SimCity 4 not working Windows 8.1

[kostya67 0]

Hi. My SimCity 4 isn't working on WIndows 8.1. I have updated it already and its version is 1.1.640.0, but, the launch still isn't working! I have tried downloading a SimCity 4 launcher from STEX, but I just hear the disc move around, and nothing happens. I have tried using both discs, on disc 1, I press "play", and nothing happens. I have read forums all day about turning off the intro slideshow, but I can't even do that! Any suggestions? 

The game also used to work properly, until I primarily began to play SimCity (2013). Maybe this has something to do with the problem?

[rsc204 21,804]

Sounds like a Windows Update has stopped your SC4 disc from working, see here.

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

I had this issue as well when I installed the game on my 8.1 computer

[Compdude787 916]

Usually No-CD patches are not legal, if I'm not mistaken. A moderator can correct me if I'm wrong, but discussion or promotion of such things is discouraged on this forum. 

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

13 minutes ago, Compdude787 said:

Usually No-CD patches are not legal, if I'm not mistaken. A moderator can correct me if I'm wrong, but discussion or promotion of such things is discouraged on this forum. 

Well the game is on steam and that one has a rewritten exe that bypasses the CD drive. So I took that exe and put it in the regular deluxe non steam version. 

[Compdude787 916]

Okay, I see.

[rsc204 21,804]

I would seriously advise against using a no-CD patch. For starters you can't patch your game, nor install the NAM, since the installer checks for a valid patched version of SC4. But the main reason is that such files are simply dodgy, you simply can't know if some unsafe modifications have also been made.

Using the Steam or another digital .exe without ownership of a valid licence (not covered by ownership of the CD version) would technically be considered piracy. Not to mention, you may end up with bugs, since if your other SC4 files aren't updated, you may not be fully running a patched version.

There are a number of solutions to the problem for users of Vista-Windows 8.1. This includes simply removing the security update (not recommended). But there are other ways to bypass the problem too.

If all else fails and you don't want to pay, Origin will provide you with a free digital version if asked nicely. See the previously linked thread for further details on what I've mentioned here.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

If you lift the Steam version what you will get is build 1,1,641 which is the same as the regular digital download version.  Ownership is the main point here.  Lifting that program from someone else's machine is just plain theft of intellectual property.  Reversing Microsoft's patch isn't all that difficult.

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

I have the original release , the deluxe release and the steam release. I however have no disc drive. how is it piracy if I own all three. 

[rsc204 21,804]

You didn't say you had purchased the Steam version, you said you used the .exe from it with the CD version. No one is calling you a pirate - Arrrr .

We're merely pointing out that using that file without legitimate ownership, would be piracy, technically.

Therefore it's hardly a viable solution to the problem. Not to mention if you own the Steam version and have no CD drive, how exactly did you get a CD version of SC4 installed with the Steam.exe? Why on earth wouldn't you just use the digital version in the first place? I'm sorry, but logically if you owned the Steam version, what you propose is nonsensical. Not that I care what you do, just that certain subjects aren't up for discussion here.

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

the steam version requires you to sign into steam and that requires an internet connection. thats the issue. and also external disc drives do exist. 

[APSMS 1,892]

I stripped the disc images off of the CD version, and run with a virtual drive. Obviously it doesn't solve the safedisc problem, so I bought the game in Amazon for $5 on sale when the workaround ceases to work.

 

I am curious how the game treats the different exercise, given that the version is different, but I guess the .dat files are modular so the game doesn't actually care? 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

You do not need to log in to steam to play SC4.  Simply find the executable (SimCity 4.exe) and make a shortcut from it.  Drag the shortcut on to your desktop.  Start the game from the shortcut and it should make the standard structure in C:\<your account>\Documents.  No Internet connection needed.

This is not a DRM game, the people at Steam (Valve) don't have the source, so they use the standard executable.  It is all smoke and mirrors.

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

this is something I wasn't aware of , a lot of the newer games when you try to open the game from the exe it wants you to log into steam. 

[CorinaMarie 29,558]

4 hours ago, AprilAero said:

this is something I wasn't aware of , a lot of the newer games when you try to open the game from the exe it wants you to log into steam. 

For newer games they write it right in the code of their exe. In the era when SC4 was written it would've been a financially bad move to require internet access to play. I'm guessing from what Granpa said that Steam installs the game to run from their added Script or exe which then envokes the real SimCity 4.exe.

 

[kostya67 0]

On 4/17/2016 at 4:27 PM, rsc204 said:

Sounds like a Windows Update has stopped your SC4 disc from working, see here.

I'm honestly lost by this page :/

21 hours ago, Compdude787 said:

Usually No-CD patches are not legal, if I'm not mistaken. A moderator can correct me if I'm wrong, but discussion or promotion of such things is discouraged on this forum. 

I haven't downloaded one yet, but if it doesn't work, what do I do?

4 hours ago, A Nonny Moose said:

You do not need to log in to steam to play SC4.  Simply find the executable (SimCity 4.exe) and make a shortcut from it.  Drag the shortcut on to your desktop.  Start the game from the shortcut and it should make the standard structure in C:\<your account>\Documents.  No Internet connection needed.

This is not a DRM game, the people at Steam (Valve) don't have the source, so they use the standard executable.  It is all smoke and mirrors.

Okay, so I've added the .exe shortcut, it doesn't work. It asks me for an administrator password, then nothing happens.

[kostya67 0]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 9:13 PM, AprilAero said:

I had this issue as well when I installed the game on my 8.1 computer ,
 

Do you have any working links to it?

[rsc204 21,804]

1 hour ago, kostya67 said:

Do you have any working links to it?

At this point I should re-iterate once more - IF you do not OWN the digital version, this is not an acceptable solution. If someone is stupid enough to provide a link, expect sanctions, that's totally against the rules here.

What exactly don't you understand on the linked thread? I'm sorry but if these things don't make sense to you, I'm not sure how further explanation will change that:

Quote

1)  Purchase SC4 digitally

Pretty obvious, no?

2)  Redeem your SC4 Serial Number

I.e. Contact Origin Customer Support. Tell them your SC4 CDs no longer work. They should provide you with a free digital copy.

3)  Uninstall KB3086255

Uninstall a thing on your computer, have you not done this before?

I'm sorry, but there is literally no excuse for piracy or such requests when EA will replace it free or you can just fix the problem by removing the update. Worst case, pay $5 in a sale and get a DRM-Free version that will never go wrong.

[CorinaMarie 29,558]

11 hours ago, rsc204 said:

I'm not sure how further explanation will change that:

I do believe between this thread, my thread, and that other thread we have enough information to write a nice little guide for each version available and their inherent quirks and benefits. (It's one of a million and seven things to do on my agenda.)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I am surprised my neat solution doesn't work.  Maybe you should turn off some of the administrator controls.  If you are the only user on the machine, why are you not running in an administrator account?  It is usually set up by default when you install the O/S.

Please show the contents of the target box in your new shortcut.

This is what is in mine -- "C:/Program Files (x86)/Maxis/SimCity 4 Deluxe/Apps/SimCity 4.exe"

including the quote marks.  As you can see I am not a steam user, nor do I run in Windoze but in the Windows Executive layer of Linux.

[APSMS 1,892]

39 minutes ago, A Nonny Moose said:

I am surprised my neat solution doesn't work.  Maybe you should turn off some of the administrator controls. 

I do not believe kostya67 has the steam version. That would be AprilAero.

Hence the problem with the disc version not working. The Microsoft update blocks the secdrv software from loading. No amount of no CD patch or non disc using will get a disc based version of the game to work while the update is active.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

3 hours ago, APSMS said:

I do not believe kostya67 has the steam version. That would be AprilAero.

Hence the problem with the disc version not working. The Microsoft update blocks the secdrv software from loading. No amount of no CD patch or non disc using will get a disc based version of the game to work while the update is active.

That is true.  Instead of all this jerking around people are doing, they should simply watch for sales on Amazon, GamersGate and GOG and pick the digital game up at whatever discount they can get. 

On the other hand, they could use Origin and their installation information to get a copy of the digital game free from them, but this involves getting involved in the privacy issues of having to log in to Origin which probably has a system snooper.  The same applies to Steam except they have no rights to offer the game free of charge.

This whole issue is getting to be very old hat.

[CorinaMarie 29,558]

5 hours ago, A Nonny Moose said:

... in the Windows Executive layer of Linux.

Which, ofc, explains why your backslashes aren't.

[Prophet42 1,500]

There will be no more talk of 'no cd cracks' or obtaining illegal copies of SC4 in this thread!  It is against the rules of the site.  Next mention of it, and I will lock the thread.

rsc204 has already given the only legal available options to get SC4 working on any computer.

[Compdude787 916]

On 4/20/2016 at 11:28 AM, A Nonny Moose said:

This whole issue is getting to be very old hat.

Agreed 100%. It's amazing how many questions we've gotten about not being able to play SC4 because of that Windoze Update being installed. Personally, I have all my updates on manual install, (which means I haven't installed updates to my computer in a while. Yeah, like I care that much...) so I just never installed the offending update and hid it from the update menu.

[CorinaMarie 29,558]

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but my game comps are XP and below. They were not affected by OS patch.

[Prophet42 1,500]

1 hour ago, CorinaMarie said:

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but my game comps are XP and below. They were not affected by OS patch.

So your one of the 10% of people still using XP . I think XP is my second favorite operating system. I would have to say that Windows 7 is my favorite.  In my life I have used MSDos, Unix, Linux Mint, Windows 3.1, 98, NT, XP, 7 and 10. 

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

2 minutes ago, Prophet42 said:

So your one of the 10% of people still using XP . I think XP is my second favorite operating system. I would have to say that Windows 7 is my favorite.  In my life I have used MSDos, Unix, Linux Mint, Windows 3.1, 98, NT, XP, 7 and 10. 

I really like Windows 8.1 a lot , I have a touch screen so that makes it more special to use and makes the experience so much nicer. 

 

[WeBuiltThisCityOnSimCity 40]

If you are still using Windows 8.1 and you cannot redeem your serial number with EA, then this will probably work for you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/simcity4/comments/3kmfmi/quick_and_dirty_solution_to_recent_windows_update/

Follow the instructions on the above link.

I would like to note that this will NOT work on Windows 10, so if you need to play SimCity 4 on your current Windows 8.1 computer, do not update to Windows 10 until you can get a digital copy.  

[CorinaMarie 29,558]

2 hours ago, randomuser2349 said:

I would like to note that this will NOT work on Windows 10 ...

I believe you could safely say it does work for Vista thru Win 8.1 so peeps with any of those others will know they can use it too. While my XP doesn't need this, I've bookmarked the page you referenced and printed same to a .pdf for possible later use. I've also added a linky to your post here in my ongoing guide in Cori's Place.