How to get rid of SecuRom, NOW

[sluggo]

Hi Sluggo: I was not aware that Michigan did that I just bought  anew HP Laptop in a Bestbuy here in Michigan guess what no Restore CD's.. ummm

  The catch is, they don't have to tell you they have to supply the back-up disc. I can't find the letter I received that informed me that I ha the right to the back-up, therefore, no case number. I'll try to do some research adn get back to you on how to contact HP and insist on the back-up they "forgot to supply," But I do know you have to contact them with some secret code words or something silly like that. Then again, as trends have gone for Best Buy to sell you a back-up, they're not gonna tell you freely that you have the right to a free one.

[Jelenedra]

Yeah, so how do you find out if they're required to give you a disc? Is it nationwide or only for certain states?

[jmtmom]

Has anyone noticed  that couff couff > me sure if saying EA the sims site is a bad word or not..lol  ..But they have issued a SecuROM uninstall tool available. 

Has anyone checked this out yet. Will this uninstall the entire game?

Thanks

Apparently, it only works for the SecuRom specific to BV. It doesn't work for the infestation due to Deluxe, H&M or Pet Stories. You also have to have the BV disc, so anyone who took up EA on their refund offer is out of luck. EA seems determined to fuck this up every possible way it can. 

[mamainred]

Has anyone noticed  that couff couff > me sure if saying EA the sims site is a bad word or not..lol  ..But they have issued a SecuROM uninstall tool available. 

Has anyone checked this out yet. Will this uninstall the entire game?

Thanks

Apparently, it only works for the SecuRom specific to BV. It doesn't work for the infestation due to Deluxe, H&M or Pet Stories. You also have to have the BV disc, so anyone who took up EA on their refund offer is out of luck. EA seems determined to fuck this up every possible way it can. 

They now have SecuROM removal tools for Deluxe, H & M, Teen Style Stuff,  Bon Voyage & said they are working on one pet stories  too.   I did try them they removed all of SecuROM it very quickly.
It does not un-install your games.

[jmtmom]

I saw the additional tools. Does anyone know if they work on Vista?

[sluggo]

Yeah, so how do you find out if they're required to give you a disc? Is it nationwide or only for certain states?

 Now I'm starting to believe they changed the law after that class action was won, because I can not find any information about it. Curiouser and curiouser. I'll go through my paperwork this week and see if I can find the letter informing me of the back-up disc.

Edit: I may have been talking though my ass, because all I could find on line was:
  http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=365052&Main=356463
 Which is a copy of an Email someone received. It seems the reason the disc I received was due to the fact HP provided back up on the hard drive. I'll do more research, because I'm pretty sure the notice I received noted I had the right to request a back-up disc free of charge for any computer.

[Sleepycat]

I tried the new suckRot removal tools (for BV, H&M, TS), they didn't remove the registry keys (the don't delete one and the userdata one). maybe because I didn't uninstall BV or the others... 

anyway, I put in the no-cd exe, game works but I still get those annoying random 5 second freezes.

[Zazazu]

I tried the new suckRot removal tools (for BV, H&M, TS), they didn't remove the registry keys (the don't delete one and the userdata one). maybe because I didn't uninstall BV or the others... 

You're surprised? I doubt it's because you didn't uninstall BV. It's prolly because the Maxis-supported tools don't actually remove SecuROM. Yet another placebo thrown to the masses.

[Sleepycat]

You're surprised?

nope, wasn't surprised at all. I wouldn't have bothered to check if I had actually trusted them to do it right.

Oh, there was also another registry key under Local Machine that got left behind.

[Skye]

It didn't remove for me either, and good ol' maxoidsam told me that I was the only one it didn't remove for.  I wondered, then, if it could be the music I had checked out at the library, or music I'd bought for my daughter that had securom in it.

How come all the others are able to get it off their computers?  I know it isn't the windows media 11, cos that program is on two different computers--one that has issues, and one that doesn't. 

And why is it so hard for the darn company of EA/Mazis to put out a stupid game that doesn't have the darn securom anyways? They told us there are only a few of us that have issues. Well, why don't they offer those "few" the game without the securom?  And why the heck are they continuing with the next eps-to have securom in those games as well?

frustrated, I'm still trying to get rid of the securom in my computer....trying to use the tutes you guys put up. I did figure out one thing....I'm a tard! I can't understand it all....I am trying though.

REally Frustrated,
Skye

[morriganrant]

How come all the others are able to get it off their computers?  I know it isn't the windows media 11, cos that program is on two different computers--one that has issues, and one that doesn't. 

Possibly, because many people are sheep and believe what they are told. Most don't know where to look for the traces either. A folder that was there, no longer being there, "Woo! It's gone!". Many are nervous about looking in the registry and wouldn't know what to look for in the first place.

[Skye]

There are so many in there who are so "grumpy" (yep, I'm censoring m'self) that you're almost afraid to give your opinion about anything. I've been getting nasty letters in my guest book even.

They are indeed sheep, who don't want to believe their beloved company would do that to them. Surprise?

[witch]

Their machines are probably also riddled with spyware/malware, have a zillion toolbars in IE - because of course they still use that - take 10 minutes to boot and load 15 non-needed services in the system tray. The majority have probably completely failed to notice their machines are running crappily because for them that is the status quo.

[Zazazu]

Huh? You mean, like, someone coming over to your house and doing it? Do you like getting axe-murdered? We don't really do that here. Prison's a bitch.

No offense meant, but take it if you feel it...you come off as very young. Perhaps it's best to get a parent to follow the instructions for you. If you closely follow them, you aren't going to touch any non-SecuROM registry keys.

[mamainred]

How come all the others are able to get it off their computers?  I know it isn't the windows media 11, cos that program is on two different computers--one that has issues, and one that doesn't. 

Possibly, because many people are sheep and believe what they are told. Most don't know where to look for the traces either. A folder that was there, no longer being there, "Woo! It's gone!". Many are nervous about looking in the registry and wouldn't know what to look for in the first place.

I did get the tools to remove all SecuROM off my PC.  This is what I did, I ran the tools with the game installed, rebooted.  Than un-installed the games (with SecuROm), ran the tools again, rebooted.   I checked all the files in the registry where it ad been before & found Zero, not even empty files.    I am not a BBS  sheep, I believe nothing unless I have tested it for myself.  This one worked for me. But, I am reading where it has not for others.  Maybe for the same reason SecuROM affects some of our PC's & not others ?

I did get rid of Windows Media players since the game first came out. Only because I never used it & there was some reports on the BBS of possible issues.  I had a lot of trouble with SecuRom, so I removed it too see if it might help.  I also changed my anti virus program & dumped Norton.  I don't know why I can play BV now glitch free (thanks to hacks from this site).

I do not have any tool bars installed & keep my PC clean. 

As for the OP about Skye, she may be young at heart, but she is a grandmother, not a child.  She came here as many of us do to see if someone more awesome than ourself has answers.   Often
we do not need to ask the question, the answers are already here.  She has been trying hard to get answers on the BBS. Those willing to help, do not have answers for her. 

Perhaps now  her only answer it to go to the agrrrr sites now & enjoy her games again.

[Zazazu]

As for the OP about Skye, she may be young at heart, but she is a grandmother, not a child.  She came here as many of us do to see if someone more awesome than ourself has answers.   Often
we do not need to ask the question, the answers are already here.  She has been trying hard to get answers on the BBS. Those willing to help, do not have answers for her. 

Or they can't without getting banned. If you've been around the BBS (sounds like you have) you've seen that in spades.

I wasn't talking to Skye, by the way. She seems just fine. I was talking to imasimming, who appeared to want someone to step him/her through it in person, and was using quite a few leet-ish mannerisms that lead me to believe they are very young and perhaps not taking the time to read things over and understand. We all have different backgrounds, and some things don't come as easily as others, but that one doesn't seem to get it or be empowered.

I can't answer personally as to what the removal tool does. I don't have the EA version of SecuROM (I have NWN2's and no way to play the patched version with a crack, but NWN2's seems to get along just fine with my system) and am not going to purposefully infect myself again to test it. I've just heard here and at PMBD that it hasn't removed registry keys. If it removed yours - great! Suffice it to say, though, that I'm far past the point where I had any trust in EAxis. They either are stumbling about in the dark and truly don't know what they contracted into (idiots) or they are deliberately misleading their fans in an attempt to make themselves look trustworthy (backfired).

[vcline]

Sorry to be clueless, but even if you use the Maxis tool to remove SecureRom, won't it just install itself the next time you play using the CD?  I haven't been to the EA site, but are they recommending you use a no-CD crack?

[morriganrant]

Sorry to be clueless, but even if you use the Maxis tool to remove SecureRom, won't it just install itself the next time you play using the CD?  I haven't been to the EA site, but are they recommending you use a no-CD crack?

Yes it will install next time you use the cd. EA is recommending that you use nothing at all and keep your SecuRom infected computer the way it is, or use the removal tool and get rid of your eps that have securom.

[Celestard]

As for the removal tool from EAxis people seem to be getting mixed results.  I experimented and it worked fine for me.  I think you have to use it in a certain way for it to be effective.  You have to have the protected game installed, have the game disk in the drive when you run the tool.  Of course this is not going to help people who's drives aren't working.  Where people seem to be having complications is when they've uninstalled the game and left SecuROM on the computer.   It won't work unless the game is installed, of course, but also it appears when they reinstall the game, they must still start up the game first to reactivate SecuROM (which is risky to their computer), and then use the removal tool.    The risk to reactivating it is they could risk having problems with their drive not recognising the disk, and then they've got SecuROM reactivated and no way remove it again.

[kutto]

Yes, malware, spyware, et cetera. It mainly fucks with CD/DVD drives, anti-virus programs, and emulation software, but I wouldn't be surprised if it messed with the internet. The biggest problem, however, is the fact that EA wants to put something on your computer without telling you.

[Lord Darcy]

It can cause a problem in USB devices as well.

The reason MaxoidFucktardSam claims that only about 150 customers contacted EAxis with SecuRom issue is, most average users don't ever imagine their legitimately bought game can fuck up the system in such a malware-like fashion. If their burning software no longer works, they'll go to local repair shop, or contact the manufacturer of DVD burner. Why would they contact the game company? People assume malwares come only from shady source like porn sites. They don't expect to be infected by malwares just by playing Celine Dion CD from computer.

[Zazazu]

actually im stuck on teh frist step, because I am unable to locate the Computer Key.

Try the second option for that step:

Download regdelnull.exe and place it in C:\
Go to "Run" and type in "cmd", then type the following:

cd C:\
regdelnull hkcu -s
regdelnull hku -s
 
The two regdelnull calls above will scan the whole of HKEY_CURRENT_USER (abbreviated to HKCU) and HKEY_USERS (abbreviated to HKU). It's possible you may find other null registry keys during the scans, since you're not targeting *just* the SecuROM keys doing it this way. regdelnull will prompt you with the full pathname of every key it finds though, which will contain the name "SecuROM" if it's one of the ones you're after, so you can check names and only respond "y" to delete those two.

It's a lot easier than searching.

Might want to do a basic scan on your computer, too. I'm not saying that SecuROM couldn't mess with your getting into Hotmail as I don't have it and don't know how they handle their portal. But it's not something I've heard of before. I personally use McAfee but then also scan with Panda ActiveScan as it seems to find more. Only problem with the free version of Panda is that it only ID's, it doesn't remove. You have to search out removal instructions.

[Celestard]

Hi
I'm back finished fighting with trying to back up my system.  I have an external so I have been loading it up an moving it to another pc laptop for now.
My drives were so messed up and my USB stick memories to transfer got messed up. Lots of error messages. I also read that the SecuRom will mess things up if your PC has the Media Center on it which mine does. Most people had removed it. Geesh to think I pay for this on my machine and now ... gggrrr ok won't  go there....

Sorry about ima's last post i had my daughter type in a call for help and I see what she had typed, I was trying to figure things out and was  not making myself clear to her.

This is what I have done so far...

 I used the EA Tools.. uuuggghh more Frustration.
I then removed H&M and BV games and used maxis tool.  I would like to reinstall and manually remove SecuRom. Once I do this will I be able to use the NOCD and play BV?
I figure I am at this point might as well experiment with it. I am willing to reformat so what do I have to lose. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you again for your understanding and any help

Yes, once you get everything fixed, you could if you want play BV with a no cd patch.  Just be careful not to start up the game until after you put the crack in, or SecuROM will get installed again.  Oh and don't forget to patch BV before you put the no cd crack in.  That way you won't be dealing with the NPC spawning/programming error.  Just don't start anything up until the crack is in.

[morriganrant]

Yes, once you get everything fixed, you could if you want play BV with a no cd patch.  Just be careful not to start up the game until after you put the crack in, or SecuROM will get installed again.  Oh and don't forget to patch BV before you put the no cd crack in.  That way you won't be dealing with the NPC spawning/programming error.  Just don't start anything up until the crack is in.

You always forget to tell them that they have to install to an admin account. If you install the game to an account that does not have admin privileges then Securom 7.x will install with the game.

[Skye]

I just had to add this, for those of us who know our securom problem. Bruno has made a funny along with beautiful gowns---check out the magazine cover!  http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=263180
merry christmas,
Skye

(still working on making those programs work.. I think in using the registry cleaner that I got rid of some of the stuff I needed to help get rid of the securom)