How to get rid of SecuRom, NOW

[ritaxis]

Maybe we could add this bit of information: Xp users, if you follow these directions and yet don't see any securom files, check to see whether you see any hidden files. Apparently this is something that happens to Xp users from time to time, and it may be malware activity. First, in any explorer folder view, click "tools,"  "folder options,"  "view."  Make sure that "display the contents of system files" is checked and "show hidden files and folders" is checked and "hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked.  If you have to change these, reboot afterwards.

You can check to see if you're seeing hidden files by snooping in the Windows directory.  If you don't see any faded looking icons, you're probably not seeing hidden files.  If you look into a few folders and find more than one or two empty ones, or find something empty that you know has to have something in it, you're not seeing hidden files.

Make sure your antivirus program is up-to-date. Now, reboot in safe mode.  You can do that by hitting the F8 key while the computer is booting.  You'll get dialogs that coax you through the rest.  Once you're in safe mode, run your anti-virus program to scan the swhole system.  It takes a bit longer in safe mode.  You probably won't see anything in the scan report that looks promising.  But, when you reboot and look again, you'll find hidden files. And you will find the Securom keys in the registry.

[drace]

My game is a German version (patched FT). Would an English no-cd crack still work for me? Because I have a hard time finding it in German. 

[J. M. Pescado]

Yes, all the game versions are the same, the language used is determined purely by a registry setting.

[LynnMar]

I have a question.  I am ordering  bv and I have downloaded the secure rom remover and I have downloaded the no cd crack.  I just wanted to know what it looks like to see if I have the right thing.   It  looks just like the sims exe but instead of being blue it is green.

It says "Sims2EP8.exe.  I was just checking because I never used a no cd crack before.   Also if you put that in after you patch the game you will not get the securom is that right? 

 I have read all of the posts but I am old and just had cataract surgery on both eyes and I can' see shit.    until I get my new computer glasses.

Now, if you are going to yell at me, let JM do it.  I just love him with his mean exterior and his soft heart.   

[jolrei]

...to see if I have the right thing.   It  looks just like the sims exe but instead of being blue it is green.

It is a computer file - it has no colour.  The icon for the no-cd will be the same as the one for the original BV ".exe" file, so it will be a different icon than the FT, Seasons, PETZ, or other game icon.

It says "Sims2EP8.exe.  I was just checking because I never used a no cd crack before.   Also if you put that in after you patch the game you will not get the securom is that right? 

Yes, it has the same name as the original .exe file that came with your EP.  Rename your EP's original .exe (call it something like "sims2EP8-exe.old", but keep it in case you need it again for adding another EP/SP).  Then simply drop the new .exe file you downloaded into the directory.  Make sure you have the proper no-cd for the patch.

You will not get securom on your system provided that you do not start the game until after you install the no-cd crack.

[LynnMar]

Thank you but how do you know which one is the proper no cd for the patched version?   I went to game world and they had a mess of them

The Sims 2: Bon Voyage v1.10.0.130 [MULTI16] No-CD/Fixed EXE
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage v1.10.0.122 [MULTI16] No-CD/Fixed EXE
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage [MULTI16] No-CD/Fixed Image
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage v1.0 [MULTI16] No-CD/Fixed EXE
 
Game Trainers & Unlockers:
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage v1.10.0.130 +3 TRAINER
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage v1.10.0.122 +1 TRAINER
 
Game Tools:
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage BONUS PACK
 
which one is the patched copy??

[jolrei]

Use: The Sims 2: Bon Voyage v1.10.0.130 [MULTI16] No-CD/Fixed EXE

This is the no-cd for patch 2.  The number is the version update number of the patch.

[LynnMar]

thank you.  is it a blank thing that says htd-v130.7z?   sorry to be so much trouble   

[seelindarun]

7z is the archive format.  Seriously, google is your friend. 
Every file extension known is out there.  Go forth and learn.  You might even be able to stop making excuses for yourself.

[CameoAppearance]

I want to confirm something, since I seem to recall hearing that this was the case but wasn't sure if it was true: It's safe to install a retail-bought rather than pirated SecuROM EP so long as you don't run it from the CD, right? Because I vaguely remember reading something about it not taking effect until the first time you run the game. I just installed FT (like, literally immediately before posting this) but haven't touched it yet -- I had up to Seasons with no SPs before -- and I'd like to know if I'm gonna have to play SecuROM Roulette anyways or if my install can still be saved.

[Solowren]

You're correct--running the game from the original .exe is what's going to hurt. Grab a noCD crack before playing.

[LynnMar]

I have been googleing and just like they said, there are no directions for installing securom.

the 7z one says in properties securom fix and then I have the green sims.exe picture for exP6  now do both of them go someplace.   I am just going to keep the securom because I don't know how to do it and I am not making excuses.  Maybe I am a retard or an LD or something.   thank you  much.   

Maybe if I still had myxp I could figure it out but with this stupid Vista I am lost anyway.

[Marhis]

The Sims2EP6.exe goes in your Programs/The Sims 2/Apartment Life/TSBin folder in place of the original one (in that folder you'll find - indeed - a Sims2EP6.exe as well, apparently identical, but that is, in fact, the original with SecuROM).

I have been googleing and just like they said, there are no directions for installing securom.

He meant to google "7z" not "how to remove securom".




EDITed multiple times because today I am more idiot than ever.

[LynnMar]

I don't have apt. life yet,  #6 is the  one they gave me for Bon Voyage.

  Wouldn't apt. life be number 8 or 9 or a higher number and THANKS  for telling me where the icon goes .  I got it from the game copy world.

 So all I have to do is put that in the ts bin with the original one, make a shortcut  to my desktop and run the game from the shortcut?   

[jolrei]

So all I have to do is put that in the ts bin with the original one, make a shortcut  to my desktop and run the game from the shortcut?

The no-cd crack will generally have the same name as your original Sims2EPx.exe file (whatever number your latest EP is).

Save your no-cd crack in the TSBin folder of your BV directory (where the original BV .exe file is) as something like Sims2EPx-nocd.exe.

Right-click on your Sims 2 BV shortcut on your desktop and click on properties.  Make sure your shortcut points to the no-cd .exe file (i.e. starts the game from the new Sims2EPx-nocd.exe).

That's all you have to do.  If you do it this way, you won't even have to rename the .exe files again when you want to add a later EP (like FT or AL).

[LynnMar]

thanks .  I have another question, everytime I download a fix for bon voyage,  I get the icon and the one that looks like a computer and it says brewers info and I downloaded one today from Fairlane and it says fltdox.nfo.   Are you suppose to run the one that says info before you install the fixed icon?

You can see and example in my picture post, the  one that looks like a blue computer and it always says info.

[Marhis]

No, they're simply text files with infos; you can open and read them with Notepad (right click -> open with -> Notepad). If you double-click on them, the system will try to open them as a "System Information" (due to their extension .nfo), but it's useless.

[Lord Darcy]

I linked .nfo file to DAMN NFO Viewer. It's specifically designed with ASCII art in mind. A useful little tool for ARR life.

[LynnMar]

I am going to order apt. life and bon voyage today.  so, I only need a no cd  crack for AL since I will be using it to play the game.  Even if I buy some of the sp's later I will not have to get a fix for them, only the last EP.   Is that right?   also I forgot to bookmark the place where you get the fairlane no cd cracks.  Does anybody have that addy?    thanks

If not can anyone tell me another place to get the AL no cd.  I  don't like that one place   that has them ,that says it has spyware on it.

[dragoness]

Oh honestly.  Here.

[morriganrant]

There is a one place that has no-cds? ...Is it like, that one place across from the bar, where we eat sometimes? No, not that place, the other one, you know the one.
If you have AL, the only SP that you would need an no-cd for is M&G. It works like an ep and you run from that one if you have it.

In regards to spyware. Firefox. Adblock or Adblock plus. If that is not secure enough, then you can add no script to it as well, that would require some configuration, as is it doesn't like MTS2.
I use gamecopyworld for no-cds. Gameburnworld makes me feel dirty for some reason. Regardless of where you go, you should be scanning files  and your pc with your virus scan and with something like Adaware. Regardless of where you go on the internet.

[Hegelian]

Just to report my recent experience. . . .

Three days ago I installed on the PC I built last June the entire game through AL, restoring my old game from Pets/GL, updating, patching, etc. It all went mostly well (except for duplicates of the two Seasons bin families due to an incorrect installation of the clean stealth neighborhood, and subsequent purging of all the bin families added by the expansions). The game was running fine, no lots were corrupted, no flashing blue objects (even no missing wants).

This morning the game would not start because no CD was detected. This was because no optical drives were detected by WinXP. The two drives were seen by XP, but the drivers could not be loaded (error code 39). I messed around with moving the drives to different controllers, installing a different drive, uninstalled all my cd-writing and .wav-extraction software, etc. to no avail, which led me to do the SecuROM purge.

The purge process was not difficult, although it helps (a lot) to have had experience with working with the command line and the registry editor. The AL patch 2 no-CD crack works without any problem (so far); it is the one by Vitality. However, purging SecuROM did not restore my optical drives.

I tried installing new drivers for the IDE and SATA controllers, and CD drivers. I attempted a firmware update, but the updater could not find the drive. Finally, I found a link at the Sony optical storage Web site to a Microsoft knowledge base article on fixing the code 39 problem, by deleting a couple registry values related to optical drives. Somewhat surprisingly, this worked, even though the original article was written to address a problem with Easy CD Creator.

In case someone might find it useful, here is the relevant Microsoft page:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=270008

Although it primarily addresses the code 31 error, it also covers the code 39 error.

Of course, now Civ 4 won't run (it uses a different version of SecuROM).   

[Syko]

I have been reading all this because I think Securom has messed up my computer.  I had all the EPs and SPs installed, and quite a lot of CC and game mods.  Suddenly half the time my computer did not recognize the M&G disk in the drive.  Since it did read other games, I thought possibly my disk was bad, and I uninstalled M&G.  Nope, would not read AL either.  So I reinstalled M&G.  My neighborhood and my downloads folder disappeared.  OK, glitch.  So I went to re-download the CC and mods.  Some showed up in the game, some didn't.  My sims had no blur, and hairy bodies, but no crammyboys, for example. 

So I decided to uninstall the entire thing and reinstall.  Guess what?  My computer tells me that there is no disk in the DVD drive.  I can't reinstall.  I have literally spent hundreds of dollars on a game that I can not play because the manufacturer is afraid I might pirate it?  Excuse me, but it's my dang game.  I bought it.

The really sad thing is that I decided (before someone said the "S" word to me) that the computer was toast, and I ordered a new one from Dell.  Heh.

I would love to take Securom off but I am terrified to go into the registry.  Anyone know if reformatting would remove it?  I have an Alienware and it has the Alien Spawn disk which restores the computer to factory condition.  This would be easier to me than to try to mess around in places I don't know anything about.

[Hegelian]

See my post above:

In case someone might find it useful, here is the relevant Microsoft page:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=270008

Although it primarily addresses the code 31 error, it also covers the code 39 error.

This is for when your optical drives disappear.

[J. M. Pescado]

I see Reggikkowinkle has let you out of your closet again.