SECDRV.SYS Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of older games.

Microsoft does provide a way to re-enable SECDRV.

• Install a game that brings (a recent version of) SECDRV.sys.
• Install the Windows 10 SDK from Get the standalone Windows 10 SDK. Just install all components, cuz who cares.
• Start PowerShell as Administrator.
• Find makecat.exe, makecert.exe and signtool.exe and add the path to your PATH:

dir -Directory -Path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10' -Recurse |

where BaseName -eq "x86" |

where { (dir $_.FullName -Filter makecert.exe) -ne $null } |

where { (dir $_.FullName -Filter makecat.exe) -ne $null } |

where { (dir $_.FullName -Filter signtool.exe) -ne $null } |

select -First 1 |

foreach { $env:Path = "$env:Path;$($_.FullName)" }

• The ones in a x86 subfolder are always OK on all Intel architecture chips. No need to match the hardware or the OS bitness.
• Create a new folder, copy SECDRV.sys in it. If it's an old version, use this one here. Its from September 2006.

mkdir "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\SECDRV" | Out-Null

cd "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\SECDRV"

• If it's an old version, use this one here. Its from September 2006.

curl -UseBasicParsing -Uri "https://github.com/ericwj/PsSecDrv/raw/master/tools/SECDRV/SECDRV.sys" -OutFile "SECDRV.sys"

• Enable test signing boot mode.

bcdedit /set "{current}" testsigning on

• Pick a subject for the certificate.

$Subject = "SECDRV.sys signing for $env:USERDOMAIN$env:USERNAME on $("{0:dd-MMM-yy HH:mm}" -f [datetime]::Now)"

• Create a root certificate.

makecert -r -sr LocalMachine -ss My -n "CN=$Subject"

• Open Local Machine Certificates.

certlm.msc

• Go to Personal, Certificates and select the certificate created, there usually is only one, or match the subject, right click Copy.
• Go to Trusted Root Certification Authorities, Certificates. Paste.
• Go to Trusted Publishers, Certificates. Paste.
• Make a text file called SECDRV.cdf in the folder and put this in it.

[CatalogHeader]

Name=SECDRV.cat

PublicVersion=0x1

EncodingType=0x00010001

CATATTR1=0x10010001:OSAttr:2:6.0

[CatalogFiles]

<hash>SECDRV=SECDRV.sys

• Make a driver catalog file in the folder.

makecat -o SECDRV.txt -r SECDRV.cdf

• Sign the driver. Use the thumbprint as shown in certlm for the certificate created, just double click it and look around, without spaces. Or get it in PowerShell with dir:

$Cert = dir Cert:\LocalMachine -Recurse | where Subject -Match ([regex]::Escape($Subject)) | select -First 1

$Thumbprint = $Cert.Thumbprint

signtool sign /sm /s Root /sha1 "$Thumbprint" /t "http://timestamp.verisign.com/scripts/timstamp.dll" secdrv.cat

• Install the driver.

signtool catdb /u secdrv.cat

• Reboot.
• Test if it works.

sc.exe start secdrv

If it doesn't work,

• one reason is the SECDRV.sys on your system is too old. Then the driver doesn't start.
• Another reason is Secure Boot is enabled. Run bcdedit again after disabling it.
• Another reason is you didn't reboot. You will have to reboot.
• On 64-bit systems, SECDRV might still report 'This driver is blocked from loading' if it is configured with C:\Windows\SysWOW64\drivers\SECDRV.sys as the binary path. To 1) verify and fix this, 2) copy SECDRV.sys and 3) change the binary path of the driver service:

sc.exe qc secdrv

copy C:\Windows\SysWOW64\drivers\SECDRV.sys C:\Windows\System32\drivers

sc.exe config secdrv binpath= C:\Windows\System32\drivers\SECDRV.sys

In PowerShell, don't omit the ".exe." in sc.exe. Nothing will appear to happen, but you will have ended up with a file called "start", "qc" or "config" that contains the text "secdrv" because sc is short for Set-Content...

Now play games.

Try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w09XuSgfTYk

I tried the solutions involving the "Drive Enforcement Overrider" to no avail. I got this laptop for my birthday after my old one failed after many years of use, and to my surprise, pretty much every non-Steam game I owned was royally screwed by this new "feature".

The fact that Microsoft doesn't allow us a means to re-enable Safe Disc and SECDRV.SYS is what angers me, not that Microsoft disabled the thing due to a gaping security hole.

Most of the information I've Googled repeats the Override solution or only applies to Windows VIII and earlier.

Is there anything I can do besides installing a virtual machine? This laptop is higher end than my desktop and than any other PC my family owns, so it can DEFINITELY take it.

Eric there is no much difference between Security Essentials on Windows 7, 8.0, 8.1 or 10.

"Once you load it, it goes off at light speed and you just can't see all of what it in fact does."

I haven't suggested to turn off AV, then there are firewalls.

But I hear you that it is nothing for anyone, not an universal solution.

Instead of dualboot or cracks, one might also consider to setup a Windows 10 in a Hyper-VM and reaching through the GPU into the Hyper-VM using Remote-FX to play games. The performance is really good.

The user needs to enable Hyper-V role and everything else is quite easy to do.

If you mean Windows Defender, then you're right. If you insist on calling that Security Essentials, that's just the wrong name for it. If you insist downloading and installing the actual Security Essentials product, it's stupid as I said. That's an old product for Windows XP and Windows 7. Just don't do anything after getting Windows 10 and you'll have the best AV there is. Microsoft is serious about that being true.

Installing cracks is a major security issue. Full stop. You load untrusted software, potentially with elevated permissions, suppose the game requires that. Sure you can have a measure of awareness and protection, but the risk comes from the crack. It's that simple. Once you load it, it goes off at light speed and you just can't see all of what it in fact does.

Many games I've tried it with don't install from .iso's. I'd say it is about 50-50 whether going through the hassle of trying it out ever pays off.