One of the unavoidable bits of computer literacy is platform-wide obsolescence, and this one is a big stumbling block. Windows nuked support for Safedisc and SecuROM several years ago, which were the most popular copy protection schemes for about 10 years. This will complicate the matter of even installing new software, let alone running it, on Windows 8, 10, and 11. So, what can be done about this?
Not much, unfortunately. Nothing at all, in fact, on Win10 or 11. Microsoft Defender now considers these to be security vulnerabilities and prevents Windows from even acknowledging that there's a SecuROM-protected disc in the optical drive. The only option here is software piracy; someone cracks Safedisc or SecuROM completely out of the software so it doesn't present an issue anymore. If you're feeling a bit squeamish about piracy just at the moment, then consider GOG.com for games. One of the main things GOG likes to point out is their DRM-free software, and a lot of developers and publishers are on board with that and will release their old games on GOG. If it's a different kind of software, such as a digital audio workstation or older version of Adobe Photoshop, there are other options apart from piracy that will still have the desired result on a modern computer, without the use of physical media. GIMP is a Photoshop-like image editor, FL Studio is a Proteus VX-like audio production suite. Each use case will be different, obviously, which is what SearXNG is there for.
Also, if you search for how to get around Safedisc, the first 3 or 4 results are going to be from tech blogs telling you to re-purchase a DLC version of the software that you already own on disc. That's stupid. Don't do that.
Now, if you're running Windows XP, 7, or 8, you have two options.
First, you can open the Windows Update menu in the Control Panel and scroll down the list of installed updates until you find KB3086255, then select it and click Uninstall. This will take a long time, and it may even look like it's crashed at certain points, but it will reinstate SECDRV.SYS as a valid driver. This is rather permanent and forces open the very security vulnerability that Microsoft tried to close. If you don't go to too many odd websites and install a lot of odd software (I'll leave it to your judgment what "odd" means in this case), you don't need to worry too much. Otherwise, try option 2.
Second, you can run the Command Prompt in Administrator mode and enter the following commands, one after the other...
sc config secdrv start = demand
sc start secdrv
...then press enter. When you're done playing the game or running the software concerned, reopen Admin Command Prompt and enter the following...
sc stop secdrv
If you decide to uninstall KB3086255, it'll take a long time (especially on Windows 8) and it might look like your computer has crashed at certain points, but it'll work eventually. Just give it time. You'll find that most computer problems can be solved with a little patience.
I accidentally made it sound like ALL game software that was ever released on discs wouldn't work anymore. In reality, SecuROM was already an antique by the time Microsoft got round to ending support for it, so there's actually quite a lot of games and software programs on disc that weren't affected by that. Let's quit talking about arcane technical issues and get down to the practical stuff, shall we?
There really isn't much to say about running games from disc. Like all software, it needs to install onto your computer first; the only difference is that the game uses a disc, either CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, to install the software, rather than an internet-based download service.
To begin, open your optical drive (OD) and put Disc 1 of the software you wish to install into the drive. If there is only one disc, that'll save you the step of changing out discs. Close the OD and wait for Windows to ask you what you want to do with the disc. Select "Run". It might say "Run Setup.exe", "Run AutoPlay.exe", or something else germane to running the installer contained on the disc. Whatever the "Run" option is, select it.
The Installer prompt will ask you to choose a file directory to install the software into. It will already have a selection made, so you won't have to worry about it. Really, there's no need to install software to a location other than the one given by the installer, unless you have a special hard drive or disk partition specifically for games. You probably don't so just let the installer put it where it wants to.
Let's look at the directory for second, though; because you'll probably use that to install mods. Let's take The Sims Complete Collection (EA, 2005) as an example. The directory the installer will put the game in is this...
C:/Program Files (x86)/Maxis/The Sims
This means the game will install on your main hard drive (drive C), into the root program files directory for 32-bit software (x86 and derivative CPUs were 32-bit processors, hence Program Files x86). In the 32-bit program files directory, it will use the folder for Maxis games (the game's original developer) and create a subfolder specifically for The Sims. It does this in order to prevent conflicts with any other games that might be in the Maxis folder, either now or in the future; say, if you were to install SimCity 4. Every file that TSCC's install discs put onto your computer will end up in this file directory only, with the exception of a desktop shortcut and a shortcut in your Start menu.
Some games, especially newer ones (2009-present) will also create user data folders in your Documents or User folders, apart from installing the game to C:/Program Files. In this case, mods will typically go in this user data folder instead of the root directory.
Getting back to the disc. When the installer prompts you for the next disc in the series, re-open your OD, remove the first disc and insert the second one; then shut the OD and click "OK" on the prompt. Repeat this process for disc 3, disc 4, and onwards. Once all the discs have been used, the installer will request Disc 1 again, at which point the install finalises and you can run the game.
It should be noted that REALLY OLD software-- basically, any software for MS-DOS, Windows 3, NT, 95, 98, Me, or 2000-- will not run on modern computers. At all. But, if you're really, REALLY interested in playing something like SimHealth or Jane's Combat Simulator, you might try running those on a virtual machine with Windows 98. That's a little complicated to go into right now, but if you're interested in that, look into Virtual Box, a freeware VM from Oracle. If the game you want to play is from MS-DOS—like The Oregon Trail or Jazz Jackrabbit— Dosbox has you covered. Also, a lot of old shareware shooter games have source ports that are designed to run on modern PCs; Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake; these are the most famous examples, but a lot of other games that didn't make quite as much of a splash have source ports as well. To find out, just search on SearXNG for "[game title] source port" and see what you get.