Solved
Command and conquer: Generals Zero Hour - the game won't start on Windows 10
Command and conquer: Generals Zero Hour (deluxe edition) does not start on Windows 10, please help!
Sadly, this is due to the DRM system of the game, SafeDisc, no longer being supported by Windows.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SafeDisc#Withdrawal_of_support
On Windows versions before Windows 10, this withdrawal of support was done through a patch (KB3086255), and there were ways to uninstall that patch. However, in Windows 10, all traces of SafeDisc support have simply been remove from the operating system from the start.
The only ways around this are:
- Run the game on an older Windows version (like on an older PC or in a Virtual Machine) where the copy protection system still works.
- Circumvent the copy protection system using a 3rd party patch (which, I believe, in this case, is certainly a justified case).
- Buy the game again in digital format, by getting The Ultimate Collection on Origin.
