Bioshock Uninstall: Is Securom gone?

annoyed

n00b
Joined
Jan 14, 2007
Messages
57
Hi,

I have uninstalled Bioshock after playing it briefly, as going around picking up needles strikes as more like community service than a recreational activity.

How can you be sure the Securom crap is gone? I have Vista.

Thanks.
 
Hi,

I have uninstalled Bioshock after playing it briefly, as going around picking up needles strikes as more like community service than a recreational activity.

How can you be sure the Securom crap is gone? I have Vista.

Thanks.

No. Uninstalling Bioshock does not remove SecuROM from your system. You have to remove SecuROM yourself, by manually deleting the registry entries and the SecuROM folders.

Also remember that when uninstalling Bioshock, make sure you run the Revoke Tool, otherwise you've wasted an install credit. You can only revoke one anyway...
 
How to uninstall securom on XP...not sure if it's drastically different for Vista.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/98241-13-remove-securom-malware-uninstalling-bioshock-demo


Securom uninstallation instructions for Windows XP SP2

Disclaimer 1: Only attempt these uninstallation instructions if you are reasonably computer literate and have backed-up your entire system.
Disclaimer 2: Only attempt these uninstallation instructions if you have no games installed which require Securom to be present.
Disclaimer 3: Only attempt these uninstallation instructions if you previously had to authorised your PC with Securom before you could play a game and that game is now uninstalled.

* Step 1: Uninstall the 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 [...] lNull.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.

* 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.
 
FYI - I had trouble deleting those 2 "malformed" files as they are described in step 4. The steps mentioned didn't work for me. I had to boot to a USB drive and deleted them using the dos commands mentioned.
 
Hmmm, I uninstalled Bioshock yesterday and had forgotten all about this. Guess I'll be looking for Vista SecuROM removal instructions when I get home tonite.
 
Is the securom malware only on demo copies?

You mean if SecuROM is present only in the Bioshock demo ?

No, it's present in the full game aswell. There's no warning about it in the box or EULA and there's also absolutely no warning in the box or EULA, of the measures it enforces i.e. install limits, which work per user, per hardware fingerprint and per OS install.

Great isn't it ? :rolleyes:
 
You mean if SecuROM is present only in the Bioshock demo ?

No, it's present in the full game aswell. There's no warning about it in the box or EULA and there's also absolutely no warning in the box or EULA, of the measures it enforces i.e. install limits, which work per user, per hardware fingerprint and per OS install.

Great isn't it ? :rolleyes:

What about the Steam version?
 
yeah, its like paying someone to kick your ass then suing them for battery. I had almost forgot why i didnt bother trying this game.
 
I say we take off and Nuke Securom from Orbit!
Only way to be sure!
 
what is wrong with leaving it on? and what is the revoke tool?

Well, that's exactly the problem. We just don't know. SecuROM "phones" home, when it detects that your install credits are over the set limit (and this is done by user account, OS install and hardware fingerprint), so who knows what info it can send home. Are you willing to risk personal info being sent, without your authorization ? I certainly am not. Sure, it might not do anything at all, but something that's installed on my system, without me knowing about it and cannot be deleted normally, sounds fishy to me. I don't want it on my system at all.

As for the revoke tool, it was 2K's answer to all the complaints related to install limits. It was supposed to let everyone revoke every install credit, but it does no such thing. And it took them 2 months to do it...

Basically, and with this ludicrous copy protection system, if you install Bioshock on the admin account and then play it on a normal user account (typical process), you used up two install credits, of which the revoke tool can only restore one. The revoke tool does not work with multi-user account systems, which is "just" the vast majority of systems out there...
 
Another thing worth mentioning is Securom will send you a removal tool if you contact them, however I don't know if it is as effective as the manual removal instructions.

I received the tool from them but never used it. I simply sent them an email explaining that I uninstalled Bioshock and I wanted to remove Securom. There wasn't any big hassle getting it from them.
 
interesting, i've installed and uninstalled many games, and never heard of this revoke tool while uninstalling lol. someone probably has a lot of information on me.
 
interesting, i've installed and uninstalled many games, and never heard of this revoke tool while uninstalling lol. someone probably has a lot of information on me.

The Revoke Tool is a Bioshock specific thing. You won't find it in any other game, because no one was retarded enough as 2K was, to include install limits in Bioshock.

And the revoke tool (at least to my knowledge) doesn't send any info, other than a request to decrease the counter in SecuROM, that controls your install credits.
What we don't know for sure how it works, is SecuROM itself, which may or may not be sending info it shouldn't be. And as I said before, since it's installed without me knowing about it and cannot be removed normally, I really don't trust it.

And as I pointed out in the Mafia 2 thread, I would advise everyone to extra careful with 2K games from now on. If you see 2K on the game's box, check the official game forums before you buy it, to be sure it doesn't contain copy protection such as the one applied to Bioshock. They already deceived customers once, by not even mentioning these measures on the Box or EULA, so I really don't trust them anymore.
 
black_b[ ]x;1032172672 said:
yeah, its like paying someone to kick your ass then suing them for battery. I had almost forgot why i didnt bother trying this game.

Thanks for reminding me, i was going to give it a try soon, but forgettA bout' it!
 
You guys complain about PC gaming dying then whine about a method used by developers to protect their revenue? please
 
PC gaming is not dying, and DRM protects nothing.

Frontlines is another game screwed with Securom. It's causing all kinds of problems. It got low ratings from unreliability, and word of mouth from bad copy protection is costing them more in lost revenue than if they had used no DRM.

Sins of a Solar Empire which has no DRM is selling very well.
 
protect revenue's, your kidding right..... it protects nothing, it is cracked and patched before it hits store shelves... AND they dont tell you about it, NOR does it uninstall when you remove the game..

Sorry, but you dont get to install what ever you want on My computer with out asking ME first, which they dont do.

SecureROM has caused more problems then it has solved, like most "protection" scheme's the legit user is the one who gets screwed, the pirates never see it cause it is remove / cracked or patched already.,

Game will always be copied and security broken, the industry has to accept that and focus more on making a good game then how to prevent the innevitable.
 
You guys complain about PC gaming dying then whine about a method used by developers to protect their revenue? please

I can tolerate stuff like CD checks or even online activation, but install limits ? Are you joking ?
The Bioshock DVD doesn't even contain the exe, which basically means the 50-60 euros you spent on the box and DVD, are worth absolutely NOTHING. It's a paperweight.

And as was already mentioned, these ludicrous copy protection systems protect nothing. They just delay the inevitable. Also, the 2K retards confirmed themselves (Martin Slater I believe) that this copy protection scheme was applied to the PC version ONLY to protect console sales. At least they could've actually made a PC game instead of a console port, but we didn't even get that.
 
SecuROM... one more bane of PC gaming.

Only true way to totally get rid of it: reformat.

That's what I did when I found it also came with Crysis, which I didn't know until the full release/install, and since Crysis wasn't truly a fantastic title I'd return to, I wont touch it again. Despite the fact they stated it was a "different version" that did not (supposedly) "phone home" or work the same way as Bioshock's "version".

As someone else mentioned, there's no way to really know if it's "safe", though at the very least, SecuROM in any form, including Crysis' "version", has screwed-up more people's systems than I care to count, messing with other totally non-related third-party programs, their OS and the like.

It's all about principal and privacy, not "paranoia". SecuROM and these bloody DRM's are invasive, intrusive and pain-in-the-ass apps that don't even stop pirates from doing their thing anyway. Pointless.

Yet another one of many reasons these days I'm drifting more towards consoles.
 
Bioshock for the 360 seems to be the way to go then. Stupid DRM..

Or not at all... it's not like there's a shortage of great games out there.

I'll spend my money/time supporting companies that don't expect me to bend over and spread 'em.
 
protect revenue's, your kidding right..... it protects nothing, it is cracked and patched before it hits store shelves... AND they dont tell you about it, NOR does it uninstall when you remove the game..

I won't beat this to death but yea it is there to protect revenue, why else would a developer use it?? The average user will not be affected by it. We are prejudiced because this is an enthusiast board so obviously we would be affected more than the average individual.

While I agree that securerom isn't the best method because it pisses people off, it is still a valid method to keep the average guy from pirating or else developers wouldn't use it.

Do you really think a window would pop up saying, "We are going to install anti-piracy measures to make sure you don't copy this game, do you want to install it now or wait till later?" I can only imagine securerom doesnt uninstall automatically with the game because it assumes you may have other securerom protected games installed on your pc which would be rendered broken. I don't agree with it just saying that developers wouldn't use it unless they had to and there was nothing better out.
 
I won't beat this to death but yea it is there to protect revenue, why else would a developer use it?? The average user will not be affected by it. We are prejudiced because this is an enthusiast board so obviously we would be affected more than the average individual.

While I agree that securerom isn't the best method because it pisses people off, it is still a valid method to keep the average guy from pirating or else developers wouldn't use it.

Do you really think a window would pop up saying, "We are going to install anti-piracy measures to make sure you don't copy this game, do you want to install it now or wait till later?" I can only imagine securerom doesnt uninstall automatically with the game because it assumes you may have other securerom protected games installed on your pc which would be rendered broken. I don't agree with it just saying that developers wouldn't use it unless they had to and there was nothing better out.

You're wrong, because it was the average Joe that suffered more from this. The 2K forums were filled with "average" Joes, that simply hit the initial install limit and got the very pleasant SecuROM message, that one cannot install the game again. They were not enthusiasts at all and were simply caught by surprise, because there's not even a warning on the box or EULA (box being the most important, since the average Joe doesn't even read the EULA).

Yes, one of the reasons 2K used to justify the fact that SecuROM is not uninstalled upon uninstalling Bioshock, was because you may have other SecuROM protected games, that will stop working, but that hardly justifies a thing, since SecuROM registry keys are updated with Bioshock info and not even that is removed upon uninstall.

And no, it's not a valid method. A simple warning would be nice, at least on the box or at the very least, in the EULA, but nothing. Even not knowing about what exactly SecuROM does in the background, I would be better off in knowing that it was installed on my system, rather than just the game installing it without me knowing about it. They also lied about being able to simply uninstall the game and retrieve one of the install credits. That was a load of BS and that was the reason why they developed the revoke tool, which doesn't even work as it should. Obviously people were banned from the official forums, just for posting these facts, which 2K just tried to sweep under the rug.

What they did was illegal and I know many people that filled a small action lawsuit against 2K, which demanded at least a refund, since most stores would not accept that justification, to get the game back. I know that in Europe, some of these people won and I believe I read that some in the US also won.

So, again, I recommend that everyone pays attention to all 2K games from now on. They clearly stated they will be using similar systems in future games, so if you really want to buy a game from them, be sure to check the official forums, before you actually buy it. These illegal practices makes them NOT trust worthy and I would be better off not having to deal with crap like this i.e. they stop making PC Games. I say good riddance!
 
it is still a valid method to keep the average guy from pirating or else developers wouldn't use it.

Your logic is flawed.

If it could kept the average guy from pirating, how can some developers claim piracy rates of up to 90%. Are 90% of the population high level hackers? No, pirating a game is a simple as clicking on the download button of a torrent site. Anyone can do it.

It's usually publishers who make the decision not developers. I'd bet more often than not it's the businessmen, and not the programmers who usually make that call.

If astrology wasn't accurate people wouldn't read their horoscopes would they?
 
This nice group of people known as

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have a rather elegant solution to this whole violation of privacy problem that 2K Games infected Bioshock with...
 
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