How to get rid of SecuRom, NOW

[twistingsims]

I have been trying to follow the directions in the first post of this topic.

I downloaded RegDelNull and clicked on the exe, I don't know where it installed to as it was very quick, but it looked like the dos mode?

When I run command or cmd from the run menu, it comes up C:\Documents and Settings\myname> or C:\Docume~1\myname>

When I type in regdelnull and the rest as per instructions, it tells me its not a recognizable command.  If I change directory "cd C:" it comes up with C:\> I type in the command and the message says the same thing.

Is there something I am missing? Or perhaps the program did not install in the right place?

Also, do I have to uninstall the game?

Thanks

[jsalemi]

You're missing the knowledge you need to do things at the DOS prompt, which means you probably shouldn't muck around with your computer until you gain that knowledge. You could seriously farkle your registry if you don't know what you're doing, to the point where you'd have to reinstall windows to get your machine operating again.

Oh, and no, you don't have to uninstall the game.

[Dea]

rightclick your crack, select "cut" or "copy" and paste it into TSBin. then make a shortcut to the desktop.

Thanks, that worked.  Moving it is what didn't work.

[twistingsims]

You're missing the knowledge you need to do things at the DOS prompt, which means you probably shouldn't muck around with your computer until you gain that knowledge. You could seriously farkle your registry if you don't know what you're doing, to the point where you'd have to reinstall windows to get your machine operating again.

Oh, and no, you don't have to uninstall the game.

I'm not completely computer illiterate and I feel that by asking and learning to do things myself is how I become less computer illiterate.  However, I should have read the entire thread as there was some great info on why this didn't work for me and I also found Li'l Brudder's steps very helpful.

Thanks 

[jsalemi]

There you go -- now you're starting to have the knowledge you need.

[cannavaroswife]

Long time lurker, first post anyway.

I am running my game with Sims2 + OFB + Seasons + BV (all patched)

I am thinking about to remove the secuROM. I had no problems with it (yet because my sims computer does not have web connection yet, but it will be soon) but I want to remove it. Please, I need some advices.
If I do the following my computer will safety get rid of SecuROM?
1- Remove SecuROM using Maxis Tool  (SimsBV_SU)
2- Download the NO-CD patch
3- rename my actual .exe (the one that came with Maxis CD) to .bak and use the NO-CD patch .exe to run the game.

I really plan to do it but I don't know if the NO-CD .exe will read my actual BV installation. I am confused if I will have to uninstall BV  or if the NO-CD patch is able to read my actual BV installation, needing just the .exe replacement
Also I'd like to know if Maxis Tool REALLY removes all SecuROM traces and files.

The explanation to Remove SecuROM manually is complete but as i don't have any knowledge on Registry Keys I prefer don't edit or remove anything on the registry. I really have afraid of it. That's why I am thinking about to remove SecuROM through Maxis uninstall tool. But I am so confused 

Please guys and gals, help me! 
Thanks!

[ShortyBoo]

Ok, my last question got completely overlooked, so I figured I'd try again. Will EA Downloader put SecuROM on my computer when I install it? I have the Holiday mini packs and Glamour Life that I purchased digital copies of way back and I don't really want to have to buy new versions of.

[Dea]

Never pay for digital copies! 

[Zazazu]

Ok, my last question got completely overlooked, so I figured I'd try again. Will EA Downloader put SecuROM on my computer when I install it? I have the Holiday mini packs and Glamour Life that I purchased digital copies of way back and I don't really want to have to buy new versions of.

I'm not 100% sure, but I suspect so. I believe the download program itself has SecuROM. It's a fuzzy memory, though. Uninstall the downloader. Remove SecuROM. You should be able to run your game from the executables and still have the stuffpacks active. If not, ARR! It's not like you haven't paid for it, so even if you care to financially support a company that doesn't respect your rights, you aren't doing anything wrong.

[jsalemi]

I don't believe that installing stuff through the downloader puts SecuROM on your machine, since SecuROM is designed to look for a particular digital key on a CD, and you don't HAVE a CD with downloaded EP/SPs.

OTOH, you will have to have an active internet connection if you launch the game with the EP/SP that you downloaded, so it can call home and verify you have a legitimate copy. This is of course not a problem if you're playing an EP/SP that's newer than the one you downloaded, since you'll be launching from the newer programs .EXE.

[kutto]

IIRC, the downloaded versions come with their own special version of SecuRom.

[ShortyBoo]

IIRC, the downloaded versions come with their own special version of SecuRom.

Even games that came out long before they used SecuROM? Because all I have is Glamour Life and the two Holiday packs. Basically, in two weeks, I'm getting a new motherboard and processor installed, so once that's done and Windows is installed on my new hard drive, that's when I'm going to be more careful of SecuROM. I have it now, but it's too much trouble to bother trying to remove it now. But I don't want SecuROM on my new hard drive, so if there's even a chance that my digital copies will include it, I'll just go ahead and download cracked copies. I could just avoid installing them, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work since I'm planning on backing up my main neighborhood and from what I've heard, it wouldn't work since I have those installed now.

[kutto]

I couldn't say if the older games have SecuRom, too. I just wouldn't touch the EA Downloader with a ten foot pole.

[ShortyBoo]

I keep hearing about how the IKEA pack has the newer version of SecuROM that was included with the FT patch, but I thought that Stuff packs won't install SecuROM since you don't use the .exe from them to start the game. Or is that wrong?

[jsalemi]

No, you're right -- since you never run the IKEA .exe (so long as you have an EP newer than Pets), it never gets a chance to install SecuROM.

[Cappuccino]

^ You can search for it yourself at gamecopyworld.com and stop bugging people here. If it *had* been released, be sure that there'd be people mentioning it here. To realise that though means that you'd have to read some posts too instead of just barging in and asking "oh, where's my no-cd crack?".

Short answer: there isn't one yet.

[Lord Darcy]

I downloaded bittorrent. with bittorrent i was able to download a program called the crack machine. it makes cracks for the patched version of bon voyage and free time that are not infested with Suck-U-Rom. i got the crack machine from http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4085797/Crack_Machine_BETA_v1.0_%5BFreeTime___Bon_Voyage%5D_SpyXenoX
The crack machine is very simple, download, go to the directory it was installed in. double-click on CrackMachine.exe. Select the EP you need cracked. Click the button.

Excuse me? A "Crack Machine" for the Sims? That sounds EXTREMELY dodgy to me. I would not touch it with a ten-foot barge pole. If it was that easy to produce new cracks out of thin air with a simple program, why talented crackers have not yet produced a NoCD for FreeTime second patch yet?
I bet this so-called "Crack Machine" is nothing more than just an auto-installer of existing cracks that were made by Scene release groups. People who are dumb enough not to be able to extract a NoCD from .rar would fall for it for sure. I would never trust some lame auto-installer to mess with my game setup. Most likely, this "Crack Machine" will produce Unholy Hybrid when used upon patched FreeTime, as there is no reliable NoCD for FreeTime second patch yet.

I was very weary of no-cd cracks because one awsome person posted that they can be infested with rootkits.

Excuse me again, rootkits in NoCDs? If that person spouted about such nonsense, then clearly he/she was not awesome. If you stick to reliable sources like GameCopyWorld for NoCDs, you'll not get rootkits or other virus/malware. The Scene groups are serious in their competition to produce proper cracks first. If one group was dumb enough to retain rootkit in their NoCD, they'll be immediately gunned down by other groups.

I was weary of downloading a no-cd crack from a sight because I did not know a safe site to do so from and did not want to trade my Suck-U-Rom problems for rootkits. That is why I personally opted to use the Crack Machine method. My awsome friend Dani did this to get a no-cd crack. No Suck-U-Rom, no rootkits on her computer.

Seriously, get your fill of NoCDs from GameCopyWorld, instead of resorting to some lame dodgy auto-installer made by some nobody. You're much safer this way.

[unregister]

After Bon Voyage and being contaminated with SecuRom, I went through all the steps, cleaned SecuRom completely out, used the no-cd, and my internet use returned to normal.

The unbought Free Time and Castaways are both used with no-cd's. Even so, I had ran 'CureSecuROM', checked my registry keys, searched my file folders, just to be sure that no part of SecuRom got into my computer. All came up clean.

Early to mid last month, I began having real problems with the internet again. It reminded me of what had happened before with SecuRom. But hey, my pc was clean so that couldn't be the problem. I was so wrong.

While trying to solve the internet problems, I came across the "Shell Extensions Manager" and ran it. There was SecuRom. It was called "SecuRom Context Menu for Explorer" version 1,1,222,0 in "C: Documents\Locals 1\temp\cmdLine", a 'cmdLine Context Menu Class. Made by the 'friends" in Austria.

The strangest thing is that it is dated 5/2/08. This is a date after Castaways install/use and before Free Time. The only thing that I can remember around this date is after doing a defrag, the no-cd went AWOL and I had to get a new one. Maybe it was a bad no-cd to begin with. Glad to say that the internet use is back to normal. I am just puzzled as to how this type of SecuROm got in.

[BastDawn]

Did you install any other games or demos?  SecuRom isn't just for the Sims.

[unregister]

No, only pc games I have is Sim games, no demos, nothing new since Castaways and Free Time.

[Lord Darcy]

Actually Darcy, I saw mention of rootkits in no-cd's in this thread.  Was within the first six pages. I read every one of those posts. after that I started skimming.

I couldn't find anyone claiming the existence of rootkits in NoCDs within the first six pages. There was a discussion about whether Securom itself is rootkit or not, but we already know that Securom is TEH EVIL. That's part of the reason why we should use NoCDs in the first place.

You're not avoiding NoCDs that you were wary of by using said "Crack Machine", as you should be aware by now. Because the so-called "Crack Machine" is nothing more than auto-installer of the same NoCD that you were wary of. It is always recommended to get NoCDs via the "ARRRofficial" route, instead of some dodgy source that is not approved in the (game cracking) Scene.

As for the 'unholy hybrid'. I did not patch BV before discovering Suck-U-Rom. I'm very laxidasical about patching my game. It runs fine without EA's 'fixes'. Mater of fact, I diden't patch anything until Petz -and then because of the bodyshop crap. At the time I figured since I was patching one might as well do all of them.

Pescado himself endorses patching, unless he declares a certain patch to be FUBAR state. So far, the only patch that was declared to be FUBAR was the first Pets patch, which is now replaced by the second one. If FOJ himself endorses it, it should be fine enough for me.

[J. M. Pescado]

FTp1 has been approved and is on the site. The state of MATY FT hacks currently assume FTp1. FTp2 has no crack and therefore I have not installed it because SecuROM adds MASSIVELY to bootup times and therefore is not good for hacking work. I have no information either way about the matter, although the code changes appear to have no real impact on existing hacks, although some may be rendered obsolete (but it will not hurt you to leave them in).

[morriganrant]

Gamecopyworld is a pretty reliable source for nocds, they are quick to take any down that are not what they claim to be. Gameburnworld always seemed a little dodgy to me, no idea why.

[t r a c y]

I think what's irritating me more than EA thinking SecuROM was a good idea is that it can't even install its shit right in the first place.  Example: I'm on Step 3 in the Tom's Hardware instructions.  I type in the command to remove user access.  The file, uaservice7.exe?  Not there.  But sure enough, cmdlineext.dll is, and I get an error when I try to do the "regsvr32 /u cmdlineext.dll" command.  I'm assuming it's not working because of uaservice7.exe magically not existing, but you know...assumptions.  To add more fun to the mystery, my SecuROM folder in Application Data is empty as well.

So I ask: can I trash cmdlineext.dll safely even though the "regsvr32 /u" command doesn't seem to work, or am I utterly screwed?

this doesn't appear to have been addressed by anyone and i am i the same situation.  my game runs fine with a nocd, and i have no securom registry entries, and uaservice7.exe does not exist, but cmdlineext.dll is there and regsvr32 /u command also doesn't work for me so i can't get rid of it.  can i just ignore cmdlineext.dll since my game runs fine, and my cd & dvd drives run fine, or is it still a problem i need to solve?  am i just failing when it comes to that command, should it work, why doesn't it work, am i retarded?

[morriganrant]

Couldn't you try to run in safe mode and delete it?