I posted this up before, but can't find an answer to this problem.

I have installed/ran Spore on 2 of my desktop computers (one with vista ultimate 32, the other with winxp64), it runs fine on these two comps; but when i tried installing it to my hp pav tz2000 (vista ultimate 64) I am having problems. It installed fine, but when I went to start up and log in the game it says that it can't connect to the internet to verify the account (the internet is connected, but Spore doesn't recognize it).

I have tried a lot of things to fix this problem. I uninstalled/reinstalled 3 times, allowed it thru the fire wall, and antivirus; use administrator account, allowed it thru vista security, and parental control, and even tried xp compatability. I still can't get it to work, all my drivers are up to date according to my computer.

I really want to play my game on my laptop, because I am deploying soon and would love to take the game with me.

Please help!!!!!

I'm assuming you have a router, with three computers and what not. Just to ensure the router is in no way involved you may want to directly hook up the laptop via ethernet to your cable or dsl modem to see what happens.

Sounds like you used up your 3 or 5 installs (depending on the date of manufacture of your game CD). You are no longer authorized to play the game you purchased because EA and Securom think you stole it. You can contact EA for another install credit, but they likewise will flag your account for piracy, give you a hard time, and drag their feet for a week or two before they credit your account with another activation. Try returning/exchanging the game at your place of purchase, persistently contacting EA for support, or acquiring the version without Securom.

There are errors that specifically relate to licensing, that is not the kind of error this person seems to be describing. Also do not discuss illegal activities on the forum.

Regarding DRM:

MaxisCactus wrote:Q: Is it the number of installations or number of computers installed on which SecuROM counts?

A: It's a number of computers installed on. It registers the computer profile (hardware, OS, etc) as the computer, so uninstalling and reinstalling on the same computer, without changing the profile, does not count as using an activation

Q: If you have the “old version” of Spore you only get 3 installs, but if you have the “new version” you get 5, is this correct?

A: We’ve upped the install limit for everyone from to 5 installs. If anyone has a problem installing on more than 3 machines, please contact customer support to resolve the issue.

SporeMasterKaliena wrote:There are errors that specifically relate to licensing, that is not the kind of error this person seems to be describing. Also do not discuss illegal activities on the forum.

He bought the game. He has a right to play the product in which he purchased. I have not discussed anything illegal because a legal purchase has been made and I suspect the problem is Securom, thus this is a discussion about troubleshooting. Isolation of the object suspected at fault, in this case Securom, is the best way to troubleshoot.

Before you insult my intelligence by posting a canned response from MaxisCactus, read what this person typed. He installed on 2 computers previously, installed on a third, reinstalled multiple times, changed profiles and permissions, and therefore it is guaranteed now that he's used up his activation limit. 2 desktop installs + 1 laptop install + 3 re-installations on multiple profiles is over the limit. This person is running out of time before deployment, there is no activation revocation tool, and there is no painless way to acquire a new activation to the product you purchased.

Tonosp0r, you could also try calling EA and when they give you a hard time, accuse them of not supporting our brave service men and women. You might get an accelerated response with that kind of approach.

EDIT: Sorry to slam the door on you, but since this person has multiple computers and was able to get the game running on other machines without issue (particularly an XP64 machine), the chance the router is interfering is almost negligible.

I always like to eliminate hardware possibilities--it takes all of 5 minutes and if it is the problem it will save you hours of trying to track down a non existing software issue.

There is nothing in the original post to indicate that the user has reinstalled his O/S or changed hardware on the affected computer. Uninstall and Reinstall on the same computer--same hardware, same O/S--does not count towards your install limit.

Error messages related to Licensing:

* 'Login failed: You do not have the proper spore.com privileges'
* 'The product key cannot be validated'
* 'The registration key used to install the game is not valid'
* 'You do not have the proper spore.com privilege to access the online feature'

Please refer to this web site if the above errors are encountered:
http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=20314

Users have found that sporecasts may contribute to login troubles:
Login Failed: Internal Application Error
http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/8892.page

Cannot connect to the Spore server
regenerating the package files may help
http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/0/4706.page#42185
This step may apply even to an uninstall /reinstall situation. It has helped others after reinstall.