And they could say that when the game is out for a week, idiots

I can't play the game anymore because in my attempt to get it running, I hit the 3 reinstall limit. Now I own a $40 coster because EA refuses to give me a new key.

Instead of owning a $40 coaster, try using a phone.

I think your full of crap. If you had to reinstall 3 times in under 2 weeks you have other problems.

Also the game is $50, shows how full of crap you are.

For me this is an issue of 3 installs over a 1-2 year period. But I guess it depends on how flexible they are with the additional reinstalls.

1. The phone number is long distance for most people in the US. The wait times are very long. It would be cheaper to buy another copy of the game in most cases. If the phone number was a 1-800 number this wouldn't be an issue for most people.

2. Simply unplugging/plugging in an external usb hard drive is enough to "significantly" change your hardware profile. There by requiring reactivation of the game. You can eat up 3 activations very quickly. I know, this is what happened to me with Mass Effect and it's why I can no longer play it at all.

It's not how many times I install it. If that were the case I wouldn't have a problem. It's what constitutes A hardware profile change that requires re-activation. The DRM in ME and Spore is so draconian that just about anything you add to or take away from your computer constitutes a significant hardware change according to the DRM.

There are many legitimate uses for external usb hard drives. The back up of important files and then storing the HD in a fire proof safe box is just one of many legitimate uses for external usb HDs.