Have you looked upon this? https://github.com/ericwj/PsSecDrv

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2021-08-23, 10:20:

Have you looked upon this? https://github.com/ericwj/PsSecDrv

No, I haven't, thanks for the link, but I don't think it will help in this case. As I mentioned in the post, the games DO run when I have the original disc in the drive (which I don't understand how is possible).

My theory is that SafeDisc v4 is not using SECDRV.SYS

vetz wrote on 2021-08-23, 10:37:

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2021-08-23, 10:20:

Have you looked upon this? https://github.com/ericwj/PsSecDrv

No, I haven't, thanks for the link, but I don't think it will help in this case. As I mentioned in the post, the games DO run when I have the original disc in the drive (which I don't understand how is possible).

My theory is that SafeDisc v4 is not using SECDRV.SYS

AFAIR Assassin's Creed I used SafeDisc (should be V4 as it's from 2008) but it displays the "Please login with administrative privileges and try again" error. This also occurs in older version of SafeDisc games. The latest SECDRV.SYS I could track is from 2006.

I'm not getting that error. I get "Please insert the correct CD/DVD" or no error message at all (game just never starts).

SECDRV.SYS is not included on the discs. So I think they are only using SafeDisc as a disc checker (which PCGamingWiki mentions is a possibility). I'm not 100% sure it's SafeDisc v4, but the Data-Analyzer and Protection ID says so (SafeDisc v4 or higher). It has the 00000001.TMP file on the discs though, so SafeDisc is definitively there in some way.

Anyway, I got it working now in Windows 10 by using the image with WinCDEmu, that software does not seem to be blacklisted (which is the case with Alchohol 120% and Daemon Tools).

vetz wrote on 2021-08-23, 11:50:

Anyway, I got it working now in Windows 10 by using the image with WinCDEmu, that software does not seem to be blacklisted (which is the case with Alchohol 120% and Daemon Tools).

Blacklisted by who? Is it something newer versions of SafeDisc do? Or some implementations? I recall running quite a few SafeDisc games off Alcohol-generated images, using Alcohol / Daemon Tools to mount them, without complaints.

dr_st wrote on 2021-08-23, 13:54:

vetz wrote on 2021-08-23, 11:50:

Anyway, I got it working now in Windows 10 by using the image with WinCDEmu, that software does not seem to be blacklisted (which is the case with Alchohol 120% and Daemon Tools).

Blacklisted by who? Is it something newer versions of SafeDisc do? Or some implementations? I recall running quite a few SafeDisc games off Alcohol-generated images, using Alcohol / Daemon Tools to mount them, without complaints.

By SafeDisc from version 3. Quote from Wikipedia:

SafeDisc currently blacklists such software, meaning that those who want to use this method must install additional software to cloak the mounter; examples include CureRom and Y.A.S.U.

If you played those games on Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8 cloaking works and I think later versions of Daemon Tools did so automatically. Alchohol also bundled a cloaker with the software (ACID Wizard).

vetz wrote on 2021-08-23, 14:33:

If you played those games on Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8 cloaking works and I think later versions of Daemon Tools did so automatically. Alchohol also bundled a cloaker with the software (ACID Wizard).

It's likely that this is the case, because I never had to install third party software; whatever DT or Alcohol have built-in must have worked.

On Win10, I couldn't even get the original CDs to run, because of SafeDisc. I chalked that up to the known incompatibility and moved on.

dr_st wrote on 2021-08-23, 17:55:

On Win10, I couldn't even get the original CDs to run, because of SafeDisc. I chalked that up to the known incompatibility and moved on.

Either that, or the games you played were Safedisc v2

vetz wrote on 2021-08-23, 11:50:

I'm not getting that error. I get "Please insert the correct CD/DVD" or no error message at all (game just never starts).

SECDRV.SYS is not included on the discs. So I think they are only using SafeDisc as a disc checker (which PCGamingWiki mentions is a possibility). I'm not 100% sure it's SafeDisc v4, but the Data-Analyzer and Protection ID says so (SafeDisc v4 or higher). It has the 00000001.TMP file on the discs though, so SafeDisc is definitively there in some way.

Anyway, I got it working now in Windows 10 by using the image with WinCDEmu, that software does not seem to be blacklisted (which is the case with Alchohol 120% and Daemon Tools).

The 'no-error message' should suggest that SECDRV.SYS isn't running, only if the game doesn't start. Meanwhile, few months ago some YT users commented they are getting the 'Please insert the ...' issue, which I didn't even encounter while having the game CD run through (Alcohol 120% perhaps). Yes I was not using any no-CD patch because the game required CD or else I got the error.

vetz wrote on 2021-08-24, 06:46:

dr_st wrote on 2021-08-23, 17:55:

On Win10, I couldn't even get the original CDs to run, because of SafeDisc. I chalked that up to the known incompatibility and moved on.

Either that, or the games you played were Safedisc v2

Does SafeDisc v2 work in Windows 10, I don't remember if it did because I don't have any game currently that uses it.

ACID Wizard was last updated in 2012, so I am not sure if it's working. I am bot sure about VM's, because files mounted through Alcohol 120% and run in PCem(Win98) DOES detect the CD as genuine. I don't know if it's available in the other mounting tools.

vetz wrote on 2021-08-24, 06:46:

Either that, or the games you played were Safedisc v2

At least some of them are listed in PCGW as SafeDisc v4 (e.g., PoP Warrior Within). However, it's been a while and I am not 100% sure now; Your findings are interesting, so I will check again.

Edit: Tested again manually installing PoP Warrior Within from the DVD (SafeDisc v4). Made sure Alcohol and Daemon Tools are not running, killed the disc emulation processes and uninstalled the virtual drives. Still won't run - "The game process was manually killed".

The very first Safedisc protection works in Windows 10 (most old Microsoft Games, like Midtown Madness 1/2, Dungeon Siege, Pandora's Box, etc.), I have those games and they run fine. They don't have the secdrv.sys file but an icd file (encrypted format used by SafeDisc that you can decrypt with UnSafeDisc).

Dancsi40 wrote on 2021-08-25, 00:53:

The very first Safedisc protection works in Windows 10 (most old Microsoft Games, like Midtown Madness 1/2, Dungeon Siege, Pandora's Box, etc.), I have those games and they run fine. They don't have the secdrv.sys file but an icd file (encrypted format used by SafeDisc that you can decrypt with UnSafeDisc

I bypass it in all games except Midtown Madness games. Weird!