Troubleshooting DRM

I can't play files I ripped from a CD on another computer because they are protected. How can I remove copy protection from the files?

It's not possible to remove copy protection, which specifies whether tracks copied from CDs in Windows Media Audio (WMA) format are protected files. A license, which helps protect the copyrights of artists by preventing unauthorized distribution, is required to play protected files.

If you're trying to play your copy-protected files on a new computer, you can migrate your protected music from one computer to another by doing the following:

Windows Media Player 7.1 or later

Windows Media Player 7

A license can be migrated ten times. After this limit is reached, you will receive an error when you try to migrate the license again (for more information, see the Windows Media Player FAQ). When this occurs, you will need to rip the file from the CD again.

  Note

If you still have the CD in your possession, you can rip the tracks from the CD again, but with copy protection turned off. For more information, see "How can I rip files to my computer without copy protection?" in our Media Advice Archive.

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I upgraded my computer's operating system, and now when I play a file, a Web page is displayed that says I need to "migrate my licenses." What does this mean?

You ripped a CD on the computer that you are currently using, but your licenses have been deleted. This typically occurs when you reformat your hard disk (such as when you performed a clean installation of Windows), but it can occur in other circumstances too.

You've reached the Windows Media Personal License Migration Service Web page because the Player has determined that a new license is required to play the protected file. To play the file on this computer, you must download a new license (a process known as “license migration”) from the Web page by clicking the Migrate License button. The license will act as an electronic key that allows you to unlock the protected file and play it. Keep in mind that a license for a file can only be migrated ten times.

To avoid this problem in the future, use the License Management feature of Windows Media Player to back up your licenses to a floppy disk (or other storage media) before you reformat your hard disk. For more information, see "Backing up and restoring licenses" in Windows Media Player Help.

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I upgraded some of my computer's hardware, and now I get an error message that the licenses for my media files are corrupted or not valid. What can I do?

You may see error message 0xC00D2754 or 0xC00D11D6 if the DRM system on your computer is corrupted. This problem may occur if you have recently replaced hardware components in your computer. As a result, existing licenses on your computer may not work correctly, or it may even be impossible to acquire new licenses. For more information about resolving this problem, see article 810422, "'Licenses for your media files are corrupted' or 'License is either corrupted or not valid' error message when you try to play licensed media files," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

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Why do I get error message C00D271D: Cannot play protected files?

You may receive this message when you try to play a protected file and your Windows user account is a member of both the Administrators group and the Guests group. For example, if you download a protected file while logged on as a member of the Administrators group, you can't play that file when you are logged on as a member of both groups. To resolve the problem, simply remove your user account from the Guests group by doing the following:

  Note

If you're using Category View in Windows XP, to open the Administrative Tools window, click Start, click Control Panel, click the Performance and Maintenance category, and then click Administrative Tools.

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When I try to upgrade my DRM security components for Windows Media Player, I get a message about a "date certificate." What should I do?

When you try to play a protected file, you might be prompted to upgrade the DRM security components in Windows Media Player. In some cases, a problem with Internet Explorer will prevent this upgrade from occurring.

If you encounter the message "The date certificate is invalid or has expired," try reinstalling the latest version of Internet Explorer from the Internet Explorer Web page.

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I rolled back from Windows Media Player 10 to Windows Media Player for Windows XP, and now I can't play my protected files? How can I fix this?

If you didn't upgrade the DRM security components in Windows Media Player for Windows XP, and then install Windows Media Player 10, you will not be able to play your licensed files after rolling back from Windows Media Player 10 to Windows Media Player for Windows XP.

If you didn't upgrade the DRM security components in Windows Media Player for Windows XP, you can do one of the following after rolling back Windows Media Player 10 so that you can continue to play your licensed files:

  Note

In the event that you may want to roll back to Windows Media Player for Windows XP at a later date, we recommend that you upgrade the Digital Rights Management (DRM) security components in the Player before running Setup for Windows Media Player 10.

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I rolled back from Windows Media Player 10 and now I can't restore some of my licenses. What do I do?

If you back up the licenses for your protected files while using Windows Media Player 10, you may not be able to restore the licenses after rolling the Player back to an earlier version, such as Windows Media Player 9 Series. The following error may be displayed when you try to restore the backed up licenses in the earlier version of the Player:

"Windows Media Player cannot restore your licenses because no backed up licenses were found on your computer."

This error occurs because the DRM security components in earlier versions of the Player can't verify the digital signature in a license backup created by using Windows Media Player 10.

To restore licenses backed up in Windows Media Player 10 while using earlier versions of the Player, do the following:

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Why can't I synchronize any protected content to my device?

Before you synchronize a file in your library in Windows Media Player 10 to your portable device, the Player detects your device's capabilities. If the file has a quality level (bit rate) setting or is in a file format (for example, DVR-MS) that is not supported by the device, the Player can convert a copy of the file to a quality level and/or file format that your device supports. The converted copy is synchronized to your device.

However, the Player can't convert a copy of the file if the original file is protected by a license. Instead, the Player tries to synchronize the original file to the device. This means that you should verify that the protected file has a quality level setting and is in a file format that your device supports. If the protected file is not supported by the device, the device may fail to play the file.

For more information, see your device documentation.

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Why do I get a "Missing License" error when I try to synchronize my purchased music files to my device or burn them to a CD?

Some versions of DRM used by content providers require you to play the protected file in the Player in order to acquire the license. If you receive this error, play the protected file in the Player in order to acquire the missing license, and then try to synchronize the file to your device or burn it to a CD again.