Windows 10 won’t play games that use SafeDisc Or Securom DRM

The DRMs in question are SafeDisc or Securom DRM, both of which Microsoft is blocking from working with the new OS, as reported by RockPaperShotgun.

There’s a wide range of video games, published starting in the early 2000’s and gradually petering out once Steam become dominant on the PC, that rely on one of the above-mentioned methods and at the moment it seems that there’s no way to use them in their disk-based incarnation.

A Microsoft forums user named “Adam Bise” also posted a relatively simple workaround for the issue which involves disabling Windows’ driver signature checks and forcing it to load the DRM drivers-although we would never recommend compromising your system’s security in this way. Some popular titles are in the mix such as the original The Sims, Grand Theft Auto 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, and Crimson Skies. Speaking at Gamescom, Microsoft’s Boris Schneider-Johne clarified the situation (via Rock, Paper Shotgun). “That’s why there are a couple of games from 2003-2008 with Securom, et cetera, 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”, Schneider-Johne continued.

“We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices”, reads Section 7b of the agreement. SecuRom, one of the affected DRM systems, was responsible for an escalation of privilege attack against Windows in 2007 and has been officially unsupported by its parent company for several years, while Sony’s well-known “rootkit” supplied with selected audio CDs for a brief but unfortunate period left systems in a similar state of insecurity. In November 2007, a SafeDisc security hole allowed Windows hackers to execute kernal-level code on user’s PCs – and was later patched by Microsoft.

Windows 10 is out now, if you’re prepared for it.

This isn’t because Windows 10 isn’t capable of running older software, but instead it is because Microsoft has decided not to enable the CD DRM due to security concerns.