SecuROM

[Muz]

I've never had a problem with SecuROM. (I don't think it's necessary, but I've never had a problem, and its presence doesn't influence my decision to buy a game.) Others, I realize, don't feel the same way.

Can anyone tell me if there's actual experimental data that says that SecuROM is evil, or just a bunch of anecdotal evidence?

(Not meaning to start a flame war here, just looking for more information.) :smallsmile:

[Groundhog]

I seriously doubt that anyone's been polled about SecuROM, so I'm going to have to say that there's just anecdotal evidence.

[Toastkart]

What exactly do you mean by
experimental data that says that SecuROM is evil?


As for what kind of evidence is out there, just google SecuRom problems and pick one of the million+ hits you'll get.

One of the big problems that people have with SecuRom is that it is installed separately from the game it came with with no eula, doesn't uninstall if the game uninstalls, and can't be uninstalled through normal means (add/remove programs), there's actually a set of rigorous instructions that have to be followed to remove SecuRom. Basically, it's very much like a rootkit.

I actually had an issue with SecuRom earlier this year where because of a virus that wasn't detected by avg, SecuRom shut down all my games that used it (I think all three were by Atari, who is a big user of SecuRom).

In addition, I have heard that SecuRom has a big problem if you have a virtual drive on your computer. Considering there are plenty of valid reasons to have virtual drives, a lot of people think SecuRom is overstepping its bounds deciding what kind of software you can and can't have on your computer if you have a game protected by SecuRom as well.

This is also just the tip of the iceberg for SecuRom's known issues. Some have been fixed with various versions, but many have not.

This (http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=104) is also relevant.

[Bouregard]

http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=61

a little more techbabble, but yes SecuROm does way more as it should do...

In general I try to not buy things with SecuRom. And if I do I make sure to exclude SecuRom from the installation process.

[V'icternus]

So no, no official polled evidence, but enough eyewitness accounts to make for an incredibly valid legal case.

I'll testify that SecuROM is evil, stupid, and wrong. ("SecuROM has detected that you are using an image or compy of the Disc. Please insert the real Disc to run the program.")

[Muz]

http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=61

a little more techbabble, but yes SecuROm does way more as it should do...

In general I try to not buy things with SecuRom. And if I do I make sure to exclude SecuRom from the installation process.

Thanks. :smallsmile:

The reason I was asking for more than just eyewitness testimony (scientifically speaking, one of the least reliable forms of evidence), is that I've known people to blame problems on unrelated scapegoats just because they heard that scapegoat caused problems and they don't know enough about what's actually happening. (Like thinking you're coming down with a cold when you're actually having an allergic reaction to pollen or something.)