Recent update to Windows 7, 8 and Vista won't run games with SafeDisc or SecuROM

In August, Microsoft said that Windows 10 would not be able to run older PC games that have either the SafeDisc or Securom DRM program, citing security concerns. Now a more recent security update for Windows 7, 8 and Vista prevents those PC games from running on these affected operating system.

The update, MS15-097, was first released on September 8. The support page for this download says:

"In addition to the changes that are listed for the vulnerabilities that are described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-097, this security bulletin addresses a defense-in-depth update for the secdrv.sys driver, a third-party driver. The update turns off the service for the secdrv.sys driver. This may affect the ability to run some older games."

The update page also provides a workaround so that PC games with these DRM measures can run again on Windows 7, 8 and Vista. However, Microsoft does caution that it "may make a computer or a network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software." It's important to keep in mind that this update will likely only affect a small number of PC owners who still own and play these older games that uses this now out-of-date DRM protection.

Source: Microsoft; Via: Neowin

John Callaham