Serial keys and disk checks are my compromise. Ideally we wouldnt have those either but eh, I'll suffice (partly cause its easy to get around disk checks when you've bought the game). Serial keys do kinda suck though in terms of preservation and whatnot, as we've seen here with UT and all.

Absolute best system I've encountered are the serial key systems companies like Matrix use. You have to enter your key every time you install a patch for the game. Meanwhile, they troll the torrent sites and blacklist all of the keys found in torrents of their games, so you can pirate the game and play it, but you can't update it at all.

Now that's an interesting idea.

It's actually becoming more popular as time goes along. Companies still protect their software (and in a way that doesn't make legit customers jump through ridiculous hoops), the Serial Keygen designers are more than happy to do the legwork of finding pirate key numbers (since they'd been losing a lot of business to SecuROM), and all you have to do as the consumer is keep your keys somewhere (I always find it hilarious when SecuROM advocates say not having to keep track of keys is a plus for them...what, are we complete idiots?).

Indeed. I don't know how many other companies are set up like BioWare, but just using them as an example, they allow you to register your CD keys (well, you have to in order to post on some of their forums) so they're stored for easy retrieval, their games usually have an ini file with the keys in them as well, and to further the redundancy, I always record my keys (hardcopy) and file them in my file cabinet (separate from the manuals that also contain the keys) AND I also have an encrypted file on my rig with the keys in them. Probably a little overboard on my part, but I've never lost a game key code. It's really not that big a deal to keep track of them.

well..
because of my disappointment with the witcher not being announced on GOG.com
I finally bought the Witcher Enhanced edition.
I got it through amazon and it has a nice little pegi sticker on it.
I don't know if that means anything, but I'm able to install fine, maybe I just won't understand some of the slang? hahaha.

After playing a little of the witcher, I'm actually extremely disappointed with it.
http://www.wegame.com/watch/A_Fight/

That's what I do, as well. I have a file on my PC with all of my serial keys on it, and a hardcopy of it that I keep updated in my computer desk.
I'd actually like to see more companies follow that Bioware example, too, when it comes to keys. Not only does it make things a little more convenient, but it also removes the chance for pirate wannabes to show up in forums, telling their sob stories about 'lost keys'.

I'm not really seeing anything too horrible, there...that's pretty much a standard RPG fight.

;_;
he's not actually swinging his sword.. he only does it a few times. otherwise he just sort of twitches until his opponent falls over..