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

Anonymous
2015-08-01T20:13:40+00:00

Hello,

I have discovered an unfortunate problem with Windows 10.

Many games from the early-mid 2000's used Macrovision's SafeDisc (version 2) as a means of copy protection. At game startup, Windows loaded SECDRV.SYS to verify an original game disc was in the drive, after which the game would start.

When you try to run ANY game which uses this SafeDisc form of copy protection in Windows 10, the following happens:

 - You get an error window that tells you to log in with Administrator Privileges and to try again. This happens on any account, even those with Administrator access. The game fails to start.

 - If you then set "Run as Admin" compatibility mode on the game's startup file, the message disappears, but the game doesn't start.

 - Keeping a window open for C:\WINDOWS\SYSWOW64\DRIVERS shows SECDRV.SYS appearing at the moment you try to start the game. Based on its size, it appears to be the file that is present on the game disc (tested across several games), even though I see no disc activity and cannot find the file elsewhere on my system.

 - The Windows event log shows that SECDRV.SYS failed to load.

 - This happens both with an upgraded install (Windows 8.1 > Windows 10) and with a fresh Windows 10 install, with one of the games being installed immediately upon the fresh install completing.

 - On my Windows 64-bit 8.1 system, C:\WINDOWS\WINSXS has a folder called amd64_macrovision-protection-safedisc_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.16384_none_4e6b3758913c9240 with a SECDRV.SYS in it, presumably the one that ships with Windows. Windows 10 had such a folder in early builds, but it is missing from the release build. It appears SafeDisc support is missing entirely.

OTHER TESTING I HAVE DONE:

 - I updated one of the games to a version that no longer required the CD check, and it started immediately and ran perfectly once the check was removed. However, this is possible only with a very limited number of games, or resorting to fixes that violate the game's EULA or put the user's system security at risk.

 - I tried disabling driver signature verification and installing one of the games again; same problem.

 - Multiple compatibility modes; same problem. XP (Service Pack 3) mode and / or Run as Administrator mode make the error message go away, but the games still fail to launch.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Unless this is fixed in Windows 10, a massive catalog of older games will cease to function in Windows 10 for the simple reason that they cannot pass the SafeDisc copy protection check. I am accustomed to some games breaking with every new version of Windows as technology progresses (for example, the loss of the ability to run 16-bit programs in 64-bit Windows), but this seems to be an unnecessarily harsh change.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Gaming

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-03-18T11:25:58+00:00

    You might be able to save some of your games by going to the game publisher's websites and checking to see if they have a fix or are willing to give you a Steam copy of the game, if it is available there. For instance Sega is the publisher of the Total War series of games and they made arrangements with Steam so that you can enter your CD/DVD key codes in the activate a product section, receiving a free Steam version of the game. I was able to recover my Total War: Rome, Barbarian Invasion, and Medieval II game titles through Steam.

    Upon further reflection it really isn't Microsoft's problem, the game publisher's are responsible for choosing their own SecureDisk code providers and it is their responsibility to correct the situation. Although it is a shame that I don't see any of my old Microsoft Age of Empires games collection listed on Steam, that tells me that maybe I shouldn't buy Microsoft games.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-03-18T15:14:41+00:00

    You might be able to save some of your games by going to the game publisher's websites and checking to see if they have a fix or are willing to give you a Steam copy of the game, if it is available there. For instance Sega is the publisher of the Total War series of games and they made arrangements with Steam so that you can enter your CD/DVD key codes in the activate a product section, receiving a free Steam version of the game. I was able to recover my Total War: Rome, Barbarian Invasion, and Medieval II game titles through Steam.

    Upon further reflection it really isn't Microsoft's problem, the game publisher's are responsible for choosing their own SecureDisk code providers and it is their responsibility to correct the situation. Although it is a shame that I don't see any of my old Microsoft Age of Empires games collection listed on Steam, that tells me that maybe I shouldn't buy Microsoft games.

    Microsoft went out of it's way to make secdrv not work on operating systems other than windows 10. 

    Microsoft is a vendour of other games, benefited from selling competing games.

    What pissed me off was, this is a forum on a Microsoft site with people acting for Microsoft participating and all the information from Microsoft actors was useless, wrong and misleading. It wasn't until users figured out what happened that useful information became available!

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-03-18T15:42:28+00:00

    I own a vast number of games, many like Age of Empires III which came on a bunch of compact disks.  So this game is published by MSFT who has shot themselves in the foot.

    That is not the only CD game i have, lots more of them in boxes.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-03-18T17:12:38+00:00

    Yes - it IS Microsoft's fault. My problems are with |MIcrosoft's own games !

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-03-19T03:40:31+00:00
    • Also in agreement with lexluther.  Bad enough that MS built DRM Blocking into Win10, but they were also heartless installing

    DRM Blocking on Win7/8/8.1 machines subversively in the guise of 'security'. I have yet to hear of a malware using secdrv.sys

    to hide in.

    As with GFWL, MS took the cheapskate way out and jumped ship, with total disregard for people who still play games affected

    by the GFWL debacle or SafeDisk driver. Rather than make a 'deal' with the developers of SafeDisk they decided to dump on the gamers,

    and try to flog the games again on line.

    The Windows Store is badly broken, but the secdrv.sys issue alone is enough to keep me from ever venturing to the Windows Store regardless.

    • Fortunately for those with a large collection of disk based games hackers cracked the .exe's of the majority of game protection systems

    long ago, so the users, and collectors of older disk based games don't have to buy those games that are still available

    online from MS's Store, or their friends at Steam, etc.  They  do still run well on Win10.

    • Most games from MS did use SafeDisk, including AOE 2, but AOE 3 uses SmartIE copy protection, as do a number of other

    MS games (not sure why Hardcore referenced this game in response to lexluther).

    • It may be because I patched the game, but it will run on Win10 without a disk in the drive, and does not need a noCD fix to do so.

    The Asian Dynasties expansion does however require a noCD to run without using the disk. (Or maybe I missed the patch ? )

    .

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