in a design? Doubt it, you sound like a computer programmer, not a designer. There are different types of intelligence, but props on the total mastery of arrogance. \o/

[TippeX]

no rootkit.. never had an issue with burning disks either..

a mask, yes actually i do know what a mask is, oddly its name is also used in coding...
don't try and be smart... sometimes it ends up working in the opposite way...

1. you were misinformed and didn't know what you were talking about
2. in an attempt to educate you, you try and turn the table.. do you really think no programmers haven't played with graphics at all or coded graphical applications ?

and now, you talk about rootkits.. sigh..

seriously, plenty of people here (including myself) have securom games, most have had no problems with them... with any software there is a minority of people who do have problems, but minority is the keyword here...

and yeh im human, but i also spend a hell of a lot of time researching things before i start making wild (and inaccurate) statements...

the rootkit thing is probably the sony bmg thing.. 3 or so years ago, which isn't securom... next time before jumping on the anti* bandwagon or talking crap try researching first..

a wrapper is quite simple to picture, imagine a letter and an envelope.. the letter is the game code, the envelope is the protection... which (yep you guessed it) wraps around it..

heh arrogance.. what about ignorance then?

judging someone doesnt define who they are, it defines who you are...
sims medieval is an ea title, relatively new, so it should have 2 options on install... one being to use the disk to authenticate (pass protection check) or online activation (one shot, activate, license file written to disk.. no need for the disk again)... i'd recommend option 2 as you have obviously got an internet connection, and are worried (albeit unreasonably) about the disk.. i've activated 3 games on 4 pc's at home, no problems at all, no problems

so how about actually researching, reading what i say without trying to be ****y and actually exercising that little designer brain of yours... you might actually get some surprising results

[Joe Forster/STA]

Do SecuROM games work inside a virtual machine, using the original, physical DVD in the physical machine's driver? (From a sandbox, I guess, not.) Probably not but, perhaps, you could make a full image of the original DVD in Alcohol 120% and mount it inside the virtual machine in a double-virtual drive, emulated by Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools. (VMware Player recommended but Virtual PC 2007 might be fine, too.) If you switch changes on the (virtual) disk to temporal rather than persistent then all changes will be undone when you reset the virtual machine.

This way, you can prevent any "infection" of your (virtual) machine by any software, e.g. SecuROM. I wouldn't bother to go this far, though: it is not SecuROM that has really bad rumors, it's rather Starforce as the latter has its damn driver installed and running all the time, interfering with low-level communication of IDE drives, while the former stops its driver as soon as you exit the protected software. So put your fear aside and try the game first with the copy protection still in place: I promise it won't hurt.

And, guys, stop the fighting, it won't get us anywhere...

[Damiana]

I didn't think we were fighting.. more like jousting or sparring. I was having fun. Thanks for the great info everyone!

@TippeX.. of course I know that some computer programmers work with graphics. I was just making the point that there is more than one type of intelligence. As to ignorance.. of course I'm ignorant in regards to some subjects. It would be pretty much impossible for me, or any person, to be knowledgeable about everything there is to know in the universe.

oh yeah, another type of masking.. ****y lol.

[TippeX]

some versions do work in vm's (very old versions though), other seems to have a detection (which seems to be able to be enabled / disabled by the publisher).. old securom had drivers (again optional by the publisher) and services which i think may be where your 'fears' are coming from but the game you have is relatively recent, and thus.. 'cleaner'.. honestly i'd just advise running it, and playing the game and not worrying about the protection, securom is only 'resident' in the process thats running it (the game), and when you exit the game, securom is also 'exited' (cant think of a better term / explaination).. and i'd just go with the activate online method, its a lot less hassle and means you don't have to dig up the disk each time to play..

if there are any problems in this i'll be happy to help, but i really think you'll have none