How to get rid of SecuRom, NOW

[Zazazu]

Ok, kids. The instructions are in bits and pieces in the EA official admission/excuse thread, but it's getting long and understandably hard to find. These instructions have worked for several posters, myself included:

1. Follow the guidelines below ripped from http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/98241-13-remove-securom-malware-uninstalling-bioshock-demo:

* Step 2: Remove the Securom registry entries.
The Securom registry entries are deliberately made non-removable by default. In order to remove them download the http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Miscellaneous/RegDelNull.mspx RegDelNull registry editing utility from Microsoft and install it on your C partition. 
Run the following two commands from a Windows command prompt: "C:\regdelnull HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SecuROM -s" and "C:\regdelnull HKEY_USERS\<Computer specific key>\Software\SecuROM -s" where "<Computer specific key>" can be determined by searching the registry for the "Securom" directory key. This "<Computer specific key>" typically has a form like "S-1-5-21-2052111302-1757341266-724545543-500". Once these two RegDelNull commands have been successfully issued the registry should be checked to confirm that these two keys have been deleted. If they are still present they will now be removeable due to the action of the RegDelNull utility.

Simpler suggestions (do the above or the below, then move to the quoted Step 3):

Download regdelnull.exe and place it in C:\
Go to "Run" and type in "cmd", then type the following:

cd C:\
regdelnull hkcu -s
regdelnull hku -s
 
The two regdelnull calls above will scan the whole of HKEY_CURRENT_USER (abbreviated to HKCU) and HKEY_USERS (abbreviated to HKU). It's possible you may find other null registry keys during the scans, since you're not targeting *just* the SecuROM keys doing it this way. regdelnull will prompt you with the full pathname of every key it finds though, which will contain the name "SecuROM" if it's one of the ones you're after, so you can check names and only respond "y" to delete those two.

* Step 3: Removal of the Securom service and related utilities.
Open a Windows command prompt and change directory to "c:\windows\system32". Type "uaservice7 /remove". This will stop the Securom user access service, and clean up its relevant registry entries. On the Windows command prompt type "regsvr32 /u cmdlineext.dll". Reboot and then manually delete the files "uaservice7.exe" and "cmdlineext.dll" from "c:\windows\system32". Note: Both of these files are Securom installed files which can be verified by checking their file properties (Right click - Properties).
 
* Step 4: Removal of Securom files under "C:\Documents and Settings".
Securom installs a hidden directory with 6 files under "C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Administrator name>\Application Data\Securom". The first 4 ordinary text files can simply be manually deleted once Windows explorer has been configured to show hidden files and folders. The two remaining malformed nominally unremoveable files require a special method to delete: Invoke a Windows command prompt with full Administrator privileges by typing the following into a Windows command prompt: "at <your current time + 1 minute> /interactive %systemroot%\system32\cmd.exe" e.g. "at 9:02pm /interactive %systemroot%\system32\cmd.exe". This will open a new Administrator command line when the time set has been attained. In this new command prompt change directory into the Securom folder e.g. "cd C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Administrator name>\Application Data\Securom". Issue the following command to show the two remaining hidden malformed files: "dir /A". To delete the two remaining hidden malformed files issue the following command: "del /F /AH *". Confirm "yes" for each of the two file deletions of the malformed files. Finally, the directory "C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Administrator name>\Application Data\Securom" can be deleted as per normal practice from within Windows explorer.

2. Double check your registry files. Still see any keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER---Software---Securom? Just delete the suckers. Won't blow up.

3. If that damned SecuRom folder still can't be deleted, even after correctly following the instructions above, download DelinvFile from http://www.purgeie.com/delinv/dldelinv.htm . Run the executable and find the C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR NAME HERE\Application Data\Securom folder and open the sub-folder. (Sorry, mine's gone, but I believe it was named "User Data"). On the right, choose each malformed file and delete. Go back into My Computer and delete that SecuRom folder for once and all.

4. To not get it again, you need to start loading from a no-CD crack. I recommend the Fairlight version from http://www.gameburnworld.com/gp/gamefixes/sims2bonvoyage.shtml. There is now a version for the patched game available as well. Go to "C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Bon Voyage\TSBin" and change the name of the current Sims2EP6.exe to Sims2EP6.bak. Then place the crack in the same folder. Make a shortcut to this on your desktop, and run the game from this new shortcut.

I haven't yet installed BV. How do I make sure I never have to deal with this?
Simple. Follow #4. Get a no-cd crack. Use it and never use the game's included Sims2EP6.exe, which is the file that contains SecuRom.

EDIT: Added note about the patchy-poo crack. Thanks to tessiroo.

[Solowren]

Yeah... about that original .exe renaming thing. I didn't do that. My original .exe is history. Am I going to need it if I decide to patch?

[Zazazu]

Yeah... about that original .exe renaming thing. I didn't do that. My original .exe is history. Am I going to need it if I decide to patch?

Maybe. I accidentally patched Seasons once with the crack in and it went. I'd imagine (and I'm talking out of my ass at the moment) that it depends on where the patch is making changes.

Here. My 4shared drive still has a lot of room left in it.

[Solowren]

Thanks. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[ShortyBoo]

How do you check your registry? My brother built my computer and if I have any problems, he usually takes care of it, but he's not awake now. And I've never had to do anything with the registry before.

[Paperbladder]

How do you check your registry? My brother built my computer and if I have any problems, he usually takes care of it, but he's not awake now. And I've never had to do anything with the registry before.

Regedit or Powershell.  For Regedit do Start > Run and type in regedit in the box (In Vista, just type regedit in the startmenu box).

[Tigerlilley]

Can we sticky this please.

[Invisigoth]

Yeah... about that original .exe renaming thing. I didn't do that. My original .exe is history. Am I going to need it if I decide to patch?

It doesn't matter that the original exe is gone; you can get a clean .exe from the disc. Click explore and then open the TSBin folder. Copy the Sims2EP6.exe and paste it here: C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Bon Voyage\TSBin.

[Flamingo]

Alright, maybe I'm mildly retarded here, but I can't seem to download the fixed executable file.

Edit: Never mind, it appears that neither Firefox nor Opera could download it, strangely. Internet Explorer worked just fine.

[ShortyBoo]

I can't get that RegDelNull program to work. I downloaded it, extracted it and when I double click on the file, a box pops up for a fraction of a second, and nothing else happens. Is there some trick to the program?

[Zazazu]

You don't actually run RegDelNull. You just install it on C:\. Then go to the Windows command prompt and follow the rest of the directions.

[ShortyBoo]

I did that, but I'm unsure what to do next. My brother told me to go to Start/Run and type in "cmd". Well, I did that, but then when I typed in that first line it tells you to enter, I got some message about C:\ not being a command or something. I think it's because it's already pointing to my My Documents folder and I can't figure out how to get rid of it. My brother said he hasn't used that in ages, so he doesn't remember.

[simkat]

Yeah I did this about a week back and it works,no more sukurom on this PC.
I mailed this link too a friend so she could get it off her comp as well.Thanks Zaz.

[dusty]

I did that, but I'm unsure what to do next. My brother told me to go to Start/Run and type in "cmd". Well, I did that, but then when I typed in that first line it tells you to enter, I got some message about C:\ not being a command or something. I think it's because it's already pointing to my My Documents folder and I can't figure out how to get rid of it. My brother said he hasn't used that in ages, so he doesn't remember.

I don't think it's advisable to mess with the registry if you don't know how to use some simple DOS commands. 

[ShortyBoo]

I did that, but I'm unsure what to do next. My brother told me to go to Start/Run and type in "cmd". Well, I did that, but then when I typed in that first line it tells you to enter, I got some message about C:\ not being a command or something. I think it's because it's already pointing to my My Documents folder and I can't figure out how to get rid of it. My brother said he hasn't used that in ages, so he doesn't remember.

I don't think it's advisable to mess with the registry if you don't know how to use some simple DOS commands. 

Ok, then how else can I get rid of SecuROM?

[Paperbladder]

The reason you're having problems is that RegDelNull probably isn't installed.  The OP did a poor job of checking the link.

Go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/regdelnull.mspx, download RegDelNull and place it in C:\, then you'll be able to run the command.

[Venusy]

I think the problem is actually that ShortyBoo doesn't know how to do a cd command.

Stickied, and added to the FAQ.

[ShortyBoo]

Ok, here's the problem. When I open up the DOS prompt, I get this: http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8803/yafsscreen003gh0.jpg If I type anything, it tells me it's not a correct path, but I can't figure out how to remove what's already there (the C:\Documents and Settings/Krystan) Does that make any sense? I'm not exactly computer illiterate, (I manage to do most basic stuff like formatting drives, installing parts, etc) but I've just never had any reason to do anything in DOS.

[dusty]

Ok, here's the problem. When I open up the DOS prompt, I get this: http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8803/yafsscreen003gh0.jpg If I type anything, it tells me it's not a correct path, but I can't figure out how to remove what's already there (the C:\Documents and Settings/Krystan) Does that make any sense? I'm not exactly computer illiterate, (I manage to do most basic stuff like formatting drives, installing parts, etc) but I've just never had any reason to do anything in DOS.

Type
cd c:\windows\system32

[Raene]

Not for the RegDelNull portion of the instructions, if ShortyBoo did unzip it to C:. You have to be in the same directory as the program to use the program.

[dusty]

Oh right, I was reading steps ahead of that.  Then type "cd\"  to get back to C: (no quotes) shorty. 
This site may help http://www.computerhope.com/cdhlp.htm

[Akharra]

Fankoo!

[Zazazu]

The reason you're having problems is that RegDelNull probably isn't installed.  The OP did a poor job of checking the link.

Go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/regdelnull.mspx, download RegDelNull and place it in C:\, then you'll be able to run the command.

Ahem...

I think the problem is actually that ShortyBoo doesn't know how to do a cd command.

Precisely, and if you read the quoted material (not my work, but I wasn't going to retype something that was already there), it stated to download it and put it into C:\, not to run it. However, I understand the temptation. Ya'd think that, given an .exe, you should run it.

[Assmitten]

AIIIGHT, thanks this is great. I think it's safe for me shove BV down my pants and run out of Best Buy. I've been practicing for weeks for the Assmitten Olympics.

[holophoner]

Long time lurker, first time poster here.  Hi.

I think what's irritating me more than EA thinking SecuROM was a good idea is that it can't even install its shit right in the first place.  Example: I'm on Step 3 in the Tom's Hardware instructions.  I type in the command to remove user access.  The file, uaservice7.exe?  Not there.  But sure enough, cmdlineext.dll is, and I get an error when I try to do the "regsvr32 /u cmdlineext.dll" command.  I'm assuming it's not working because of uaservice7.exe magically not existing, but you know...assumptions.  To add more fun to the mystery, my SecuROM folder in Application Data is empty as well.

So I ask: can I trash cmdlineext.dll safely even though the "regsvr32 /u" command doesn't seem to work, or am I utterly screwed?