Security update disables SafeDisc games in Windows Vista, 7, and 8

If you have some old games lying around in disc format that maybe you’d like to play again in the future, there is a chance that you might not be able to, especially if you’re running a Windows 7, 8, or Vista computer.

As we reported last month, Microsoft removed support for SafeDisc and some versions of Securom DRM in Windows 10, citing a possible loophole for viruses.

The update, MS15-097, was first released on September 8.

The update only impacts games which use SafeDisc, which makes use of the secdrv.sys driver, so SecuROM games will presumably continue to operate as they always have.

This has the outcome that games that rely on Safedisc won’t work anymore on all systems the patch was installed on.

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that a recent update “addresses a defence-in-depth update for the secdrv.sys driver, a third-party driver”, as per Microsoft’s wording, adding: “The update turns off the service for the secdrv.sys driver”.

The secdrv.sys is the driver of Safedisc which checks whether a gamer has inserted an original CD/DVD, if the software detects a copied game, the game doesn’t start. Users are told to proceed at their own risk.

Don’t fret, however, because Microsoft has also provided a way around the issue so that you continue to play the games that you want. While that is more convenient than having to run these commands before each game session, it makes the system vulnerable to attacks again.

SafeDisc and SecuROM were used on many popular games, such as Grand Theft Auto 3, the original Sims, Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2004, and Crimson Skies. It’s just another example of DRM locking out legitimate customers, and it’s a practice that hasn’t stopped as DRM moves from discs to online servers that are susceptible to downtime.