14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts and Maxis have released a de-deauthorization tool for Spore players looking to free up a machine / slot on the online Product Authorization server. Basically, gamers de-authorize at will, and are able to install Spore on additional machines as long as they have a free slot.
However, as sad as it sounds, the tool is only available for Windows users. This is most likely based on the two companies' assumption that very few Mac gamers will have 5 machines at their disposal, let alone an urge to play it on each and every one of them. EA and Maxis are being cautious, stating that “At this time, the tool is only available on the PC.” According to the Spore website, “Mac users will need to check back at a later date.” Anyway, here's how the de-deauthorization tool is described:
“By running the de-deauthorization tool, a machine 'slot' will be freed up on the online Product Authorization server, and can then be re-used by another machine. You can de-authorize at any time, even without uninstalling Spore, and free up that machine authorization. If you re-launch Spore on the same machine, the game will attempt to re-authorize. If you have not reached the machine limitation, the game will authorize and the machine will be re-authorized using up one of the five available machines.”
To run the tool, Windows users need to download and extract the zip file to a directory of their choice. The next (natural) step is to launch the Spore De-Authentication Tool exe and follow the on-screen instructions. The utility will need to update 3 important files in order to complete the de-authorization process, according to the Spore site. Moreover, players need to ensure that UAC (User Account Control) is turned off, if they are running Windows Vista (Control Panel -> User Account).