BIG ISSUE THAT I CANT FIGURE OUT *PLEASE HELP*

[igotnacho]

OK. I have searched everywhere. This makes no sense. It is a very very very long story.
Before I start you should know DVDs still work ipod and internet work to so there really isn’t anything different. I didn’t tamper with files or nothing.
I bought the box version of Medieval II: Total War Gold Edition about 3 months ago.
It comes with M2TW and Kingdoms.
I installed both.
I played the game worked fine. I had to adjust the resolution but it was ok i got it working.
Stopped playing about 1 month ago cause of school and i come back to play it now and my cursor turns into a little spinning CD.
I wait about 5-6 minutes and i get a message that tells me:

"Unable to authenticate original disc within time limit.
Please have a look at http://www.securom.com/message.asp?m=timeout for further, more detailed information.

Try again?" I click the link. The page it takes me to is on Sucrom and it says: "
Timeout verifying for original disc.
You are trying to start a copy-protected application which requires the original disc to be in the CD/DVD-ROM drive. Please check to make sure your disc is an original.

If this message occurs while using the original disc, please check if the correct communication mode is chosen for your drive. Please check to make sure the DMA mode is enabled by using the Device Manager:

1. Open the Device Manager.
2. Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers to display the list of controllers and channels.
3. Right-click the icon for the channel to which your CD/DVD drive is connected, select Properties, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.
4. In the Current Transfer Mode drop-down box, select 'DMA if Available' if the current setting is 'PIO Only.' If the drop-down box already shows 'DMA if Available' but the current transfer mode is PIO, then you must toggle the settings. That is: - Change the selection from 'DMA if available' to PIO only, and click OK. - Then repeat the steps above to change the selection to DMA if Available.

If the problem persists, or you need additional assistance, please send a SecuROM™ analysis file to support@securom.com (see Support Info section on how to prepare and send an analysis file)."

I follow the steps but when i get to step 3 i dont know which thing is my channel.
I try them all only two of the channels have an advanced settings tab. I go into the tab and there is no "Current Transfer drop-down box"
I try again and the game starts! YAY right… NO! I play it for a while everything is fine and I have to get off for the night right. I shut the game down and turn off my computer. I try playing it again the next day and I get the same box as above. I get fed up and quit trying the CD. I uninstall the game and try to re-install it. NO! The game won’t run at all now. So I go in to the computer and start it up doesn't start. Take the CD out and put it back in. The box pops up that asks me whether I want to run the game or open the folder. I run the game... doesn’t start the installer. I get the turning CD cursor and the same box pops up as above. I try putting in the kingdom CD and nothing happens at all.

I try again and decide to open the folder. I go directly to the setup file and start it. The box pops up and I get the beginnings of the installation. I go through the process and I choose to install. The bar comes up and doesn't load a thing. I let it alone for a couple of hours I get back and I get a pop-up box that says:
“An error (-5006 : 0x80070017) has occurred while running the setup.
Please make sure you have finished any previous setup and closed other applications. If the error still occurs, please contact your vendor: SEGA (http://www.sega-europe.com).”
I have three options: Report, Details>>, and OK I click details drop down box shows:
“Error Code: -5006 : 0x80070017
Error Information:
>SetupNew\SetupDLL.cpp (841)
PAPP:Medieval II Total War
PVENDOR:SEGA (http://www.sega-europe.com)
PGUID:C0698BDA-0D29-40EE-8570-A31106DF9AB1
$12.0.0.49974
@Windows Service Pack 1 (6001) BT_OTHER 0.0”
I decide ok maybe I had programs open and they messed with the installation so I restart my computer and try again. I get the same thing. I click report this time and it takes me to http://www.acresso.com/. Now I don’t know what to do. Thank you for reading the entire explanation i know its long but idk what to do. THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN IT SHOULD BE SIMPLE!
HELP ME PLEASE. ALL I WANNA DO IS SEE HEAVY CAVALRY PLOW THROUGH LIGHT INFANTRY! AND WATCH MY H.R.E CONDUCT WORLD DOMINATION!!!!!!

[Sunday213]

Try cleaning your disk's and when you uninstall delete any traces of it reinstall it and see if it works.

[igotnacho]

BUMB???

[igotnacho]

Ok i did that there was not a single bit of Medieval on my computer. As far as i know.
I put the CD in and hit start the launcher.
I got this box that says The Launcher is preparing to start Please wait one moment...
it had a progress bar under it and it said copying demo32.exe to some really long file name that is cut off.
I started at 0% and stayed for a while then went to 9% and says copying Readme_Gold.txt to another long file name that is cut off then jumped to 36%. Then it disapeared.

Now what

[igotnacho]

loaded the CD again and got the same thing just this time it copied a gdiplus.dll and a launcher.dbd

[Sunday213]

Hmm this is very strange. Not much i can say maybe restoring your computer to an earlier date might work or defraging i'l do some test's to see if ic an help.

[irishron]

What other programs have you installed in the last three months? What games have you installed?

[igotnacho]

Ok... I have just system restored my computer to factory settings. ALL FILES GAMES AND ANYTHING ELSE ARE GONE.
I backed up my only documents, firefox profile, and pictures.
I havent restored them to their places yet. I ran the CD again just running the setup and the same thing popped up with the:
"Unable to authenticate original disc within time limit.
Please have a look at http://www.securom.com/message.asp?m=timeout for further, more detailed information.
deal...
It took me to the same page as before.
I dont get it help?

[igotnacho]

I installed WoW, Guildwars, and Spore before i restored to factory settings. Those are the only three games i installed from CDs or downloaded from the internet.
I haven't reinstalled them yet on the factory restored computer.
I have virus checked my computer with norton and they have all come up with nothing. My Vista is fully updated and so is norton. I just dont get it.

[irishron]

You just answered my question. Spore = Electrinc Arts = copy protection called Securom of which this game uses. Unless you get rid of EA's version of Securom you're not going to play Medieval2.
Norton will never find it.

Go to Google and type in copy protection spore and follow them. All else fails you'll have to reformat your harddrive to get rid of it. That's how I found out what copy protection it uses.

[igotnacho]

Ok ummmmmm i havent installed spore since the factory reset

[igotnacho]

haven't installed WoW or guildwars or any other of my old software. except microsoft office and norton

[irishron]

You can reset Windows but it is still there. May get me in trouble but Securom is pervasive. It is still there in your system someplace. In fact, I'll let you google for it, but there is a file that if you don't manually delete it, EA will reload Securom for you.

You don't have to believe. Just Google copy protection spore, and spend a few hours getting an education. Intelligence is power and this is one way to get it.

[igotnacho]

ok thanks

[igotnacho]

Ok i searched and searched and found a post on a forum. On
http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/s...s-lawsuit.html

"As for suggestions to remove the SecuROM registry keys a program called trashreg worked for me aquired from 3dguru.com. Use of said program would of course be at the individual risk of each individual user I have no affiliation to said program in any way other than I used it and it worked.

Edit - removeing SecuROM will apparently stop ALL games that ship with it to stop working so the rumour goes anyway and if you have more than 1 game useing it the chances are it will put itself back on your system again."

This sounds bad. Does running this program on vista really mess up my computer? and even if i get spore's off my computer does that mean i can play Medieval 2?

[irishron]

Ok i searched and searched and found a post on a forum. On
http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/s...s-lawsuit.html

"As for suggestions to remove the SecuROM registry keys a program called trashreg worked for me aquired from 3dguru.com. Use of said program would of course be at the individual risk of each individual user I have no affiliation to said program in any way other than I used it and it worked.

Edit - removeing SecuROM will apparently stop ALL games that ship with it to stop working so the rumour goes anyway and if you have more than 1 game useing it the chances are it will put itself back on your system again."

This sounds bad. Does running this program on vista really mess up my computer? and even if i get spore's off my computer does that mean i can play Medieval 2?

To be blunt honest, I never used one. The only Securom games I own are Medieval2 and Kingdoms. If you do, find your operating system disc first, because you may need it. When you're trying to get rid of a rootkit (good one to look up as Microsoft uses a couple of their own), you're back to binary and anything can go wrong.

Securom doesn't mess with Vista or XP. It will reload with every game you install that uses it. I know EA's games will just reload it when you try to play one of theirs. You'll never update this one without it.

You can either play Spore and forget Medieval2 existed or go through the hassles of removing Spore to play Medieval2 with the knowledge of knowing you can't go back with out the same hassles.

Either way, good luck.

[igotnacho]

wow thats very convenient

[irishron]

Just remember I don't work for either one and I'm just the messenger. All this I have told you is available online - maybe scattered in bits and pieces but available.

[igotnacho]

ok

[irishron]

Thread closed