# Why must SecuROM be such a pain in the ass? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 26, 2009, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609 "2009-12-26T06:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/21 "2009-12-27T07:29:43Z")
> [@Garula](#): > > The idea of backing up Steam games to CDs/DVD seems odd to me. The major appeal of Steam to me is that I can pretty much abandon physical media for storage. I remember having spindles and CD books and writing down CD keys and ugh, just double clicking on an icon and waiting a bit for it to download is much, much nicer. How long is “a bit”? I rarely get better than a few kbps when Steam is downloading something. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/22 "2009-12-27T07:34:43Z")
> [@Casserole](#): > > Just log into your steam account using the new computer. > > Steam doesn’t care, since you’re still logging into Steam from the same IP address. Your account only gets flagged (I assume…) if Steam detects game downloads going to multiple IP addresses in the same account. > > Yes, this means every computer in your house can access the same game… but only one at a time. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > I don’t think it flags it coming from multiple IPs either, like if you wanted to download games at work. … > > I think you could probably do the “back up local media” thing to your hard drive and then use that to reinstall the game to the new steam, but I’ve never tried it. You may be even able to keep the file structure intact and just install steam on the new computer (same hard drive) and have it recognize what’s there. Wow, thanks! So I’ll be able to have the two machines loaded and ready to go. I’m moving to a SSD/CrossFire platform, so everything from load times to visuals should be different. At the moment, both are connected to the same monitor/keyboard/mouse, so it’ll be great to switch from one to the other to compare. ETA: > [@Bosstone](#): > > But you’d still have to download the game if it’s not on the new computer. That’s what **Rhythmdvl** was asking: should he back up the games onto CDs/DVDs or just download them again from Steam? Both, really. Since this wasn’t a destructive build (i.e., no parts were cannibalized to make the new machine), the old HDs are staying put and aren’t at risk. But I wasn’t sure how Steam would handle logging in from a new machine – it sounds like there are no hoops to jump through (unless I want to in a game). ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/23 "2009-12-27T07:42:25Z")
> [@LeeshaJoy](#): > > How long is “a bit”? I rarely get better than a few kbps when Steam is downloading something. That is weird, unless your connection is normally like this. Barring unusual circumstances (like a big new game just got released, or they’re having a gigantic sale like they are currently) Steam will max out my rather beefy internet connection - I regularly get games at over 2.5 megabytes per second. So I’m not sure if you have a poor connection or what. You my want to go into the steam options, download tab, and changing your download region - maybe you’ll get a better connection to other servers. > [@](#): > > Both, really. Since this wasn’t a destructive build (i.e., no parts were cannibalized to make the new machine), the old HDs are staying put and aren’t at risk. But I wasn’t sure how Steam would handle logging in from a new machine – it sounds like there are no hoops to jump through (unless I want to in a game). Ah. You could back the games up to DVD and transfer them, or you could redownload them. There’s no fuss with redownloading - install steam on new computer, log in, and start downloading. You may be able to copy the steam directory of your old computer over your network to your new computer and have the games auto detected. I’m not sure, I haven’t actually tried this. I also seem to recall you can backup your steam games to a hard drive rather than DVD, so perhaps you could backup the games on your old system, copy the backed up/compressed file over the network, and then restore/decompress it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/24 "2009-12-27T08:14:14Z")
FTR, I just downloaded HL2 (fresh install, nothing on the machine but Steam). Rate varied between 1.1 – 1.5 MB/s, the whole thing was done in about twenty minutes or so. Seems easiest to just DL games in the background. I have a couple Pirates! characters I’d like to keep, but no big deal if I have to start from scratch. Given how easy it is to rebuild the files, copying wrong saves doesn’t seem like it would do any major hassle this early in the process. Steam just won me over. It seems as if they have GTA on sale as well. (About that sale they’re having … what’s the most graphically intense?) ---
**Author:** ![Adradis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Adradis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adradis)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/25 "2009-12-27T08:14:58Z")
Sidenote: Steam user here. You should be able to just rip the entire steamapps folder (YourInstallationPath:\Steam\Steamapps) and store it somewhere else, then copy it to the new directory after installing steam (And restarting it). You may have to verify cache on some of the games, but it should transfer smoothly (Its how I migrate my stuff: I just grab a copy of my brother’s steamapps folder). ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/26 "2009-12-27T08:17:59Z")
I’m running Steam on a Mac via [CrossOver Games,](http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxgames/) which might make a difference… but I’ll try that download region thing you suggested, **SenorBeef**. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Mekhazzio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@Mekhazzio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mekhazzio)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/27 "2009-12-27T14:11:59Z")
Migrating Steam installations is easy. I just added another hard drive and faced this task myself. It was a snap; I simply copied the entire Steam directory over and that was it. It took more effort to edit all my firewall permits to the new file locations. > [@Shalmanese](#): > > [When StarForce 3.0 was released, it initially provided extremely strong protection - the StarForce 3.0-protected game Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was uncracked for 422 days](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarForce) Total bullshit. A _friend I know_ had a pirated copy within the first month of release. I was apathetic enough about that terrible game that I’m not sure exactly where it was within the first month, but it definitely wasn’t OVER A YEAR. I love how the citation for this is a web interview with a company rep for Starforce. It didn’t even take that long for people to break the **hardware-enforced** protection scheme on the XBox. Chalk me up as someone who finds the very concept of copy protection laughable. It bothers legitimate users far more than it prevents piracy. The only functional method is to require authentication for a service that’s actually necessary for game function, like online matchmaking. Everything else is just pissing in the wind. I refuse to purchase any game with malware DRM in it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/28 "2009-12-27T16:03:51Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > You may be able to copy the steam directory of your old computer over your network to your new computer and have the games auto detected. > [@Adradis](#): > > You should be able to just rip the entire steamapps folder (YourInstallationPath:\Steam\Steamapps) and store it somewhere else, then copy it to the new directory after installing steam (And restarting it). > [@Mekhazzio](#): > > Migrating Steam installations is easy. I just added another hard drive and faced this task myself. It was a snap; I simply copied the entire Steam directory over and that was it. It took more effort to edit all my firewall permits to the new file locations. Sorry to muck up the OP’s rant with some joy – but this worked fantastically. I hit a slight snag in direct copying: I got a “You need permission to perform this action” error in Windows 7 (copying from an XP machine), but I’m still new at it so don’t know what it meant. So I just copied the whole folder to a mutually accessible network drive, then copied it to the new machine and tested L4D and HL2 EP2 – except for bizarrely underpowered recommended video settings (which I just changed manually), all went perfectly. Again, sorry to muck up the OP’s rant, but thanks all, and thanks Steam! I think this is the market in action. Steam manages DRM and offers easy game-file storage and management. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/29 "2009-12-27T19:39:06Z")
OK, now DIRT 2 (it came with my graphics card) is downloading from Steam at a blazing 64 KB/s. It’s been like that for about fifteen minutes now, barely creeping along. Glad I have work to do (though what am I doing on the Dope?) and am not anxious to play the game. Guess there are a lot of downloaders out there today, it being the end of a holiday weekend. I also wonder if Steam can tell a promotional code from a bought code and gives bandwidth priority accordingly. Doubt it (since they want your Steam experience to be pleasant regardless), but you never know. OK, so maybe Steam isn’t all that great after all. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/30 "2009-12-27T20:12:06Z")
Steam is nice, but it does have several nasty problems. It is definitely slower than some other services. It’s also dependant on theirservers. If Valve decided not to run Steam anymore, or if it stoppped being profitable, it would die and your library lost. That might seem unlikely, but a lot of gaming companies and services have vanished over the years. There’s nothing sacred about Valve or Steam that would prevent it. And nothing would prevent your access being lost if their servers go away. That’s why I prefer hard-download services which actually let you put an install package on your own discs. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/31 "2009-12-27T21:01:48Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > OK, now DIRT 2 (it came with my graphics card) is downloading from Steam at a blazing 64 KB/s. It’s been like that for about fifteen minutes now, barely creeping along. Glad I have work to do (though what am I doing on the Dope?) and am not anxious to play the game. Guess there are a lot of downloaders out there today, it being the end of a holiday weekend. > > I also wonder if Steam can tell a promotional code from a bought code and gives bandwidth priority accordingly. Doubt it (since they want your Steam experience to be pleasant regardless), but you never know. > > OK, so maybe Steam isn’t all that great after all. It’s probably due to the heavy loads. Outside of this sale, I’ve never had an issue downloading at full speed. Anyway, once Dirt 2 finsihes downloading, let Senor Beef know and we can add you to our Dirt 2 matches. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/32 "2009-12-28T07:07:23Z")
Wow … it’s now two in the morning and it’s still only 68% done. I’m _very_ glad this is going on in the background and I’m not waiting to play. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/33 "2009-12-28T07:46:08Z")
Try the Los Angeles server, maybe. I downloaded stuff during peak times today - once about 15 minutes after the new daily deals were up at 9am, and once again at about 3:30. Both times I had transfer rates at over 1 megabyte per second. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/34 "2009-12-28T08:49:25Z")
That’s strange. With my usually crappy internet connection I can download from Steam at its maximum capacity (500 to 700 Mbits/sec). Some ISPs throttle specific types of download (torrents, P2P etc). Maybe they do it for Steam too? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/35 "2009-12-28T10:46:48Z")
Finally finished. I must say, I really appreciate not being able to skip the cut scenes – I realize they went through a lot of effort to make me some pretty movies and I owe it to them to patiently watch everything. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/36 "2009-12-28T10:49:30Z")
Yeah, in the [dirt 2 thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=542578) I complained that their revamp for the PC version was purely graphical and that the interface is pure console suckiness, but oh well. The quality of the game once you’re in a race more than makes up for it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/37 "2009-12-28T13:44:56Z")
Good thread. Your entertain-you-while-you wait explanation is excellent, but the end result is off-pissing. ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE dagnabbit! I’d go visit their Web site, but I bet it’s filled with Flash animations set to autoplay. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/38 "2009-12-28T15:03:14Z")
Yeah, the stupid animation sequence is my biggest complaint. I look at my HD activity light sometimes and see “oh look I loaded this course in about 5 seconds, and now it’s time to wait for 15 more seconds of animation timed for the xbox loading sequence…” - steam actually comes to the rescue here. I use the steam overlay to open a web browser to read the SDMB during the downtime in the menu system. If you find that you like the game, you should join us. We had a 4-man SDMB set of custom races a few nights ago and it was a lot of fun. The easiest way to find us is by signing up for the [SDMB steam group](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=492654&highlight=steam). Technically the game multiplayer is done by Games for Windows Live unfortunately - but we don’t routinely log onto GFWL, whereas we do routinely log onto steam together. But go ahead and add me on your GFWL friends list if you’d like, name senorbeef0 (why the zero is required relates to a really dumb story about how xbox live/gfwl works). ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/39 "2009-12-28T15:05:44Z")
Will do – but as this is my first driving game since Pole Position, there may be quite the learning curve before I’m ready for the public. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609/40 "2009-12-28T15:12:41Z")
Yeah, there probably will be. On that note, if you want any advice or have any problems or anything, feel free to post onto the aforementioned dirt 2 thread - we can go back to the scheduled discussion on the self-defeating nature of stupid DLC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-must-securom-be-such-a-pain-in-the-ass/522609.md?page=3)