BV and no CD?

[InPinkClover]

We use no CD cracks for every game (not just sims) we play with no issues, and have for many years. It started out being a way to help preserve our original CDs and ended up making playing much easier (now my computer doesn't have to sit right next to me since I rarely have to actually touch it - I have it set up to start when I touch the keyboard or press a mouse button). 

We find our no CD cracks at gamecopyworld.com (game copy world) and/or gameburnworld.com (game burn world).  Just be sure you get the appropriate file for the game AND version you are playing and you should be fine.  Very easy.   

[Zazazu]

Thanks again, B. I'll leave the registry be. I'm a novice at playing with it, and would definitely cause more problems. Region/Language changes are my limit.

[jsalemi]

Yea, Thanks, B!  I was completely unaware that SecuRom installed itself as a service, since this is the first (and only game) I've bought that used it.

[morriganrant]

Strange, I do not seem to have any of that on my system. By that I mean that I followed the instructions and have found no listing of any of the above. Including the registry keys. Peculiar. Are there some kind of circumstances that the files should be under (such as the game not running) for them to be seen? The only things I can think of for why they are not there is:
1) my copy is torrented
2) My game is running
However, come to think of it, I have seen it mentioned that people needed Yasu + the no-cd key for their game to run. I do not seem to. The no-cd key on its own is working just fine. The only times I needed Yasu, was when I used the iso to install the game and when I was using daemon to play it, before I located a key.

[Hook]

I don't have any of that on my system either, and I'm running the game straight out of the box, but with a shortcut to the ep6.exe rather than through the launcher.

There are registry entries for SecuROM, but they're in user areas, not where you mentioned.

I downloaded Fairlight's no-cd crack and it seems to work without jumping through hoops:  exactly what I'd expect for a no-cd crack.  Sure, I'll have to replace the original file if EA ever thinks to patch BV, but I've done this before and keep backups.

Hook

[jsalemi]

Third -- no sign of any of those files on my machine, either.  But I never ran the game with the EA launcher -- as soon as I installed it, I changed the icon to point direct to the exe.   And I did run it for 2 or 3 days from the CD before I got the no-cd exe.

[witch]

Thanks B, it's time I did a service cleanup on both my big PC and my laptop, so the reminder is timely and the info helpful. Cheers.

[Zazazu]

Third -- no sign of any of those files on my machine, either.  But I never ran the game with the EA launcher -- as soon as I installed it, I changed the icon to point direct to the exe.   And I did run it for 2 or 3 days from the CD before I got the no-cd exe.

I don't have it either. Hm. Well then.

[B]

If so many people don't have the service I did, it's possible the SecuROM crap I removed was put there by another program.  I am going to do my research on this.

[KatEnigma]

Yeah, I don't have the SecuRom crap installed on mine either.

[morriganrant]

I never let the launcher run either. I bypassed the thing immediately. Possibly, that has something to do with it?
I'm running a file search on my computer to see if Securom comes up at all. The only time I had a problem with it, was when I tried to run BV through daemon. It gave the generic "cd not in drive" message. I used Yasu, no more problems. I replaced the exe with a cracked one, still no problems, even without Yasu.

[deene]

Well, I didn't find it either and I've been playing the EP out of the box and using the launcher. I've not got around to using a no CD patch.

FYI I'm running Vista Ultimate.

[Aggie]

I definitely got the SecuROM crap. Got rid of it, though.

[MutantBunny]

Denimjo, what OS are you running?

[Aggie]

XP Home Edition.

[B]

The SecuROM on BV is quite confusing.  Some people get the crap, but most don't.  OS seems to have no bearing on whether or not the service gets added, nor does region.  I've put together an image that definitely will not install SecuROM crap anywhere, and the Fairlight release also seems to accomplish this.  If my research uncovers anything else, I'll be sure to post an update.  Stupid copy protection.

[MutantBunny]

Ok, don't know enough here: an image is used simply to run the game without the CD, right?

So if I want this crap off my PC, I need to get it removed (so far nothing worked--I have Vista Home 64bit) but I won't give up-- then reinstall with a pirated copy--which I am assuming will install without the Securom--and then use the 'Fairlight' image to load up with? I'm assuming that a search will give me all this stuff and it's not hard to find....

Please someone educate me here...

[jsalemi]

The 'fairlight' thing is a replacement for the game .exe, so no image or CD is required to play it.  Just keep a copy of the original .exe around, because you'll need to restore it when a patch comes out.

[MutantBunny]

Yes, thanks! Easy enough to find....at the beginning of the thread.....

[Hairfish]

Well, I didn't find it either and I've been playing the EP out of the box and using the launcher. I've not got around to using a no CD patch.

FYI I'm running Vista Ultimate.

Same here, and I'm on Windows XP, SP2.

[Sivany]

I couldn't find secuROM under services.msc. I have no idea where \windows\system 32 directory is so I can't look in there for anything.

I'm running on Windows XP SP2, I didn't bypass the launcher immediately, although I have now and I always play with the DVD in the drive. Sometimes if I try to start the game up with the internet plugged in and before the computer is good and ready I get a message saying that something could not be verified within the time limit. I can't remember the exact message but I think it's suggesting it's trying to verify that I'm running the game legally. Is that something to do with secuROM?

[J. M. Pescado]

That would be the SecuROM spyware at work, yes.

[Aggie]

I couldn't find secuROM under services.msc. I have no idea where \windows\system 32 directory is so I can't look in there for anything.

If you have the patience, just do a search on your computer for SecuROM ('Start <Search). That's how I discovered that I had it.

[shanpooter]

Please someone educate me here...

Ooh, me too please.  I purchased the game but haven't installed it yet.  If I install from a pirated image instead of the disk I bought, will I still get the secuROM crap?  I am afraid to let this disk anywhere near my computer. 

[Sivany]

That would be the SecuROM spyware at work, yes.

Stupid SecuROM! It doesn't happen everytime and I always try to remember to disconnect the internet before I run the game anyway. With the internet unplugged the game loads faster than it did before I installed BV. With the internet plugged in it takes forever to load, even if I take out all my custom content. So I guess if I'm going to unplug the internet everytime I plaay I don't really need to worry about secuROM because it's not going to be able to send anything to EA with no internet connection is it? Or am I just being overly optimistic there?

ETA: As suggested by Denimjo I searched my computer for SecuROM. All I found was this folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\UserID\Application Data\SecuROM
It was hidden and inside it was a folder called UserData which appeared to be empty. Checking the properties of said folder reveals it to be 0 bytes so I'm sure there isn't anything lurking inside it. Where then is secuROM? (if it's there at all)