# Freekin' Spore and its Freekin SecureROM **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 3, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899 "2009-04-03T19:03:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/1 "2009-04-03T19:03:50Z")
Got Spore awhile ago. The kids love it, but it’s installed on my work laptop and I’d like to reinstall it on the newly upgraded home computer with new-hotness videocard. Only, I can’t find the user manual with the regkey on it. To rights, It’s only been installed once, and I’m okay with just leaving it on the work laptop…but it’s getting creaky and will eventually be retired (Mac Book Pro, replaced with another Mac Book Pro). I’m betting OS X’s nifty settings migration tool won’t help. Dammit for losing that Regkey! I don’t suppose there’s some way of recovering that key from the game? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/2 "2009-04-03T19:23:18Z")
My daughter purchased Spore for me for Xmas. I told her that I really, really appreciated the thought, effort, and money that she spent choosing this game for me. And I told her that I was not interested in having it and its security system on my computer. She traded it in for another game for herself, as I asked her to. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/3 "2009-04-03T19:42:04Z")
Whelp, I got it on deeep discount from a closing Circuit City and hadn’t known or formed an opinion about EA’s practices. The first two levels (water and creature) were fun, Tribes kinda sucked, Civilization on one play through was oddly entertaining and I’ve just started the space level. But the video card in the laptop’s a bit long in the tooth and I’ll eventually want to move it. I _really_ hope I didn’t lose the manual permanently…it was around Xmas and may have gotten pitched with the christmas wrappings. Stranger things have happened. ---
**Author:** ![MeDrewNotYou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@MeDrewNotYou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeDrewNotYou)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/4 "2009-04-03T21:19:18Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > My daughter purchased Spore for me for Xmas. I told her that I really, really appreciated the thought, effort, and money that she spent choosing this game for me. And I told her that I was not interested in having it and its security system on my computer. She traded it in for another game for herself, as I asked her to. Security system? What do you mean by that? I haven’t had any problems on my laptop to date, but is this something I should worry about? (And let me add that you have an awesome family, if your daughter buys you Spore and you tell her to get a game for herself instead. 🙂 ) > [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Whelp, I got it on deeep discount from a closing Circuit City and hadn’t known or formed an opinion about EA’s practices. The first two levels (water and creature) were fun, Tribes kinda sucked, Civilization on one play through was oddly entertaining and I’ve just started the space level. Cell and Creature are my favorites, Tribe and Civilization are okay, but I have a love/hate relationship with Space. There’s just _soooooo_ much to do that, while fun, its overwhelming. And navigation/mapping/figuring out where the hell things are could use improvement. Still quite fun, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/5 "2009-04-03T22:15:14Z")
I’m no fan of DRM…but I just can’t work up the ire about this. “Spore” is fun and amusing, I’m not planning on copying it or passing it around to anyone, and I only have one computer with the chops to run it, so what do I care? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/6 "2009-04-03T23:22:51Z")
It only becomes an issue if you want to move it somewhere. More than once. Upgrade your Motherboard? That’s one. Want it on your laptop too? That’s one. You’re done. You don’t get any more. ---
**Author:** ![Elyanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@Elyanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elyanna)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/7 "2009-04-03T23:37:20Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > It only becomes an issue if you want to move it somewhere. More than once. Upgrade your Motherboard? That’s one. Want it on your laptop too? That’s one. You’re done. You don’t get any more. They’ve got a way around this now: [DeAuthorization Tool](http://activate.ea.com/deauthorize/gamesList.html). An utter pain in the butt, but it’s something. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/8 "2009-04-03T23:43:20Z")
Yeah, I saw that after I started the thread…still doesn’t solve my losing the manual though…Not their fault, but it still chaps my hide. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/9 "2009-04-04T12:23:08Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > It only becomes an issue if you want to move it somewhere. More than once. Upgrade your Motherboard? That’s one. Want it on your laptop too? That’s one. You’re done. You don’t get any more. Yep. I’m thinking of getting an upgrade, or a whole new computer, pretty soon. Re-installing all of my games that DON’T have security “features” is enough of a pain. I do not need the additional headaches of re-installing a game that has such features. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/10 "2009-04-04T16:31:35Z")
Sims 3 will not have securom! ---
**Author:** ![Mann\_Slaughter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Mann\_Slaughter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mann_Slaughter)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/11 "2009-04-09T02:04:44Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Only, I can’t find the user manual with the regkey on it. > > … > > I don’t suppose there’s some way of recovering that key from the game? I did a quick Google search for your issue (spore where is the cd key stored) and found this: For 32-bit Windows users ["The key is stored in the registry HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Electronic Arts\EA Games\SPORE™\ergc" For 64-bit Windows users "The key is stored in the registry HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Electronic Arts\EA Games\SPORE™\ergc"]([http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/5198.page](http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/5198.page)) Unfortunately, I uninstalled my copy of SPORE months ago, (the game seems to drag after you’ve explored the galaxy a bit) so I’m unable to verify this info. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/12 "2009-04-09T02:46:25Z")
I installed it on the mac, I’ll grep the disk for something similar. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freekin-spore-and-its-freekin-securerom/491899/13 "2009-04-09T02:52:40Z")
missed the edit window: > [@](#): > > The key is stored in a fake Windows registry at ~/Library/Preferences/SPORE Preferences/system.reg.