[Information] What is the "authorization limit" [ Edited ]

[EA_Spectre]

Certain EA PC games with SecuROM digital rights management technology allow users to “authorize” up to five computers to play those EA games at the same time. Users can then play the game on any authorized computer they choose. If your EA PC game was released after May 2008 and has a machine authorization limit, you can now manage your computer authorization using EA De-Authorization Tools!  

Why is EA offering the De-Authorization Tools?

Combating piracy is essential to ensure the continued creation of high-quality, innovative games and limiting the number of machines on which a single game can be concurrently played is an important tool in our anti-piracy efforts. We recognize that there are many reasons why a gamer might want more flexibility and control over which machines are authorized to play their games. As part of EA’s ongoing commitment to delivering more transparency and choice to gamers, we have created these tools to help gamers mange their authorizations. These new tools can be used by gamers to easily determine which games are authorized on which machines. And if they want to de-authorize one machine in favor of another, these tools give them the ability to do so.

EA De-Authorization Management Tool

If you are not sure which games with machine authorization limits are installed on your machine, the EA De-Authorization Management Tool can help you! This tool does three things:

• Scans your computer to determine which EA PC games released after May 2008 with machine authorization limits your computer has been authorized to play.
• Tells you how many computer authorizations you have available for each of those games.
• Gives you the option of de-authorizing your computer for any of the games detected by the tool.

After you run the EA De-Authorization Management Tool and see a list of the games with authorization limits currently installed on your machine, you have the option of clicking on the red "De-authorize this computer" button and your browser will automatically download the Game-Specific De-Authorization Tool required to de-authorize your computer.

Download the EA De-Authorization Management Tool.

Game-Specific De-Authorization Tools

If you already know which game you wish to de-authorize on your computer, instead of running the EA De-Authorization Management Tool, you can use the Game-Specific De-Authorization Tool for that game by selecting the 'De-Authorization With Game Specific Tools Only' option. Your browser will then point you to a page listing all of the Game-Specific De-Authorization Tools available. Click on the title you want to de-authorize for your download to start automatically. Running the Game-Specific De-Authorization Tool will de-authorize your machine. Once de-authorized, a machine 'slot' will become available for use on another machine.

Keep in mind de-authorization does not uninstall the game. If you decide you want to re-authorize your computer later, all you have to do is re-launch the game.

Download Game-Specific De-Authorization Management Tools.

To view the EA De-Authorization Management Tool End User License Agreement that governs your use of the tool, click here.

To view the End User License Agreement that governs your use of the Game-Specific De-Authorization Tools, click here.

Will the EA De-Authorization Tools work for all of my EA games?

No. The EA De-Authorization Management Tool and the Game-Specific De-Authorization Tools are available to help you manage your computer authorizations for EA PC games released after May 2008 with machine authorization limits.

Click here for a list of EA games released after May 2008 with machine authorization limits.

Will the EA De-Authorization Management Tools leave files on my computer?

Each time you successfully download the EA De-Authorization Management Tool to your computer, a file entitled 'DeAuthManagementTool.exe' will reside on your machine. You will choose where the 'DeAuthManagementTool.exe' will reside on your computer. Additionally, a dll file beginning with the prefix 'drm_dyndata_' will also reside in the Tempdirectory of your computer if the EA De-Authorization Management Tool does not download or run successfully.

Each time a Game-Specific De-Authorization Tool is executed, a dll file beginning with 'drm_dyndata_' will reside in the temp directory of your computer.

How do I remove De-Authorization Tool related files from my computer?

To remove the 'DeAuthManagementTool.exe' file, locate the place where you chose to save the file and delete it.

To delete any De-Authorization Tool-related dll files that reside on your machine, search for any dll files beginning with the 'drm_dyndata_' prefix and delete them. These files should reside in the Temp directory of your computer.

Deleting De-Authorization Tool-related files:

1. Go to My Computer
2. Double-click on Local Disk (C: )
3. Open the WINDOWS folder
4. Scroll down to find the Temp folder and open it
5. Proceed to delete all 'drm_dyndata_' files

If all of this does not fix your issue, please get in contact with an EA Game Advisor. You need to log into the help page with your Origin account and then choose "Product", "Issue Type", and "Platform" to see the contact options. Please choose phone or chat as contact option.