Insimenator.org

More info at
http://noukiesims2.net/wp/?p=533 (http://noukiesims2.net/wp/?p=533)




By the way, in this news
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52618 (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52618)




SecuRom is suck ; it make kittens cry.



I think EA is digging their grave now because this copy protect might make people turn to piracy to avoid the mess.


We already know that Spore will use it, but do you think they will also included in Apartment Life and Ikea, too ?

And people wonder why I don't buy more games. There's the proof right there.
I have The Sims 2 base game, University, Nightlife and OFB.

I did have Pe(s)ts, but I took it out, way too many problems. Even after I patched it. I refuse to buy anymore games from EA.

I also have Diablo II, Lord of Destruction.

I'm content with those.

I'm going to wait for a while, before I buy IKEA stuff I think. I mean, the SecuROM that comes with BV and Ft and stuff I can deal with, but having to log on every 10 days? Are they serious? Really, I don't know what got into EA. It's like they want to prevent us all from buying their stuff or something. o.o

According to ShackNews EA reconsidered it and made it check only when you download new contents, but still keep the 3 installation limit.

Before SecuRom, the games were selling, there were pirates. Most consumers ignored them. After incorporating SecuRom with BV, there still were pirates, but now the consumers are not ignoring them.

Now EA/Maxis wants to make the game less pleasant and annoying? I think they are driving consumers to consider piracy, I am included. Darn SuckyRom. :(

The cow Pies have hit the fan EA has dropped the every 10 activation and check,but have kept the 3 install limit

http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?story=52618
At least they're listening a little.

"... For the troops."  :rofl:  Not for just your average consumer though, right?  Don't leave us hanging, too!  :lol:

Thanks to our active soldiers out there who play the game.  Seriously, that's only a little ways to go, but your status helped a good amount in that part.  Hopefully with your input, they'll reconsider on that three-install thing, too... it's a shame when we can't even enjoy a game because the gaming corporations have trust issues with their own legal consumers... :roll:

I say that's a shame! *shakes finger at EA/Maxis*

Anybody interested in "SecuROM Must Be Destroyed" clothing?

another good reason why I shouldnt get Sims 3

At least they're listening for the first time, and have removed the 10 day activation thing.

Meh... if they had listened in the first place when they switched that mess, the whole uproar would've never happened.  Karma, maybe?  :lol:

This is completely insane! I do hope that they reconsider the whole issue!

They've made some changes, like the 10 day thing. But Secu-Rom is here to stay.

Not if a certain group of people who are very interested in this issue, have their say.
This group of people are planning a campaign to change EA's mind about this and make an impact on them. It will be announced at a later date.

Pah... so if we have to, say, replace hard drives, motherboards or even whole systems more than three times, ever (which is very possible!), we're pretty much screwed :P

Ick. That sucks major. I've rebooted my system over 3 times in the last year and a half alone.. that won't last forever.

Wow, kind of silly way they're enforcing anti-piracy. I mean, it'll drive away more customers(which means money) than save.

Ehh, they should just copy what Valve is doing with Steam. With Steam, Valve doesn't have to worry as much about pirates and Steam is really convenient for the user.

Also I do agree, it seems that since SecuROM has been activated, sales have declined but that may be because expansion pack's quality are declining also(I mean, look at how many glitches/bugs/etc each new expansion pack offers).

You gave me an idea for a sims T-shirt.:-P

I too am no longer buying games from EA since Securom and now with the install limit they are never going to see money from me.

+ The glitches in the game get worst and worst. Kitchen & Bath is a very good example. BV with the Tour Guide. And the list goes on and on and on.

The only way EA can make it up to me is NO COPYPROCECTION.:chainsaw:
And that they test there game. And make a patch within a month.
Then if they did this, I would have to sleep on it for one night.:laugh:

LOL ^^  I would love to get your sims t-shirt. I would take a pic of everyone wearing it and put the pic on the BBS.

it is stupid that they wanna do this do they really think someone wont make a hack/crack to get around it...

Well.... I am so torn and heartbroken. I find it really hard for me to just say that I won't buy anymore EA games that have SecuROM, but the more I read about it the more I feel like it's the only way to make EA understand that we won't take this... Am I the only one that feels totally dejected by this, is it really that easy for you guys to just say you won't buy anymore? I mean despite all the glitches and lies I can't deny that I love the gameplay, I just hate the politics of it all. Damn EA...

No, it was not easy to decide not to buy from EA.  I love the sims, but securom will never get on this computer.  When the choice is a game or a working computer, then the decision is easier.  I've not bought anything new from EA since BV.

With this new version of securom and the 3 install limit, it makes it even easier to say I won't buy from Ea until such invasive copy protection is history.

Maybe if EA takes a hit to their bottom line, they will reconsider their policies.  Although with EA's mentality, they will attribute the drop in sales to pirates, not the disillusionment of their many former loyal consumers.

It's not always easy. Seasons is my current expansion, and I have no interest in stuff packs (too much fantastic free content, and I'd rather donate the little spare change I have toward my favorite free sites). I find that sometimes, I find myself wavering ... "Oh, it can't be that bad!" Then I read about the number of computers Securom has borked, people's problems with various bugs in BV and FT, the absolutely snotty attitude EA Games has concerning its customers, what many people have had to resort doing to play BV and FT without Securom in the first place, etc. Then it becomes easier.

And it's easier still with Sims 3. There are quite a few interesting aspects to it, but so far, the negatives outweigh the positives, and EA's stubborn refusal to compromise on Securom is a big one.

I guess that what puzzles me is that EA Games is a big corporation with lots of people involved in all aspects of its creation. If so many people have problems with Securom, do you mean to tell me that no one at EA Games can come up with any sort of solution that can appeal to both sides of the situation? None whatsoever? That's a bunch of nonsense.

So no, I'm not distraught. Annoyed, exasperated, incredulous ... yes. But not distraught.

What exactly is it that everyone says Securom does to their computers? I haven't had any problems with it messing with anything.

And on the note of copyright protection, I don't think anything we do will cause them to back down. Everyone has gotten stricter with copyrights over the years. I even got an email from my university about downloading music illegally and they could track how many songs I had downloaded that way.

Not to start a controversy or a debate or anything, but I'm not sure that people fighting the Securom by not buying EA games will fix anything... It's almost like people thinking not buying gas for a few days will lower the prices...

Nah, I'm not doing this as some grand form of protest. I'm not demanding that others follow my lead. If you are one of the lucky ones who didn't get anything from Securom and enjoy BV and FT, hey, that's great, though you might want to know that that may not be a given with Sims 3. I don't expect that the actions of one person is going to affect EA games one bit ... unless it's multiplied by tens of thousands, and even then, it may not achieve the desired effect. Time will tell. This old lady has seen corporations change their tune if enough people change their minds. And I've seen where corporations haven't. But I'm not about to sit meekly around and let EA Games do what it wants to my computer for a couple of lousy games. Perhaps it is a last defiant gesture. :)

I just don't want the crap on my computer. Period. It isn't worth it to me. I have to fend off enough junk on the Net from sneaking in and causing mischief ... I don't want to PAY to put nasty garbage on it! And it's not the end of the world if I have to wait a long time to buy another Sims game. If Seasons is the end of the line for me, that's that. Oh, well. I'll have to find another hobby.

As for what Securom does to computers, this pretty much encapsulates the problems many have had. Not everyone ... it depends on the user and the computer. But many. And I just don't want to be one of the "lucky" ones:

http://terraspore.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13510

I will not accept that Securom is the only alternative. My husband is an avid PC gamer, and I've seen the copyright protections on his games. Other companies have followed other solutions, and they don't seem to have caused nearly as much as an uproar. The problem is fixable. It's a good question whether EA Games will fix it or ignore it.

The site listed below is going to try to do the impossible. We're well aware of the hurdles we face in trying to change EA's mind, but with enough people, we might be able to pull it off.
If anyone is interested in this, please check it out.
http://securom.sublimesims.net/

With enough people, we might effect change-but change doesn't happen by itself.
In short, one person might not do it. Thousands will definitely make a statement.
Please just stop by and decide for yourself if this is something you would want to get involved in. We welcome everyone.

There is definitively is other ways for them to deal with pirates/warez. Again, EA games should do what Valve and Steam does(and Blizzard is also going to set up a service similar to Steam).

Steam offers a lot of protection against pirates due to the fact that you buy games directly from Steam(online store/account), and the games are tied directly to your account.

Of course, you require internet connection for Steam but you only need internet connection when you download and install stuff for Steam.

You can play offline afterwards once you've downloaded and installed the game from Steam.

Blizzard is also going to this route(though it's not the "exact" same as Valve and Steam), allowing people to download/buy games directly from the Blizzard online store.

So EA games should get heads up and copy Valve's method with Steam.

Here are those T-shirts. My first upload.:dance:
http://www.insimenator.org/showthread.php?t=81707

Cool, going to check it out :thumbup:

I refuse to be treated like a criminal and i find it soo offensive that they have the darn nerve to treat me/us like this

Yes, Steam is one of the services my husband put on both our computers. At first, it was a PITA because messages kept popping up whenever we turned the computer on, and I admit to calling my best friend and lover a few nasty names when I saw them. But it seems to be very easy to configure so that you don't even know it's there unless you need to use it.

This is even more frustrating. Why doesn't EA Games offer both options? If they want to be a pain in the butt, they can sweeten the Securom pot (Price? Goodies?) But if they really had half a brain, and they have negotiators who can make the proper arrangements, this could really work in their favor. They can "save face", yet offer us a choice. EA would be happy. We'd be happy. EA might actually see sales increase. People who really wanted these games legitimately might be less tempted to go the arrr or the "do without" route. I know that I for one would be tempted to buy BV if EA offered me those options.

Or is this too simplistic in the land of pixels?

EA does not see us as customers. They see us as walking bank accounts, who will buy anything they sell us. That is the wrong approach to take, and we should fight them on this issue.
Why am I so harsh in this? Because the quality of their releases has steadily declined, and their work has been very poor in fixing games with patches. If a game was so great, why would it need a patch in the first place? A patch means that they screwed up making the game and they don't want to admit it.
But they want us to buy everything they sell without protest, without comment, and with a smiley happy face. They're the ones who borked your game, but they're the last to admit it. This is trying to get them to be held accountable for destroying computers that ran fine without their damned software in the first place.
Not gonna happen without a fight.

In light of the new Freetime Patch and all the issues it has caused with its SecuROM update (that EA conveniently forgot to mention was apart of the patch) I wanted to bump this thread and let Simmers know they can get more information on SecuROM at

http://securom.sublimesims.net/ (http://securom.sublimesims.net/)

I went on the site to look at the patch and was discouraged to even download it, cause the fixes were the same as past patches. Then when I opened the the patch file and saw the size, I knew something was up. So I waited. Watched the BBS and other sites about the patch. When it said an aggressive SecuRom was added, I said no all together.

My game is running fine, and what I wanted fixed I got from MATY, Simlogical, and Simbology. No thank you, EA.

Another thing, my computer has been spared, so far, from the woes of SecuRom, but I didn't want this on my computer anyway. I don't mind copy-rights on your own products, but your copywrite protection cannot govern the way I use my computer. Sony just wanted to hi-jack computers world-wide to protect all their media. No making back-ups or burning music for the computer world. Thank computer gods for Nortons. I might have been messed up without it. :D

As if I haven't.
I mean... my German language copy of OfB was bought off Ebay... >.>

Back on topic- yeah- the switch over to Suck-u-rom was a bad move in the first place; now the new version seems so... I don't know.  It's like they want to control your gaming habits?

Yes. They want to control your computer, your gaming habits and your downloading. You download something the program doesn't like, it shuts down the computer. You burn something on your DVD burner, it shuts down the burner, because it thinks you're a pirate making copies of games.
 It installs in your computer and does not get removed by doing anything less than a total reformat of your hard drive-now if you've got a few days, you can do this-the hubby has done this to computers before, and it takes at least 24 hours if not more to properly reformat and reinstall a complete working OS in a standard computer.
 He does it thoroughly-and believe me, if he swears he doesn't want to do it, he knows what he's talking about. Starting from scratch to redo everything from nothing.
Yes, that's hard-but it is almost impossible to do it unless you're a professional computer programmer who knows every single trick in the book.

Like I said in a prior post. I REFUSE to buy anything from EA. Since I'm buying a GIG of memory, I'm toying with the idea of buying, Seasons.

But I found out something odd the other night, I have an earlier version of  SecuRom on my computer. When I downloaded the latest update to my Diablo II Lord of Destruction game a long time ago, it added that.

I'm still able to burn CD/DVD's burn mp3's, movies, anything for that matter. But, when I uninstalled the game, it stayed behind.

I kinda freaked when I saw that, then I realized, nothing is wrong with my computer. So, yes, I do have it, but nothing is wrong. My computer is still my computer.

It came via Blizzard Entertainment.

Unfortunately a lot of companies are using SecuRom in their games-there is a partial list of those games at our site.
But I think that EA is the only one using such a extreme version of it that disables and destroys so many types of computers-there is something very wrong in that program, and we'd like to find out why it is just eating up computer systems like this.
Then there are the companies that aren't using SecuRom at all..one or two...wish it were more than that, because it would encourage people to buy better games.

From everything I've been reading, yes, it is extreme. My paranoia prevents me from buying ANYTHING with this new version on it. Normally, I'm not a paranoid person to begin with.

But, the one thing I'm curious about is, has anyone talked to a lawyer yet? Everybody getting together and trying to create a mass tort case. A big company like EA could afford to pay out a few billion.

For instance, my dad was taking Vioxx when he died. Vioxx had several mass tort cases. Or maybe that might not be enough. But, with enough people rallying, it might work. SecuRom destroyed private property. (computer). It induced stress and nervous conditions. Loss of sleep. Invasion of privacy. I could go on and on.

No company is above the law.

That was just something I was thinking about.

EA is being possessed. That's all I'll say...

Your are not the only one thinking along those lines, at the Simmers against Securom site Forum (http://securom.sublimesims.net/smf/), that is exactly what they are looking into. What can we do to make EA hear us and are there any legal paths we can take.

Not everyone is having issues with SecuROM on their computers but it seems with every new EPs and patches (and just wait for the Ikea stuff pack) it gets to more and more people. I don't have any issues with SecuROM yet but I am pretty sure the SecuROM version on the FT patch would have been an issue for me as I have both Nero and Roxio, I am really glad I didn't download it. When I saw the patch was out I actually first went to the EA BBS, Insim and Simmers against SecuROM and I found exactly what I had been (sadly) expecting.

Even if I haven’t had any issues with it yet, I still feel the need to make a stand against it, they have no right to do this to people, never mind their loyal customers. The version they are planning on including on Spore and the Sims 3 is truly what I wish to see stopped before it even hits the market… but we will see. So many people have already complained to them about the current version of SecuROM and they haven’t done anything about it, the FT patch is the proof. I myself have sent them a couple written letters to tell them I won’t be giving them my money any longer. They don't deserve it.

Were they always like this and I was just too blind to see or did they go under some new management or something? Makes me wonder... /sigh

I think that before EA acquired Maxis, they had the same attitude. Remember, the Sims franchise was started at Maxis, and when they got bought out by EA, the entire company was absorbed into EA..which is a huge congolomerate, with it's eye on the bottom line.
As I wrote-"Money talks. Make your voice heard at EA Headquarters."

Well, thanks to this stupid software, EA's claims that their games will run on Vista is a lie! :mad: My luck finally ran out; updates wouldn't install properly (on AVG or Windows), every time I loaded up Windows it'd say my firewall was turned off (that was a big clue), and my net connection was slower than it should be - Blogger didn't even wanna know, and some other sites acted up too. I didn't realise they were all linked to the same problem, but the firewall was indication enough that maybe I should go looking for a crack and get rid of that software. Strangely enough, despite using a tool I found, and sifting through the registry etc. with a fine toothed comb afterwards to make sure it was gone (it was, as far as I could tell), the computer problems remained, so I started to wonder. I had no choice but to reinstall - my big thanks to Bill Gates for adding Easy Transfer to ease the headache, that's all I can say.

After finding out what they've been up to with this new patch, I did some more research. It turns out that all those problems I described are to do with SecuROM, and the killer was when I found out it was incompatible with Vista - WTH?? And I also find out that the version of this s/w on the FT patch is the one they're hoping to put on Sims 3 - the 3 computer/times/both limit version. Well thank you very much guys, I'll stick with the 3rd party fixes :P Oh, and maybe you should revise the compatibility listing on your games while you're at it. Your games may run on Vista, but the piece of crap you bundle with it sure as hell doesn't :P

*steps off soapbox*

Sadie, in your research, did you find out that you're better off uninstalling the game, then reinstalling it without the patch?

One thing I'm not sure of is whether this new crack applies to the pulled patch or the new one, so to be on the safe side I'd say yes, get rid of the patch if it's the newest one. If it's the one that got pulled you're safe to keep it in, so long as you follow the advice about replacing skins.package that's somewhere on this site.

It's the newest patch.

Forgot to mention that. Sorry!

Oh really? Hmm.

*thinks back to last nightmare of reinstalling*

Nope, I'll stay as I am thanks :tongue3: If you've already installed it, maybe you can try the crack after getting rid of that rootkit, let us know if it works. Me, I'm taking no more chances with this system, it's given me enough grief already thanks to that.

I hate to say this, but I only own up to Pe(s)ts. I've installed and uninstalled Pets, two different times already. I'm buying a GIG more memory tomorrow, so hopefully that'll make it work.

After reading all the stuff about SecuRom, I decided against buying any other EP's. But, I'm toying with the idea of buying, Season's. Maybe I'm just better letting well enough alone.

I'm not saying this to be a sour-puss or anything... but if you do decide to get it, I'd suggest you buy it off of e-Bay or Amazon... or one of those other places like it.  That way (just to be safe) you know you're definitely not getting an infested copy, if they've decided to go back and put it on the EP without us knowing.  I'm not sure if the Seasons discs they have on shelves now are clean or not, but you never can be too sure.  EA's track record is way too soiled to trust.  :lol:

I don't think you're trying to be sour-puss. If anything, you're being helpful.
Thank you. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

You know, I never once thought of that. Thank you for the suggestion. I've tried to get University and Nightlife off of e-bay and lost my bid both times. So, off to Target I went.


P. S. This post was cut and pasted like mad. For some odd reason my brain went to the dead zone.

:lol:  You're welcome.  People may think it's a conspiracy the way I worded it though.  :rofl:

I'm not so sure they can't "update" the older EP's to have this newer version of SecuRom on them. It's possible that they could do it, and then anything that's re-issued would have it.
In fact, I'd almost bet (given the paranoia that EA is famous for) that they're probably either considering or have started to do it.
It depends on how much they think they can get away with.

You're just trying to protect the masses.

If I decide not to buy Seasons, I was looking at one of the Stuff Packs. I can't figure out which one has the most to offer. Kitchen and Bath is out of the question. H & M is out of the question also. So, where does that leave me?

I really like family fun stuff but if I were a guy I don't know how I would feel lol

LOL.......I'm just tossing ideas back and forth in my head.

But, I'm keeping my eyes on e-bay looking at stuff.

Bless you, Tenshii.

If anyone is interested, I live in the UK, and have recently had to buy a replacement base game.  This has come with SecuROM attatched.  Also, after looking at my other disks, Sony has had their hand in Seasons and Happy Holiday Stuff 2006 too.

To find out if Sony is involved, turn the disk over to the shiny side, on the inner ring and in the right light, you will see "Sony DADC" imprinted, along with other random stuff.

:shock:  Wow... gut instinct really does wonders!  I knew EA wouldn't let us down after all of this happening!  :cheers:

[/sarcasm]

Thanks for the info,  t2suggas.  It's truly sucky that they'd go back and do all of that.  :?

Well, no Seasons or Stuff packs for me.

I'll just be happy with Pe(s)ts. Once the memory gets here.

Tenshii, thank you for your instinct. t2suggs, thank you for the info.

Hey guys, I found an interesting post on Wikipedia I thought I would share. If someone has already posted this the my apologies. There is an interesting section on the Sims 2.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SecuROM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SecuROM)

It had been mentioned, but not in this thread.  And either way, It's been updated since the last time I viewed that page.  Thanks for the link freshsfs2003.  ;)

ETA:  Okay... now that I've calmed down a little since my surprising temper-tantrum in the AL EP stickied thread almost an hour ago, this whole issue seems to be causing me more grief than I originally intended it to.  This is a pretty bad sign... this is something out of my usual norm to be so outright and overly frustrated over such a problem with not being able to do the simple "buy the game, install the game, play the game" routine I'm used to.  Normally I'm not one for going nuts over a game, but seeing as the new SecuRom is being put onto all older disks now, (and the fact that AL will have this crap on it, so I won't be able to buy the doggone thing for new baby objects I've been screaming my head off for ages for... :bawl:)  I'm finding myself literally brokenhearted that I can't buy and play another EP made by EA without adding more frustration in my gaming life and chancing messing up my time and money.  I can't enjoy the game I love so dearly because of fear against the whole thing screwing up my only halfway decent computer (and knowing how iffy my Dell Inspiron laptop is at the moment, this thing would probably go kablooie if I installed another EP on it either way...)  

Just in short:  I think I need to take a break for sure on this whole issue... it's bad when it starts to affect you emotionally.  And I don't even have any EPs or games infected with SecuRom!  :shock:

Tenshii, I'm like you are. I decided against getting my extra GIG of memory, because the temptation will be there to get more games even though I'm so dead set against getting them. Apartment Life looked sooooo interesting, BUT I can do without.

So, I'll just sit here with my three EP's and be happy and content.

Once again, I go back to the lawyer question I asked.

I agree with both of you. Since FT crashed my game I uninstalled it. Even though Insim is updated now I am too scared to reinstall it. As much as AL seems so cool, I do not think I will be purchasing it. Too much of a headache and what has EA done-nothing.

You're right, fresh.

There's not a company on the planet or any planet that's going to tell me what I can and cannot do on MY computer. It's almost like they're stripping us of our livelyhood.

Oh Tenshii, I know how you feel, it's so frustrating and heartbreaking at the same time I feel so used and cheated by EA. I couldn't imagine not buying all the new EPs from EA because I got so used to looking forward to them and getting excited to see what they would think of next. Now, when they talk about releasing something new, I roll my eyes and sigh. And I as hard as this will be I am still not getting AL… I am so determined to make EA change their minds and I know that the ONLY way to make them change is to make them loose lots of money. If we could convince enough people not to buy AL it would be a matter of weeks before EA pulled out of their contract with Sony. Then it would only make sense for them to re-create AL without SecuROM.

I want to see that happen. That’s why I joined the Simmers Against SecuROM (http://securom.sublimesims.net/) site and forum because they are working hard to get some legal action going as well as coordinating the letters campaign, an official petition. They also have a Stories campaign which is really important. If you or anyone has had issues with SecuROM, go write your story because you never know EA might need those stories one day not only to see the real damage but also to use to break their contract with Sony. I don’t know how this is all going to turn out, but I’ll be dammed if I let this happen without a fight.

Hear hear. They go on and on about piracy being illegal. Tell me, is it legal for them to install malware on our PCs without our knowledge of consent? Flaming hypocrites. They are pushing more and more people towards piracy, and it serves them right.

LOL! Me too, maybe! I'm fuming mad at EA. No way are they getting any more money out of me.

I have been talking to EA customer support concerning securom--it's a bit frustrating.  I had read enought about it to be afraid that I might damage my game, computer, and/or software if I tried to backup my game after installing the Free Time patch--I have installed the patch.  I therefore asked tech support if I could backup my game with Nero without damaging may game, computer, and/or software--pointing out that if I couldn't do that and also backup other important things on my computer, then a large part of my computer has been taken away.  They are consistently polite, but have yet to answer my question, instead telling me to back it up onto the desktop, and offering to help me with my computer problems.  I have pointed out that I need to back it up onto dvds in order to keep it safe from computer crashes, and that at this time I am not having a problem--the question is, will I have problems if I use Nero to back it up?  Rain answered my emails at first, the last email was answered by Chester.

My mouth would nearly salvate when it came to getting a new EP. I even went and purchased more memory so I knew I had nothing to fear when it came to buying FT.

I played FT for a while without the patch and I had no real problems until... Now I can't possibly imagine reinstalling it. It has taken me months to repair my game back to some normal decency of playing. I had to recover all of my families and repair each of my Sim's relationships. Nothing irrates me more when a sim thinks another sim is hot but they're brother and sister.

If you can still burn dvd's do it.  Using your Nero shouldn't make securom rear it's ugly head.  Some simmers who had never used their Nero were still affected.  If your interested in support and some friendly helping people then join us at http://securom.sublimesims.net/smf/index.php

Well after reading this, I know realise what securom is and how awful. I too will not buy the games until they take it away.

this is a good thing I only have 3 games to keep the computer much safe.
I'm scared of suck-Rom, I don't wanna lose all my sims to something that will cut off my PC.
Well right now I'm at the moment of getting a new Computer cuz, My old computer's motherboard died out, I didn't backup my game, cuz the Game's data is still in the old hardDrive, I'm hoping to get my babies back cuz they miss me so badly.
SecuROM will never enter GEEZY AND G-LYNN 2008...I only have Nightlife,OFB and Univ, that's the only games I will ever have.
EA need to fix their patchs and get rid of secuROM.

Thank you, Roxy.  I finally got an answer out of Tech Support--RG B said that they couldn't garantee that securom wouldn't damage my game if I tried to back it up with Nero, and that "as far as we know" it wouldn't damage my computer, Nero, or my virus protection.  Way to hedge bets.  I can't see playing this game, or indeed any game of the type I like (long, involved and openended) without being able to back it up to protect it from Windows "hiccups", bad game coding, hardware clashes or just plain the motherboard gives up the ghost--therefore I will try to back it up.  
I've been looking forward to Spore for years, and would love to try Sims 3, and would love to have the witches in Apartment Life but unless things change I have relunctantly decided not to purchase them.  
Thank you for the link to Sublime Sims, I will probably join tomorrow--right now I need to get off my computer before the storm cuts the power again.

I ened up having to trade it my freetime exp, it constantly messsed up my game cos I got alot of custom content,its frustrating as from what ive played of it, it was good, aside from that in the zone thing that happens when they max out their hobbies , which got annoying after a while.lol.

I have decided that if Apartment Life has this 'new' SecuRom on it, I am NOT buying it.  I'm also NOT buying Sims 3 (like I was going to anyway hehe) The only way EA will listen to us is if enough of us decide not to buy their games.

I don't have Nero, and I haven't had issues, but I've been afraid to put anything on it.  I just got a brand new laptop and no way in heck I'm going to go through what I went through again.

There is a very big, very bad new development in the SecuRom problem:

" Mass Effect News     
Yesterday Jfederated found a post on the Mass Effect board which is currently scaring the life out of the staff of SAS. A gamer who owned Mass Effect made three hardware changes to his pc, only to find that he got a message stating his registrations had expired and he needed to purchase a new license for his game. His license expired after TWO DAYS of gameply. EA had originally stated that we could reinstall our games as many times as we liked under the new DRM, this appears to be incorrect. The new Securom is beginning to appear to be an attempt to obtain additional money out of people who purchase their product by getting us to purchase the same game multiple times."

If you want more information about this, our forum has the link to the original page and photos of the actual error message this player got on his computer.

I read the article. That is bad news. I feel sorry for the poor guy.

I hope he gets restitution.

:angry7:

Rest in Pieces, EA.... Rest in Pieces.  You'd think they'd wouldn't be able to dig their grave any deeper...  :roll:

Amen!

The real problem is that EA is probably going to put the exact same DRM on Sims 3 and Spore when they come out.
Can anyone spell "Sinking Ship"?  EA is going to be in a world of hurt if this goes on to their other games and has the exact same effect on those.
That's why we're scared, and angry. More money to EA, less fun for us.

Pretty sure many people know already, but those who plan on downloading either version of the Spore demo ($10 or free) be aware that it's been reported:

Securom v7.36 IS included with the demo downloads. (http://bbs.thesims2.ea.com/community/bbs/messages.php?&openItemID=item.21,root.1,item.61,item.104,item.41,item.127,item.23&threadID=363f16a2b1d196d7ee82ffcaf77ed3af&directoryID=21&startRow=1#e71a3716ef7e85c43c556e61fb6f95ee)  Will this affect your computer?  Maybe, maybe not... the possibility is there, but EA's not going to admit it...

This has been a report from your friendly neighborhood watch committee.  Have a nice one.  8)

I was running a few things around my head yesterday.

Now, we as a (certain) group of people refuse to buy anything EAGames related. If a new no-CD version comes out, people go out and buy the games. Am I correct in that statement?

What I'm trying to figure out is, if a no-CD version is put out there which makes the games playable, people go out and buy the games.

Isn't that a win-win situation?!!? EAMaxis wins and you win.

Hate to admit it, but technically, the game is still playable... on certain machines that have great luck streaks.  As long as there's the people having no issues whatsoever, doesn't mean it's unplayable at all.  I'd rather have something conflict/controversy-free instead.  ;)

As for a legal No-CD version, EA would still try to find a way to screw around with that and try to prevent pirates from arring that, too.    They've done it with the EA Download ... thingie... so it's destined to happen either way.  :lol:

I'm afraid that EA is not the type of company that wants to make concessions to their "perceived" threat of arring. They don't want to admit they've made a huge mistake in putting SecuRom into every single game-and as Tenshii did note, they will protect everything they can from the dreaded pirates they think are out there, just waiting to jump on their game and take it apart.
It's going to take a world-wide boycott, mail and petition campaign to make them see the error of their ways.
As for the machines that have been lucky so far-we're working on what machines and hardware trigger the bad luck of SecuRom. I personally think the older machines are probably the more apt to be disabled, but that is only my opinion.

I remember reading a post over at the Sims site, where a lady had a brand new computer and SecuROM brought it to it's knees.

Her exact words were, I had a 3,000 dollar computer brought to it's knees by a 30.00 game.

So, I don't think old or new computers have anything to do with it. I think it's more software and configurations and hardware. With all the stuff I've been reading, all the arrows point in that direction.