Crassmaster, that would definitely work, but there are a couple of negatives with that:
1) you don't get access to ongoing patching or DLC (if available)
2) in some countries doing that would be illegal and why should you have to make yourself a criminal just to play a game?

It's my computer. Emphasis on MY. MY property. I will not allow anyone to install malware on my machines and I have every right to protect myself from it. Cracks included.

Actually, it is extremely debatable whether what I'm advocating doing IS illegal. You still own a copy of the game that you legally purchased from a shop. All you're doing is using a different executable to run that legally owned property. Truth is, no publisher is ever going to go after gamers for it...why do you think the big game companies have never gone after a site like GameCopyWorld? The truth of the matter is that a good chunk of their downloaders are legit game owners, and the companies know that, so it would be a PR nightmare as it's entered in to public record that many people are downloading cracked .exe files to get their purchases game to work properly. And, like I said, the laws surrounding the issue are extremely nebulous...a company isn't going to launch a case it likely doesn't have a hope in Hell of winning.

Others have mentioned problems with this approach. One that hasn't been mentioned is that this approach means you'll still install SecuROM on your machine, since this happens during installation from the disc.
If you want to avoid SecuROM altogether, you'll have to download an entire cracked game, where SecuROM has been removed. A cracked .exe is not enough.

Look, I'm not going to argue the finer points of it. Just stating a fact that circumventing the copy protection is considered a crime in some countries (DMCA, anyone?) Is it right? No, I don't think so, but if it IS considered a criminal act in the country in which you live, then you're knowingly making yourself a criminal by doing that. Is that something that concerns you or the publisher? Who knows. I personally don't care, but it may bother some people.

nevermind

Nice to see you are still on the lose after Thanksgiving!
;o)

Actually, that's becoming increaisngly untrue. More and more often, it is the executable alone that installs SecuROM. When you load it the first time, Sec 7 has to 'phone home' to make sure you're allowed to play it. That's when it installs. That's why the whole situation with Fallout 3 having a second exe that did NOT install SecuROM (or even need it) was such a big deal (and such a weird situation).
Coelocanth : I agree, law is different from country to country (and state to state). However, I do believe that if game companies were going to go after exe cracks they would have done so a LONG time ago.

Mmm..he's also outright said he doesnt like DRM, he more or less sees it as just a thing they have to do. But its not ideal for him no more than it is for us...which is really nice to hear.

Sorry, but you're wrong on that... JR has no regrets on using DRM, and he's arrogant and cocky enough to insult his customers that DO have a problem. The only thing JR can do at the moment is step down from the CEO seat, because he's only hurting his company, not helping it.

I'm guessing that half of them were pirates, and the other half were people caught up in something that they didn’t understand
Guess who said that when the whole mess began after Spore's release? And about who? Yup, it was JR speaking about customers that legally bought their copy of Spore! This comment on his part can mean one of two things:
1. He is a complete idiot, and actually believes that ANY pirate would complain about DRM, when his illegal copy of the game is without it.
or...
2. He treats his customers like complete idiots and hope they won't figure that out.
In any case he doesn't belong as a head of a huge game company.
In the end I couldn't care less about the things he says. It's what he DOES that really matters. And his actions are one of the most insulting I have ever encountered when dealing with any corporation.

Well, really, EA has been treating their customers, their own employees, and their shareholders like crap for years...they just hadn't so openly declared it until JR opened his idiot mouth.
Oh yeah, and the list of the most pirated games of the year is up...Spore was a landslide #1. I think about half of the games on the list are EA titles. At least 6 of the games use SecuROM, yet they're not seeing lower piracy rates than anything other system.

For me this is a question of principles, I don't want to pay and be treated like a criminal while others who don't pay a cent can play without crap installed in their system . I didn't buy any game containing any form of DRM in the past 4 years, and I won't do in the future.
I really hope that GOG has a great success because that would mean that publishers like EA are wrong.

Agreed.
I'm just curious, though, where you 'draw the line' personally when it comes to DRM? Harcore stuff like SecuROM...disc checks like Safedisc, serial keys...?