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CrashDay Demo installs DRMThis is getting to be a pain. Now demos are installing this crap. Something called SecuROM (v7) from Sony. My son installs the demo. Winpatrol asks if I want a new service to run. I say NO to this. SecuROM User Access Service (V7) UAService7.exe Path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\UAService7.exe Startup Type: Disabled And rootkit revealer then finds the entry in the attached pic. |
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John2gQui Tacet Consentit Premium Member join:2001-08-10 England |
John2g
Premium Member
2006-Jan-29 1:28 pm
SecuROM 7 now offers the following features:
Protection of demos and test versions that only work for a certain period of time: "Try & Die" Protection of content on CD-R with SecureCD-R technology SecuROM Business Edition for non-games applications with flexible disc check |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA
1 recommendation |
to sharpy merc
*ALOT* of Demos install Copy Protection... doesn't make much sense to me. They are Free Demos! Watch for StarForce on some of the Demos as well. |
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good info John2g .
Sadly this crap fails to leave when you un-install using Add/Remove.
Anyone got any ideas on how to clean this crap up?
Great now I have to try demos in VMware as well sheesh!! |
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John2gQui Tacet Consentit Premium Member join:2001-08-10 England
1 recommendation |
John2g
Premium Member
2006-Jan-29 1:42 pm
Crash Day - and a Warning 27 January 2006
Atari has released a playable demo of a game called Crash Day. It's similar to Need for Speed: Most Wanted in many ways, but the aim is to destroy other cars with missiles and miniguns, or do insane stunts. It's quite fun and looks to have some potential - check out my screenies, thoughts and tweaks in this thread.
Now here is the warning part. Without meaning to be overly dramatic, the Crash Day demo uses the SecuROM copy protection system. This is highly annoying and may cause problems on your machine. You can either avoid installing the demo, or if you install it and then eventually want to uninstall it and remove SecuROM, including the 'SecuROM User Access' Service it installs in Windows, follow these steps:
1. Uninstall the game as normal.
2. Manually delete the game directory (typically \Program Files\Atari\Crashday-demo\
3. Go to Start>Run and type "Services.msc" (without quotes) and press Enter.
4. Go to the 'Securom User Access' Service, double click on it, click Stop and then set it to Disabled.
5. Go to \Windows\System32\ directory and delete the UAService7.exe file.
6. Go to Start>Run and type "sc delete useraccess7" (without quotes) and press Enter.
Note: This Service may be recreated by one of your other SecuROM games, in which case you will have to keep it running to play them.
The following steps are very risky and only for people who are certain none of their currently installed games use or need SecuROM:
7. Go to \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ and delete the SecuROM sub-directory.
8. Go to Start>Run and type "Regedit" (without quotes) and press Enter. Then find the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SecuROM] key and delete it if possible.
I am really annoyed at SecuROM as it is an intrusive system which causes a vast range of problems for legitimate users. I'm giving you a clear heads-up that it is on this demo, and that it may cause problems on your machine as it has for recent games like F.E.A.R. |
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Many thanx agian john2g.
Luckily I had a recent restore point.
My son will now install Demos to VMware to see what they secretly install. |
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35375105 (banned) join:2002-11-20 127.0.0.1 |
to sharpy merc
Wow, I didn't install this crashday game but I see I had this Securom crap on my system anyway.
I wonder which of my games installed it ;/
Is there like a list somewhere that tells what games use SecuROM? |
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salzanExperienced Optimist Premium Member join:2004-01-08 WA State
1 recommendation |
to sharpy merc
This type of crap has been going on for quite some time. As dadkins said, watch out for StarForce. What I really don't understand is why include this in a free demo? |
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BlitzenZeusBurnt Out Cynic Premium Member join:2000-01-13 2 edits |
to sharpy merc
Worthless companies, and crap like this is why I don't buy pc games anymore. I might play a few console games, but from a security standpoint, they are going beyond their rights to put crap like this on your system. Sony already got in serious trouble with the cd copy protection, which basically was a rootkit which malware developers started piggy backing on. Also the fact was, the rootkit was written by people who researched malware! |
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As stated in my first post , SONY is behind this. "SecuROM is a copy control system for content distributed via CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. It was developed and is maintained by Sony DADC Austria. Replication of SecuROM-protected titles is available throughout the world." » www.securom.com/default.aspBut unlike Starforce* there is no uninstaller for SecuROM . * starforce unistaller here. » www.onlinesecurity-on.co ··· tml?c=55 |
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to sharpy merc
Atari has released a playable demo for Crashday, allowing you to take the imminent combat stunt action racing game by Moon Byte Studios for a spin. This demo contains a Wrecking Match event, a Stunt Show event, and multiplayer on LAN and Internet, but oddly enough it's restricted to only 50 demo launches.
Maybe that's why they install that crap? |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA |
to sharpy merc
Just to add, there are a couple of SecuROM registry entries... See pic! |
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BlitzenZeusBurnt Out Cynic Premium Member join:2000-01-13 1 edit |
to Anonymous88
When I used to play demos, they only had a few levels, and if you wanted to play the full game you had to buy it, that is how they worked, not by forcing people to install rootkits. |
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antdudeMatrix Ant Premium Member join:2001-03-25 US
1 recommendation |
to dadkins
said by dadkins:*ALOT* of Demos install Copy Protection... doesn't make much sense to me. They are Free Demos! Watch for StarForce on some of the Demos as well. I wonder if game developers/companies are lazy to remove this DRM crap for demos? Or maybe they are testing them? |
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salzanExperienced Optimist Premium Member join:2004-01-08 WA State |
to sharpy merc
Well, I'll keep my money and they can keep their game. |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA 1 edit |
to antdude
Or, the BS is so embedded into the game, it won't play without it! Even the Demo!
Here's a kicker about the freakin Demos... they are Installer packages! I have three(3) copies on my HDD! WTF? |
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to sharpy merc
Well this one goes on my STAY AWAY list... Why would anyone time limit a demo?? |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA |
to sharpy merc
Hmmm... pesky little bastard. 2 entries came back... |
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And you just love tinkering with shit like that |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA 2 edits
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Oh yeah! Better me on this laptop so others can avoid it like the plague, than to have EVERYONE get it in their computers! Not like I care or anything... I'll nuke this MF! FYI, The main SecuROM key is still there... Ok, we can do this! |
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35375105 (banned) join:2002-11-20 127.0.0.1
1 recommendation |
to BlitzenZeus
said by BlitzenZeus:When I used to play demos, they only had a few levels, and if you wanted to play the full game you had to buy it, that is how they worked, not by forcing people to install rootkits. Exactly. The came companies today are full of horse shit. It's bad enough to limit demos to only having one level and limited options, but now they all can only be played for a limited amount of time and install crapware on your computer. And now you know why I haven't paid for a PC game in over 3 years. |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA |
to sharpy merc
The main SecuROM registry refuses to delete, even in Safe Mode as Admin. Eh, TI it into oblivion! |
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badcat2 join:2000-10-18 Glastonbury, CT
1 recommendation |
said by dadkins:Eh, TI it into oblivion! Thank God for True Image, eh? I don't know how I managed without it! Chris |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA 1 edit |
...by reinstalling the OS and then patching & reinstalling all your applications. PASS! 8 minutes left... EDIT: Makes one wonder what other Demos/Games have been installing this kind of BS on people's computers. |
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badcat2 join:2000-10-18 Glastonbury, CT
1 recommendation |
I have to admit that I don't get this either, why the hell install this garbage on a DEMO! Now they're time limiting a demo? I guess I won't be trying any new games. Lets hope they "rootkit" themselves out of business!!! Chris |
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DownLowNope...I Got Nothing Premium Member join:2001-04-25 Long Island |
to dadkins
said by dadkins:The main SecuROM registry refuses to delete, even in Safe Mode as Admin. Eh, TI it into oblivion! The steps outlined above to remove it worked fine for me. |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu? MVM join:2003-09-26 Hercules, CA |
Open regedit, look for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SecuROM It's likely still there and cannot be deleted. TI took me back to the 24th... it aint there! |
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Combat ChuckToo Many Cannibals Premium Member join:2001-11-29 Verona, PA
1 recommendation |
to sharpy merc
Not that I agree with the copy protection but;
The reason they install the disk copy protection with many demos is because they don't want to give people an unencrypted or differently encrypted version of the executable which can be used to crack the copy protection on the full disk. |
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to sharpy merc
Is there a list maintained somewhere that lists which demos and programs installs these invasive programs? I keep on reading about these kinds of surreptituous installations and it worries me. Will programs like adaware or spybot detect them?
Damien d_macafee@yahoo.co.uk |
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salzanExperienced Optimist Premium Member join:2004-01-08 WA State |
to Combat Chuck
said by Combat Chuck:The reason they install the disk copy protection with many demos is because they don't want to give people an unencrypted or differently encrypted version of the executable which can be used to crack the copy protection on the full disk. But within hours of the release someone will have cracked it anyway and posted it online (without the DRM).... The people this screws up the most are the honest users who purchase the products. |
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