Just read this. At least there's a workaround for those who do want to play these games.

I appreciate that Microsoft is abandoning Safedisk, but it´s really fascinating how they are able to bring in a "don´t blame us, it´s up to the publishers to fix this" on the one hand but on the other hand completely ignore that their title FreeLancer is among the ones that must have SafeDisk patched out/ have to be rereleased as a DRM-free Download!

Its just another rung in the downward spiraling trajectory of M$. Ever since Gates left everything from them has been progressively worse than the previous incarnation (other than Win 7 of the top of my head). For instance, they recently updated hotmail again, as if the previous "update" wasn't bad enough. Now it practically doesn't load half the time, sometimes doesn't send emails - they just disappear, not in sent or drafts. Reply sometimes doesn't show previous message, putting links in comes up with an unhelpful preview section. Just to note a few things. And they then sent me a questionnaire asking how it was, fecking awful! Seriously, I might just let the NSA, sorry Google, handle all my mail from now on.

Is there a list of games affected? All retail games with Safedisc, some versions of Safedisc, etc.?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SafeDisc

Too bad if e.g. Freelancer is indeed one of the affected games. Well, as long as there is that workaround...

EDIT: Oh shit, even Microsoft games like Age of Empires 2, Age of Mythology, several Command&Conquer games etc. too? I googled for some list which has a bunch of PC retail games listed and what copy protection they have (these are only A to E):

http://www.gameburnworld.com/protectedgameslist.shtml

I'll have to test at home if that workaround really works... At least I have a couple of Windows XP machines still around, so at least on those they should still work.

Just goes to show how evil copy potection and DRM are. Sure they don't affect your ability to play your legit games... until they do.

You do realize that Safedisk is highly dangerous malware?

What has happened was looooong overdue.

Just don't turn this thread into "oh my, we lost support of some of more malicious forms of DRM!!!!"

Indeed, I totally disagree with any of those DRM systems, and they should indeed be removed for your given reasons. However I also feel that it is not M$ place to dictate this, except on its newest product. This is going back an explicitly making older titles no longer work on systems they used to, even with the work around they have given. What happens if next year they go back and remove all DX components from all their operating sytems. At worst case scenario it should be an optional component for those using older systems, not snuck in the back door via auto updates.

It is exactly MS place to dictate this. That kind of DRM was corrupting system files and slowly sabotaging your system.

Difference between DX and malware is gigantic. DX is important software required for graphical calculations to work. Safedisk is malware, which happened to remain unpunished for so many years. It isn't component, it is big vulnerability hole. It needs to be patched out, just like HDD memory bug in original Windows XP.

All concerns must be sent to those publishers, who decided to inject this malware in their games.

Interesting note: "unpunished for so many years". So either they were ignorant of the fact, or chose to ignore it up to now. Both make Ms look bad on that note alone.

If you will look at the malware nature of this DR, it isn't really something easy just to shut down.

Let's say, someone would take some "gaming platform" to the court and ordered dissolution and jail because of scam and selling some abstract licenses instead of actual games, would you be in uproar? You know, you won't be able to use any of those DRMd games after "gaming platform" is closed, so you will lose all that "abstract air" you were buying there.

Do you think it is easy to open the case for this kind of DRM scam and shut down DRMd gaming platforms? Do you think noone should ever try to do so because quite a time have passed?

Sometimes it is better late than never. Why people support various "abstract licenses" and malware injected in their games, is far beyond me.

Perhaps this case will open eyes of some people on why all this DRM is such a bad thing.

Publisher (where still around) response will take the form: "We were working with the technology as it stood at that time inline with protecting our work". They wont take responsibility for it, M$ wont, and we are left with a load of old CDs which no longer work. I am not saying your wrong, I just don't like the way it is done, and without really much help on the matter. I would have hoped that they would be pushing for more compatibility not less.

To be honest. All those DRM are highly damaging to the system. Is it MS to blame fo it? No. Is it publisher to blame? Yes. Microsoft only got rid of support for highly malicious software. All this SafeDisk and other crap is worse than most of the "standard" viruses and they can lead even to hardware failures.

Your CDs don't work, because they are full of malware. It isn't MS fault that you decided to buy this malware and supported DRM.

Lesson for future? Don't support DRM.

I wonder, hypothetical situation, when Steam owners will decide to liquidate Steam, people will lose access to tons of games. Whom people would blame in such case?

Buying DRMd product, you must know in advance that you got highly flawed product which might be taken away from you at any moment.

Hmm, I wonder who was the publisher of Age of Empires 2, Freelancer, Combat Flight Simulator 2, Crimson Skies etc., games which apparently have Safedisc? :)

Wow, so even some GOG games like Flatout might now become non-working (without the workaround) with this latest update, on Vista and later?

And the funny thing is that apparently Flatout still works fine on Linux Wine, though.

MS also had "Games For Windows Live" or whatever was the name. It is just MS department, and MS probably realized that their ways were wrong :)

Not that I defend MS, I just feel glad, that another DRM was shut down. I cna't understand why peopl;e are so upset about it, they should know what they sign up for with DRM.

just get a no-cd crack and move on. it's not that hard. given the age of some of these titles I personally would start keeping a backup copy anyway.
I don't think there is a good way for MS to do this. Keeping old code in place forever is just not a healthy practice. At some point there has to be a cut, i think.