Drm Windows 10

Microsoft made headlines when it stripped support for SafeDisc and SecuROM DRM from Windows 10 Recent security updates to Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1 have also removed support for these DRM schemes from older versions of Windows.

Windows Media DRM was removed in Windows 10 Anniversary Update in favor of Microsoft PlayReady. PlayReady is a media file copy prevention technology from Microsoft that includes encryption, output prevention, and digital rights management (DRM). It was announced in February 2007.
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Still, DRM protected MP3, WMA, MP4, AVI and M4V files may still litter your hard drive. The files get mixed among the non-protected files and leave you confused as to what is protected and what isn’t. If you use iTunes, there is a way to check for DRM protection from within the application. There is also a simple way to check in Microsoft Windows 10.

Even avoiding Windows 10 won’t allow you to play these games without any hassle, assuming you keep your Windows installation up-to-date. Here’s why Microsoft decided to break things and how to get those old games working again.

What’s the Problem?

RELATED:How to Make Old Programs Work on Windows 10

You won’t have any troubles with newer games, or these older games if you acquire them via digital downloads. You’ll have problems with many PC games released on physical CDs and DVDs between the years 2003 and 2008. Many of these games include SafeDisc or SecuROM DRM.

All games using SafeDisc DRM and games using some forms of SecuROM DRM just won’t work on modern versions of Windows. This includes every version of Windows 10, and Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1 with update KB3086255, released in September 2015.

Microsoft purposefully broke compatibility with these old DRM, as they explain:

“This DRM stuff is also deeply embedded in your system, and that’s where Windows 10 says “sorry, we cannot allow that, because that would be a possible loophole for computer viruses.” That’s why there are a couple of games from 2003-2008 with Securom, etc. that simply don’t run without a no-CD patch or some such. We can just not support that if it’s a possible danger for our users. There are a couple of patches from developers already, and there is stuff like GOG where you’ll find versions of those games that work.”

Rovi, the creators of SafeDisc, lashed out at Microsoft in response:

“Safedisc DRM hasn’t been supported for a few years now, and the driver has consequently not been updated for some time. Microsoft should have migrated the existing software since Windows 8. We don’t know if that’s still possible with Windows 10 or if they simply didn’t care about it.”

Thanks to Rock Paper Shotgun for translating these statements, which were originally made in German.

Ultimately, these DRM schemes are bad for Windows systems and have been a source of security problems in the past. Microsoft is doing something good by blocking them, although — in an ideal world — Microsoft should have put a stop to these techniques instead of allowing them in the first place.

How to Play SafeDisc and SecuROM Games

That’s cold comfort if you have an old, disc-based game that no longer functions on current versions of Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, or 10. But you can still make that game work. There are quite a few different options you can use:

Re-enable the secdrv service on Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 8.1: If you’re not using Windows 10, Microsoft provides instructions for reenabling the secdrv.sys driver they disabled with the recent security updates. To do this, open a Command Prompt window as Administrator. (Open the Start menu, search for “Command Prompt,” right-click the Command Prompt shortcut, and select Run as Administrator.) Run the “sc start secdrv” command to start the service, and run the “sc stop secdrv” command to stop it afterwards. Microsoft provides instructions for enabling it automatically at boot using both commands and the registry, too.

This will make your Windows PC less secure, and it shouldn’t work on Windows 10, where the driver has been completely removed. If you do do this, you should disable the service when you’re done with the affected game to keep your PC more secure.

Install an update: Some game developers have made patches that remove the DRM available. Check the game’s website and install a recent patch to see if the game functions normally afterwards.

Get a no-CD crack: No-CD cracks are potentially dangerous, as they’re often found on shady websites and used to pirate video games. However, if you did find a no-CD for the game you want to play, it would remove the DRM and you could play the game normally.

You probably shouldn’t do this, either. Unless you really know what you’re doing — and even if you know what you’re doing — searching shady websites and downloading a no CD crack made by piracy groups sounds like a good way to get infected by malware.

Repurchase the game digitally: Repurchasing those old games may not sound like a great idea, but if you purchased the game on a modern platform like GOG.com or Steam, you’d be able to play the digital version of the game normally and not worry about the old disc-based DRM schemes.

You could also uninstall that particular update on older versions of Windows, of course — but there’s no good reason to do that, as you can just re-enable the service. All the patch really seems to do is disable the particular service by default. It isn’t running in the background, ready to be attacked on every Windows PC — now, it’ll only be enabled on systems that actually need it for some reason.

Image Credit: William Hook on Flickr

Tunebite

What We Like

Strictly speaking, doesn't crack DRM.
Boasts an impressive list of additional tools.
Free trial.

What We Don't Like

Subscription model.
Complexity of Audials' software offerings.

Tunebite, which is part of the much larger Audials One media suite, is a DRM removal tool that takes advantage of the analog loophole. Rather than illegally stripping out the DRM encryption directly from the original file, Tunebite records a protected file to produce a version that is free from DRM.

The software supports a wide range of file formats and comes with additional features such as video conversion, a ringtone maker, streaming audio recorder, ID3 Tag editing, and a built-in CD burning module.

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Noteburner

What We Like

Available for Windows and Mac.
Includes Apple Music, Spotify, and other sources.
Free trial.

What We Don't Like

Confusing and duplicative product offerings.
Free licenses for good reviews.

This DRM removal tool actually installs a virtual CD-RW writer on your system that you can then use to remove DRM copy protection. Noteburner works in conjunction with your favorite media playing software to burn DRM-free audio files onto a virtual CD; the only proviso in using this method is that your media player software has to have the facility to burn files to CD.

Once the virtual burning process is complete you can then transfer the DRM-free files to any media/MP3 player.

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SoundTaxi

What We Like

Comprehensive range of formats.
Free, but limited, trial.

What We Don't Like

Hasn't been updated in years.
Expensive licenses for individual components of the app suite.

Using Windows Media Player, SoundTaxi can remove DRM copy protection by recording the original file at high speed to produce a DRM-free version. SoundTaxi has good file format compatibility (audio and video) and can batch process folders containing DRM protected media; it can also recreate the original folder structure with the DRM-free outputted files.

SoundTaxi presently comes in three flavors which are, Platinum, Professional, and Pro+VideoRip. The later version supports audio and video processing, while the platinum and professional versions are audio only.

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MuvAudio

What We Like

Free trial and reasonable app price.
Supports plug-ins to extend functionality.
One program, not many different programs with different price points.

What We Don't Like

Requires Windows Media Player.
Archaic-looking interface.

Similar to SoundTaxi, MuvAudio uses Windows Media Player to process DRM-protected audio and video files into DRM-free copies. The program can convert multiple files simultaneously with up to 10 times normal playback speed.

MuvAudio has excellent built-in file format support for both audio and video; you can also download additional plugins from the MuvAudio website that extend file format support for less popular formats. MuvAudio 2 has the facility to automatically search for missing album art and ID3 tags.

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AppleMacSoft DRM Converter

What We Like

Integration with iTunes.
Windows and Mac versions.
Free trial.

What We Don't Like

Expensive license fee.
Outdated interface design.

DRM removal software for the Mac is a bit thin on the ground compared to the PC, but AppleMacsoft DRM converter comes to the rescue; incidentally, there is also a Windows version. The software uses a virtual CD writer (same method as Noteburner 2) in conjunction with the iTunes software to legally produce a DRM-free copy of the original.

Drm Settings Windows 10

The software makes use of the importing feature in iTunes to capture to a particular format. The output file formats that you can convert to are, MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV.