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
    2017-08-26T18:20:32+00:00

    Taking a tip from several responders on this thread, I tried downloading No-CD/Fixed Exe files from Game Copy World (https://www.gamecopyworld.com/games/index.php) for several of my games.  I was leery about it, worrying about embedded malware, but it's worked like a charm and easier than some of the workarounds I've read on this thread. 

    On my Windows 10 desktop I can now play Call of Duty, Call of Duty United Offensive, Medal of Honor Spearhead, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, and IL2 Sturmovik.

    A hack file was not available on Game Copy World for Medal of Honor Allied Assault but I was able to find it elsewhere.

    I did run into a recent hiccup where the games suddenly stopped working and I was getting a "Can't load OpenGL" error on all the games. I can only guess that something changed during a Windows Update.  But I was able to fix the problem by updating the driver for my display adapter (AMD Radeon R9).

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-23T08:15:13+00:00

    Mr. Kennedy,

    Thanks for keeping this thread alive AND

    Thanks for the ref to gamecopyworld.com. 

    I like this site because (at least for the games in my collection)

    1. their 'hacks' appear to only work if you have the original key / SN to install the game in the first place.
    2. they (at least claim) to scan the files for malware, to which my malware scanners agree.

    As a retired software engineer it is important for me to feel that I am NOT SUPPORTING PIRACY.

    As a retired software engineer it is important for me to support the idea that PAID LICENSES ARE HONORED as a discouragement to piracy.

    Since MICROSOFT HAS NO COMPUNCTION ABOUT VIOLATING TERMS OF THEIR SOFTWARE LICENSES - witness the extreme effort they have gone through on the SECDRV.SYS issue - i.e. DENIAL OF ACCESS TO LEGITIMATELY PURCHASES SOFTWARE SUCH AS MICROSOFT COMBAT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 3 (just one example) I have no alternative in exercising my license rights than to turn to 3rd party hacked (no cd versions). 

    I am thankful for references to sites that DO THE WORK MICROSOFT SHOULD BE DOING to provide workarounds for LEGAL PURCHASERS / LICENSEES TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF THE LICENSES THEY PAID FOR.

    If only I were a "junkyard" lawyer with lots of money to burn and time on my hands before dying, I would mount a class action suite over this issue.  Microsoft is in clear violation of at least the terms of licensing of the software it sold that used SECDV.SYS and Rovi would be the ideal co-defendent as they are the producers of that software that could easily update it, provide its source code to Microsoft, or publish a public domain utility that will disable the need for SECDRV.SYS in any LEGITIMATELY PURCHASED SOFTWARE THAT PREVIOUSLY DEPENDED ON IT.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-03-18T21:42:57+00:00

    I got a better ideal, uninstall windows 10

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-12-02T20:07:53+00:00

    You need to shoot holes in your system to circumvent driver security

    • Make sure you do not have BitLocker enabled and Secure Boot is off in your BIOS (hole #1 and #2)
    • Install a game which includes SECDRV.sys (you need the file on your system)
    • Setup minimal install of the Windows 10 SDK (just pick Install, Yes or No to send feedback, Accept on the license screen, then uncheck everything except 'Windows Software Development Kit' and click Install)
    • Run the script (see below)
    • Reboot

    - Play games

    The script will do this:

    - Find SECDRV.sys on your system and copy it to C:\Users<yourusername>

    • Generate a certificate that is private to you and your computer
    • Sign SECDRV.sys and install that signed copy on your system
    • Shoot hole #3 in your system (enable test signing which disables certificate validation for drivers)
    • Shoot hole #4 in your system (install SECDRV.sys and mark it as a Automatic Start service)

    How to run it:

    • Start, type PowerShell, right click, Run as Administrator
    • Copy and paste this:

    Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

    curl -UseBasicParsing -Uri https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ericwj/PsSecDrv/master/src/Scripts/QuickFix.ps1 -outfile QuickFix.ps1

    .\QuickFix.ps1

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-05-16T01:23:33+00:00

    This worked for me, making secdrv.sys runable: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?697164-Possible-fix-to-win10-issues-with-secdrv-sys

    (Win 10 x 64, DVD-RW Drive "SH-223C" on SATA [should not matter], Game: Civilization IV Ultimate [installed from original disc (SecDrive protectet, of course, without patch)])

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