KotOR + Windows Vista + SecuROM = Hell

Yup.

I've purchased a new PC recently and had to install Windows Vista in it since I couldn't get Windows XP at the time. Up until now everything seems to be more or less the same, aside some intrusive pop-ups concerning program or file access. Nothing mind boggling. I've installed several games now and they've been working fine: Half-Life 2, Vampire: Bloodlines, Jade Empire.

Then along came Knights of the Old Republic. I simply can't run this.

I've done the installation with all 4 discs. Patched it up to 1.3. When I tried playing, all kinds of problems started. I can't either get past the Ebon Hawk image, or get some error after it goes fullscreen (by executing the program itself rather than going through the launcher). I've been told to update SecuROM but it's not installed as a program in my computer, it's just a folder with gibberish files which I can't alter (read: modify or delete) and I can't seem to find any updated on the website. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling several times including going through the executable files by activating compatibility mode, which has also been fruitless.

I've read some posts as the Bioware forums where NoCD cracks are suggested as a last ditch effort, and even those don't work. It seems SecuROM not only prevents piracy, but legitimate content as well.

Any ideas?

Some people are saying they actually got it to work. You should definately uninstall cd/dvd rom emulation software like Daemontools, etc. And you also should have the latest graphic card drivers installed.
Don't blame me if it doesn't work... I haven't got Vista installed anymore. To be honest, mate, best would be to kick Vista for now and install XP, or at least have both systems running for a while. I had Vista installed, but sooner or later you'll just run into trouble, especially if you're interested in playing a bit older games...

You could try to contact the SecuROM support. I've heard of a lot of people who have gotten a quick response and who got modified EXEs by mail that helped them out with their problems. It seems like they have a great support team. Might be worth a shot.

Perhaps it's another application running in the background that causes conflict ? I've recently had a similar problem with securom although it was on XP and it was a different game, NWN2. In my case the 'culprit' was Spyware Doctor; I had to disable it to be able to run the game. Perhaps it's worth it to check into that.