Maxoid Sam

[Hecubus]

Poopdeckswabber, we're not really a tech help forum. Maybe you could ask about it at MATY?

Actually, we're not at ALL a tech help forum. Our answer to any tech question is "go to MATY."

[poopdeckswabber]

It's okay. I have removed the game and am now reformatting. Guess I am on the laptop for a bit.

Edited: My printer works now and I still had to reregister my McAfee, but it is better.

[dasha]

*Raises hand* I just learned to work torrents a few weeks ago, so I could get some anime I like, but now with all this going on I have to admit that I am really thinking about going the ARR rout.

*raises hand too* It's not that I'm cheap or flat broke (okay, yes, I am cheap and flat broke, but still...) it's that I don't want to shell out money that could be better used on groceries for a product that's going to possibly (1) screw up my computer, (2) leave it open for Internet invasion, or (3) crap out within a week of installing it. I don't even know if I want to find an ARR version, if the chances are good that it's going to do that stuff for free.

And given that TPTB over at ExtraArse don't seem to care one way or another if I buy it or not, I've been checking out some dodgy copies online already. I haven't downloaded any yet, because I'm skeptical of the trustworthiness of such stuff, but I'm equally skeptical of the trustworthiness of a company that would open its customers up to spyware and viruses.

[LilyLocksley]

I am in the exact same boat Dasha. I started to download and ARR version the other day, but I canceled it half way through. At the time, I did not even know about all the malware and things that could come with it, I just felt that if I went and did something against EA's wishes than i would be no better than the paysite people. And now knowing that it can possibly break your computer, possibly permanently I am glad I didn't, because anyone that gets their computer fried by that stuff has no leg to stand on. At least if you bought a legit copy of the game and it borkes things you might get a refund and possibly some compensation for repairs. I don't think that is very likely to happen, but you would have a hell of a lot better chance than if you had gotten it the Arr way.

[Zazazu]

Okay, I was cursed with lags from hell today. There is nothing but "normal-1" time anymore. My printer is no longer recognized, no cpu game but BV works (read errors), and Mcafee says that it isn't registered all of a sudden. What the hell is this? Anyone wanna share how to fix this shit before I blow my top with the computer? I'd hate to take out the aggression on my beloved computer.

Wait a second.

I started having issues with McAfee saying I had no subscription around the time I "acquired" H&M, which we now know had SecuRom. Didn't even make the connection. I've had several phone calls between Comcast (McAfee suite is a benefit of Comcast cable internet) & myself and McAfee & myself, each blaming the other. Now I wonder if it's SecuRom. Guess I'll quit being a pussy and take it out tonight...I actually got an external backup device.

[Requip]

each blaming the other

ROFL! They all do that, don't they.........now EAxis is telling people to contact Securom or Sony.  :roll:

[Kraken]

kariminger, I also had that problem.  It forced me to re-install my anti-virus and then re-activate it.  I think it secretes itself so deep into the guts of your computer nothing will dig it out.

Yes it came with H&M but by the BBS you'd think that H&M is safe.  It isn't.  Thanks to that I now have a dvd drive that only works when secuROM allows it too and this time bomb ticking away in my registry.

And to top it off it will only play the sims occasionally after about ten minutes of trying to get it too start by then I'm too tired of the fight to care. :evil:

[Markus]

They've gone yarking mad over there.  Haven't seen so many repetitive posts since boolprop testingcheats was exposed to the masses.

Gah.  I was really hoping I wouldn't have to get schooled in 'crack'.

It's freaking insane over there. They're acting like the sky is falling.
Seriously though, all the paranoia is making me confused as hell to the point where I'm getting pissed off. ie: Every thread I find goes like this:
 "SecuROM is bad, it isn't bad, your computer will implode!, your hard drive will collapse, no it won't", etc. :evil:
Is this worth uninstalling the game/getting rid of it before my laptop blows up into little pieces, or are people just being fanatically paranoid?

[redisenchanted]

Well I don't know what to do right now. It's certainly sucked the fun out of the game for me. Damn EA! Why did they have to do something so effing stupid as this?

I'm not going to panic just yet. I'm not having any real problems. I'd probably make more trouble for myself than I'd get back if I try to remove the damn SecuRom.

If there is a class action lawsuit, I bet it will be the death of the Sims. Leave it to EA to manage to take the best selling computer game ever and destroy it.

I think if they could pull their heads out of their asses long enough they could do the following:

Supply a tool to remove the SecuRom

Give new SecuRom-free discs to customers who bought the original. It's already been cracked, not like they'd be losing anything

[JFederated]

The BBS is rampant w/paranoia - it's how they roll.  

I don't know what to make of anything.  I'm not having any issues yet or that I know of.  I found the Securom stuff on my harddrive - in the registry and I forget where else, App something, those saying they don't have it aren't looking for it correctly - if you bought and installed BV you have it.

Someone I trust not to go nuclear over things technical has had her CD burning capabilities wiped out, but I don't know the details, what she has on her comp, what drivers or drive manufacturers or programs or whateverall, except that it's a 6-month old Alienware.  That's the stuff that worries me, however, not the shrieking on the BBS, which I'm only looking at as one might a bloody stampede for some high-demand item at the holidays.

I'll likely be following Kari's lead and get my butt to Staples for an external HD...finally.  Something I should do anyway for backup purposes in general, but nothing like an EA/Sony effigy burning to get the motivational juices flowing.   :wink:

[Redikolous]

They've gone yarking mad over there.  Haven't seen so many repetitive posts since boolprop testingcheats was exposed to the masses.

Gah.  I was really hoping I wouldn't have to get schooled in 'crack'.

It's freaking insane over there. They're acting like the sky is falling.
Seriously though, all the paranoia is making me confused as hell to the point where I'm getting pissed off. ie: Every thread I find goes like this:
 "SecuROM is bad, it isn't bad, your computer will implode!, your hard drive will collapse, no it won't", etc. :evil:
Is this worth uninstalling the game/getting rid of it before my laptop blows up into little pieces, or are people just being fanatically paranoid?

That's what I'd like to know.  I have McAfee, Registry Mechanic, and Spybot, and I'm checking for suspiciousness, but I don't want to act all, "ZOMG!!  Y2K!!!!!!101banana" like the BBS is.

[Paleoanth]

Actually, I like that they are going nuclear over at the BBS.   First it is kind of fun to watch.  Second,  it might actually get EA to do something.  They obviously cannot just sweep this much panic under the rug this time.  It is going all over the Sims 2 community and they cannot shut that up.  Once a fix from a community modder was actually suggested, they lost a lot of control as people went to MATY and started to see what else was out there-beside the BBS.  

I am just glad I arr'd H&M and used the CD crack so I am not infected with Securom. Then I decided it wasn't worth the money and got rid of it.  I usually test out an EP first, then go and buy it if I like it.  If I don't,  I delete it. Hpw is that for dishonest honesty?

[Requip]

Actually, I like that they are going nuclear over at the BBS.

Me too, that's what I posted earlier about sitting back & watching *with popcorn* I love it.

I DID have some problems reading back-up discs I made for other things and my autorun didn't work for awhile there but I've done a re-store to before I added H&M and BV and things are fine now. The Securom files that were in the registry are gone. *whew* If I decided to re-install any games, it won't be the legitimate copy I purchased.  :wink:

[tgriffy]

My laptop was going on the fritz before I installed H&M, so I can't say whether SecuROM had anything to do with it.  I haven't stopped having problems since I've gotten my new computer, but I figured it was Vista giving me the problems.  So I still have no idea one way or the other.

'Course, Bill Gates makes a better scapegoat than EA Games anyday.

Tim

[calalily]

I'm can't play SimCity 4 - which I bought recently and played once. So finally, someone who does the right thing all the time will be forced to do the wrong thing - I'm going to have to remove SecuRom, and use a nocd crack. I thought about pirating future eps, but I don't think I can bring myself to do it.  I feel bad enough about the nocd crack.