One of the more controversial aspects of Crysis Warhead has been its increased copy protection. Due to the high levels of piracy for the original Crysis, Crytek and EA have implemented the
SecuROM copy protection system which incorporates an online activation component. Unfortunately there has been a great deal of misinformation and FUD spread about this protection system, so let's just examine the facts. Both the Steam version and the DVD version of Crysis Warhead and Crysis Wars are protected by SecuROM in the same manner. If you are interested in the actual facts regarding Crysis Warhead's copy protection and SecuROM in general, I urge you to read the following official documents:
Crysis Warhead Copy Protection FAQ
Crysis Warhead Steam Copy Protection FAQ
SecuROM FAQ
Below I summarize the most important points:
Whether using Steam or the DVD version, there is no disk check component. That is, you do not need to keep a DVD in the drive for the game to run.
Immediately after installing Crysis Warhead, whether on Steam or via DVD, you will need to connect to the Internet to allow SecuROM to authenticate/activate your copy. This process takes literally a couple of seconds.
Connection to the Intenet for activation of Crysis Warhead is only required upon installation, and when installing updates. At other times you do not need to be connected to the Internet to play Warhead.
Crysis Wars, the multiplayer component of Crysis Warhead, does not need activation, only authentication online using the CD Key which comes printed on the back of your game manual.
There is a 5 activation limit for Crysis Warhead, but there is no limit for Crysis Wars. The 5 activation limit for Warhead is not the same as 5 installations - you can uninstall and reinstall the game multiple times on the same PC and not use up any more activations. Only if your PC hardware has significantly changed, or you reformat your drive, or upgrade the OS, or try to install on a different computer, will an additional activation be used. Crytek has also promised to provide a 'revoke tool' shortly to help manage and free up activations.
If you run out of activations you will need to contact EA Support - see the links under Troubleshooting Tips further above, as well as checking the back page of your manual. This is necessary because assessing whether claims for additional activations are legitimate is done on a case-by-case basis.
If you are experiencing problems with SecuROM, see the SecuROM FAQ further above, and also make sure to turn off X-Fire, Process Explorer, or Virtual Drive software as these are known to cause conflicts with SecuROM when a protected game is run. Disable these, reboot and retry activation or launch of the game.
It is important to understand that SecuROM does not run in the background when a protected game is not running, it does not have any general performance impact on your system, it does not spy on your personal information, it is not a rootkit or malware, and when uninstalled, it only leaves behind a set of Registry keys holding license information. All of this is explained in detail in the EA SecuROM FAQ linked further above. Increasing piracy has forced companies to protect their multi-million dollar investments in PC game development and thus increase DRM measures to discourage casual piracy. If you wish to feel outraged about these measures, I would encourage you to aim your anger at the pirates who for years have downloaded all manner of games, whether good or bad, cheap or expensive, protected or unprotected, under an endless variety of excuses. DRM is not the source of piracy; rampant piracy has unfortunately forced DRM upon us. There is no magic solution to this problem.
