[Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Where are we at with this still working? *Running a XPVM with the complete 4.7 instructions.


-When I fir up Zune, and either download new content fomr my ZunePass, or copy ZunePass content from my host PC. It will not play. I get Error C00D11CD (C00D1063)

-However, When I use Fairuse commander+FairUse4WM from the package you made, it will rip the DRM correctly. But I have to at least attempt to paly it. It used to just play, then rip good.

Also, is there any way I can copy music form host to VM and rip the DRM without having to play (or now ,attempt to play it in the zune software on the VM)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

the zune game has stopped working, unfortunately :(

A new software version (zune client v4.8) has been released and since then neither v4.7 nor v4.8 keep the inbox.key version 11.0.5497.6285.

WMP10 + Windows Media Runtime 11 Final (as suggested in the old instructions) + zune 4.7 are good for some minutes after which the key is automatically updated to 11.0.6001.8015. this is strange, and new. FairUse4WM should have problems with this high version number (and placebo's screenshots demonstrate zune undrming for 11.0.5497.6285).

I know that Windows Media Runtime 11 Beta 1 (contains fully crippled DRM-component lol), 11 Beta 2 und 11 Beta 3 do not update the key, since the individualization webpage returns a webpage error .. but my subscription month has run out so that i cant test what happens when you try to play (in zune gui) a 192 WMA song, download a 192 WMA song (from zune gui), or, if both succeeded so far, even strip off the DRM-protection.

zune 4.7 and 4.8 run both with *any* WM Runtime 11.x-version (11b1, 11b2, 11b3, 11final) and they dont run with any (high) 10.x-version (e.g. wmvcore.dll v10.00.00.4078, that's the highest you can get for Runtime 10). since wmp10+wmr11final+zune4.7, as of recent, update the key, the only possible setups left are:

wmp10+wmr11b1+zune4.7,
wmp10+wmr11b2+zune4.7,
wmp10+wmr11b3+zune4.7, or
wmp10+wmr11final+zune4.7+much luck with the short time (Download 2 songs and generate some blackbox keys with FU4WM!!) and or with the high version number. Once you have some FU4WM-generated keys (for the low key version), they seem to work even for songs which were downloaded at some later point (with the updated higher key version). placebo posted in the napster thread that he/she had been undrming songs without problems although the key version was high and he had Runtime11final or WMP11betaX installed. Anyway, i am just saying that the zune game has pretty much closed AFAIK.

Anyone here with a current subscription (or with current success re the DRM removal)?

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

hi, here are my tests with Zune 4.7, and with indvpage:

WMP11beta1 is: 11.0.5358.4827

WMP11beta1 with exchanged wvc 10.0.0.4078 => Zune 4.7 doesnt bitch => IBX 11.0.6001.8015
WMP11beta1 with exchanged wvc 10.0.0.3802 => Zune 4.7 doesnt bitch => IBX 11.0.6001.8015
WMP11beta1 with exchanged wvc 9.0.0.2926 => Zune 4.7 doesnt bitch => IBX 11.0.6001.8015

Conclusion of this post:

• With a full installation of WMP11 (WMP11beta1, WMP11beta2, WMP11beta3, WMP11final), Zune 4.7 will generate IBX 11.0.6001.8015
• With a full installation of WMP11 (WMP11beta1, WMP11beta2, WMP11beta3, WMP11final), you can downgrade wvc to 10.x or even 9.x, and Zune 4.7 will still not bitch. Again, IBX 11.0.6001.8015 is generated

Interesting is that Zune 4.7 does not bitch. I've checked with indvpage; the Upgrade button is available and turns to "Upgrade Complete" with an additional popup "Message from webpage: Windows Media Player is not installed properly. Reinstall the Player. < OK >".

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

And here are my tests with Zune 4.7, and with indvpage:

WMP10final: 10.0.0.3802

WMP10final with exchanged wvc 11.0.5358.4827 => Zune 4.7 doesnt bitch => IBX 11.0.6001.8015

Conclusion of this post:

With a full installation of WMP11 (WMP11beta1, WMP11beta2, WMP11beta3, WMP11final), Zune 4.7 will generate IBX 11.0.6001.8015
With a full installation of WMP11 (WMP11beta1, WMP11beta2, WMP11beta3, WMP11final), you can downgrade wvc to 10.x or even 9.x, and Zune 4.7 will still not bitch. Again, IBX 11.0.6001.8015 is generated


Interesting is that Zune 4.7 does not bitch. I've checked with indvpage; the Upgrade button is available and turns to "Upgrade Complete" with an additional popup "Message from webpage: Windows Media Player is not installed properly. Reinstall the Player. < OK >".

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Zune wants to update again. Do you have a modified 4.8 installer by any chance?

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

hi, you dont have to update. you can continue to use 4.7.
but if you WANT to install 4.8, then do the following:

download the full version of 4.8 ("setup.exe") onto hdd.
then launch winrar and open the exe file with winrar.
the 4.8 installer is the *.msi file contained in the setup.exe

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Well crap. My XP VM running older zune software is not forcing me to upgrade to log in. :(

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

You're not cursing are you? :D

The zune software (and its updates) is not the problem. The problem is that the online DRM license server updates the IBX in any case afaik. Maybe you can tell us more about your setup.. are you currently on subscription? ( i'll subscribe soon to do some real real testings. )

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

hey placebo you smart aleck :rolleyes:

a friend of mine told me that he signed up for zune trial a day ago and tried the game and is very successful; and he delivered full proof. his setup:
+ WMP10 (updated to latest DLL's) + individualization
+ WMFR11 beta2
+ zune 4.8 (installer 10,655 only)

started zune, signed in, downloaded 1 single track (and hoped that IBX version wouldnt increase, which it didnt (to everybody's surprise!)). he played it fine in WMP10. and created a fresh blackbox-keys.txt file with FairUse4WM.exe. today he's reported that the IBX version indeed increased to the 11.0.6001.8015 (at some point in/of time) but he can still continue to download and unDRM new downloaded *.WMA-files. By the help of the old blackbox-keys.txt file.

two points to pay attention to:
+ dont overdo the individualization page thing. let zune update your IBX (on day2 of zune trial) and dont abuse indvpage for this!
+ the zune undrming game isnt over yet. if you cant reproduce this post's findings, keep trying. this is truth and a fact, the zune undrming game still works. you may need a little portion of luck and most of all: you must have a zune subscription.
+ without a zune subscription you will get those false conclusions and wrong test results.

Sign up now for a paid subscription account, placebo!! :D

Best,
\b.gates

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

hi everybody, i am new here but have been reading the zune threads for quite a while. My deep thanks to all who have contributed with good info. Here a video tutorial with burned in comments which shows you how the IBX is updated by zune but keeps its original low IBX number (generated from the WMP10 individualization):

ZUNE_low_IBX_Tutorial.mp4 (39min., 1 280 x 720 (16:9), high quality, 98.4 MB)

Everybody is welcome to try to reproduce the video results. Everything you need like the software (software tools, exact version numbers of the DLL's, Windows Media Format Runtime 11 Beta download links, cracked Zune software download link, etc) is shown in the video. If you have followed all the video instructions and still cant reproduce the low IBX number (with the individualization webpage or with zune), then please post here for help.

Most importantly:
By the way, as the video demonstrates, you dont need to have a current Zune Music Pass subscription!! You must install Zune Software (v4.8) to do the preliminary/preparatory testing but you dont need to have a Zune subscription!!! (so EVERYBODY can test it if he/she has a windowsXP-sp3 system, downloads the mentioned software, installs it (no virus or trojans, promised!), and does a quick check with the individualization webpage.)

Thanks again to everybody. unDRMing zune songs is too kewl! :cool:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Hey man, instead of this video, can you just please type of the steps needed to accomplish this? :) The video is all weird, like going really fast, and ends right at "Now to open up Zune again!" or something.....
Please and thank you!

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Give it a try in safe mode

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

I was about to write it anyway..

requirements:
you're on a dirty WindowsXP-SP3 system (32-bit) with Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, you live in the USA, and you are *not* subscribed to Zune yet. (You dont have to live in the USA, see video, but signing up for a Zune subscription is easier if you do.)

aim1:
you want to prepare your system to be 100% ready for a Zune subscription so that you can undrm the 192kbps downloaded *.wma tracks as soon as you sign up for it. in technical terms, before signing up, you want to create, prepare, test, verify, validate a working "low IBX" DRM-environment. in simple terms, you want to create a 'Zune-ready' system.

aim2:
you want to sign up for the Zune subscription (e.g. FREE trial Zune Music Pass subscription, 14days FREE, for Zune Marketplace Music), download the 192kbps WMA's without (stupid common) zune error messages, and undrm these WMA's with FairUse4WM (fu4wm) flawlessly, i.e. without any undrm error messages.

comment:
people familiar with the whole undrm subject matter already know that FU4WM will undrm licensed downloaded DRM-protected WMA-files if those files were downloaded under any such working "low IBX" DRM-environment. in other words: a working "low IBX" drm-environment guarantees flawless undrming; that simple! as you will experience, aim1 is the tougher part while aim2 follows naturally from aim1 with no further work needed: if you master aim1, then there will be no obstacle or problem with aim2, guaranteed! that's why we concentrate on aim1, and that's why the video is so essential (as proof, documentation, guide, tutorial).

quick instruction steps for aim1:

1. deracinate WMP by deleting all instances of thefive (the video shows how to search for them. delete them all, especially those in C:\WINDOWS\system32\ , unlike in the video). Reboot and check: when you search again for thefive, there should be exactly zero hits! Congrats, you have fully deracinated your Windows Media Player!
2. install WMP10.
3. since wmvcore.dll hasnt been installed (properly), install WMP10 again!
4. install in this order: KB2378111, then KB973540, and finally KB978695; reboot and check: when you search for thefive, their version numbers should look like this:
5. delete the complete contents of the DRM-folder
6. go to indvpage and press the Upgrade button (similar to the video); check: in the DRM-folder the IBX should bear the "low IBX" version (=11.0.5497.6285, as seen in video)
7. install Windows Media Format Runtime 11 beta 2 (i.e. wmfdist11.exe, 9.627.464 Bytes, crc32:7093335A). reboot and check: when you search for thefive, their version numbers should coincide with the ones given in the video.
8. now search for the drm-dll's and check: their version numbers should coincide with the ones given in the video too.
9. double click on zune-x86.msi; this will install Zune v4.8 without returning any 'installation complete!' message.
10. launch Zune by double clicking on zune.exe and spend some time in the Zune GUI fooling around (similar to the video); check the IBX version number (similar to the video):
11. compare which of the three possible scenarios coincides with yours:
    • case1: the IBX version has increased to 11.0.6001.8015. then you need to start over because something went wrong. this wont happen if you followed all steps painstakingly. if you're curious, you could check with indvpage if your system is a working DRM-environment but even if it were, this wouldnt help much because undrming under a working "high IBX" DRM environment is usually not possible (unless you have a good old blackbox-keys.txt..).
    • case2: the IBX version remains unchanged 11.0.5497.6285, and the file date&time has updated to your current local PC date&time (see video). then go to indvpage and press the Upgrade button, press F5, press the Upgrade button again, press F5, etc. (see video!). The IBX version remains unchanged (low = 11.0.5497.6285), and merely the file time(s) get updated (see video!!). It means that your system is a working "low IBX" DRM environment: your system is "Zune-ready". Congrats, you've reached aim1. You can go over to aim2.
    • case3: the IBX version remains unchanged 11.0.5497.6285, and the file date&time does not update to your current local PC date&time. something might be wrong. then go to indvpage. if the Upgrade button is unavailable and you cant press it, then something's definitely wrong. it means that your system is a non-working (low IBX) DRM environment. i guess you need to start over again, sorry.

quick instruction steps for aim2:

1. sign up for Zune subscription (Zune Music Pass), launch zune.exe, login, go to Zune Marketplace, download 1 track or album (192kbps WMA's)
2. go to C:\Documents and Settings\bratwurst\My Documents\ and delete the file blackbox-keys.txt if present
3. launch FairUse4WM (any version 1.3 is good, fix0, fix1, fix2, fix3, fix4, .. who cares?) and click on Recover Keys (see video), ..., ..., click Next:
4. drag'n drop the WMA's into the tool window, click Next, .., ..
5. tarah! the WMA's are undrmed and the tool doesnt report any error messages or problems. Perfect undrming job!!

hope this helpz :cool:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Great instructions, thanks for sharing.
Actually.. yours hardly differ from swooshycueb's posts. So good to know that the old/original instructions still work out!
The main difference between your set of steps and his is: Yours include check points. Very helpful.

i get stuck already with step1@aim1
no matter what i try, i cant get deleted wmvcore.dll :p
Safe Mode didnt help..
Some files are protected by the Operating System :(

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Cedric's Unlocker worked best for me.
By the way, if you manage to delete all instances of thefive during a windows session with the help of Unlocker (and dont forget to empty the Recycle Bin), then in your next windows session (after a reboot) none of them will reappear. If some of them reappear, it simply means that you had not managed to delete all remaining instances of them.

Windows cannot generate/reproduce *.DLL files from air (=nothing)!!

So if, for any reason, some of thefive still reappear (after several reboots and after using Unlocker), then placebo is probably right and you are too dumb. ;)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

i will reinstall Windows to compare with your video results..

hehe. :D

here is some alternative blog/thread/post: Tutorial: Zune DRM removal / placebo !!! :eek:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

bratwurst, your instruction steps are fine but not perfect (otherwise we wouldnt get 3 cases at the end, am i right?). your video is indeed amazing and i am able to reproduce the results (=i end up with case2 on a new Windows system) so i am here to reconfirm that it is very possible to prepare a Zune-ready system. :cool:

The step5 (Deleting the DRM-folder) is too radical, too destructive because it includes the deletion of the drmstore.hds file. This file, once it is 100% perfectly set in a WMP10-DRM-environment (with no corruption or whatsoever), is protected against "upgrade attacks" by WMP11-based Zune software. If you delete a good drmstore.hds file, just like that (as suggested by your instructions step5), you destroy a crucial part of the DRM environment and this will lead to case3: indvpage doesnt work anymore.

It is okay/correct to reset the DRM environment from scratch on a dirty WinXP-system (because all of us are on WinXP systems of different degrees of dirtiness) such that a single set of instructions would work for everybody (with no cases1, 2, 3!!!) but the plain and primitive deletion of the DRM-folder is harmful, destructive and does more bad than good.

Please revise this step after reading the following references:

1. You may be unable to play protected content after your computer hardware changes (incl. *Fix it*)
2. When you try use Windows Media Player 11 to play a digital rights management (DRM)-protected media file, the media may not play (incl. *Fix it*)
3. Error message when trying to sign in to or play content from the Zune Marketplace (incl. DRM Reset Tool ResetDRM.exe)
4. How do you manually reset the drm media rights? (incl. DRM Reset Tool ResetDRM.exe)
5. Downloading Licences to play music files on my computer?? (incl. DRM Reset Tool ResetDRM.exe)
6. Migration of DRM Licence fails

Let's note too that there are two (different?) indvpage url's and you may want to check them out both:
Your video demonstrates the case2 end state. It doesnt show how you got there. We'd love to see a video where you demonstrate the full path from a clean winXP to the end state of case2.. :cool:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Zune Music Marketplace Expands to Canada + New Changes to Zune Music Pass in the US / September 29, 2011

terrific link. see all the reactions (comments) and the links at the bottom. Zune is getting big and has many fans. It's now cheaper than Napster-To-Go beggar subscriptions (US$14.95) or Rhapsody Premier Plus (US$14.95)!!!

thanks bratwurst and placebo for your efforts. once the un'DRM environment is setup, Zune is much easier to plunder than Napster. (Rhapsody sucks. We all know it.)

my system is Zune-ready, thanks again!! :) :)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

okay, ive shot a new video.. maybe placebo you can publish its download link in the first post of this thread. it's rather long (~2 hours :eek:) and doesnt contain any trouble shooting because it is a safe way to get to case2 including the download time of the needed material. here the quick instruction steps for a WindowsXP-SP3 system (you may need to reboot in between) for overview, otherwise you get lost while watching the long video:

1. check your IBX version. it is the "high IBX" version, right? and currently you dont have any Zune subscription nor any (old) Zune account (login : pass), right?
2. first uninstall Zune (if it is present on your system), then downgrade your Windows Media Player to WMP9 (any version of WMP 9.00.00.???? is good!),
3. reset the DRM environment. as a last step, delete the full DRM folder contents! and dont visit the indvpages!!
4. go to BBC Iplayer TV webpage and download a video in the Windows Media format (*.WMV), it's FREE and DRM-protected!
5. play the *.WMV video from hdd with WMP9. this step will individualize your system automatically!
6. upgrade your Windows Media Player to (the highest version possible of) WMP10
7. play the *.WMV video from hdd with your WMP10+. this step will upgrade your security components automatically!
8. install Windows Media Format Runtime 11 Beta 2, and reboot
9. at this (latest) point, test FairUse4WM on the *.WMV file ;)
10. visit the two indvpages and check if they are working (Press the Upgrade button, and refresh the page with F5 several times.); after that close/exit Internet Explorer
11. check your IBX version. it is the "low IBX" version, right? And the file date&time has been updated to your current time, right? Then you're on a working "low IBX" DRM-environment. The remainder is the default procedure:
12. install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (if it isnt installed yet), then install Zune 4.8 (zune-x86.msi); launch zune.exe and observe how the IBX file date is updated to the current time. Play some 30sec preview songs and observe how the drmstore.hds grows a little in size. exit zune. launch zune, repeat the fooling around, exit zune, launch zune, repeat the fooling around, etc. Exit zune.
13. check your IBX version again. it is still the "low IBX" version, right? And the file date&time has been again updated to your current time, right? This confirms that you're on a working "low IBX" DRM-environment. Congratulations, your system is Zune-ready!
14. now sign up for Zune subscription FREE trial (feel free to use your old account if you have one), login, download some 192kbps *.WMA-albums/songs, and use FairUse4WM v1.3 (fix0, fix1, fix2, fix3, fix4, ... doesnt matter!) to undrm the songs. The DRM-protected Windows Media files (*.WMV, *.WMA) wont play :D in your customized Windows Media Player but the undrm'ed versions do!
15. From now on, dont tinker with the DRM Reset tools anymore and dont touch the running system: The system (WMP10+ & WMFR11beta2 & zune-x86.msi & low IBX) will remain stable. The following step16 on top is optional and serves demonstrational purpose only:
16. You can update your Windows Media Player (WMP10+) to WMP11 (beta, final, doesnt matter!) if you really want/need it for personal reasons :rolleyes:. As you could see so far, Zune doesnt require WMP11 nor WMP11beta. In fact, Zune hardly uses any WMP components but only some of its DRM-related *.DLL's, so Zune wouldnt and doesnt care if your Windows Media Player is WMP10, WMP11beta, or WMP11final. Of course, you cant install neither the original Microsoft full download package of WMP11final nor of Zune setup package (270MB)... because this would, too, install the latest/final version of Windows Media Format Runtime 11, which in turn will upgrade the IBX to the high IBX version. So here's what you can do without harming your working "low IBX" environment, any of the following three options is safe to perform:
    • If you want to end up with WMP11beta:
      Simply install the full version of Windows Media Player 11 Beta 2. That simple!!
    • If you want to end up with WMP11final:
      With Winrar, open the full version of Windows Media Player 11 and then extract the file called "wmp11.exe". Double-click on it: this will upgrade your WMP10+ to WMP11final.
    • If you want to end up with WMP11final:
      You could do the above two in sequence: Install the full version of WMP11beta2, reboot the PC, install wmp11.exe (extracted from the full final version), reboot the PC, done.

It's interesting to note that the full Zune 4.8 setup package (270MB) contains Windows Media Format Runtime 11 Beta 3, and not the final version. So the key Beta Version is indeed the 11 Beta 2, because the 11 Beta 1 is too DRM crippled and hardly works at all, the 11 Beta 3 upgrades to high IBX version, and the Final 11 upgrades to the high IBX version anyway.

The above set of instructions (16 steps! :eek: ) sounds like a long path to go. This is true only if you're not on a WinXP-SP3 system with the original (i.e. never upgraded from WMP9 and never downgraded back to WMP9) WMP9 installation and if you cant setup a UK proxy or UK vpn for the access to BBC downloads. I actually know several other (shorter) ways to get to "case2" but I am sharing in public only the above set of instructions because they dont involve any credit card ;) or registrations or subscriptions, are FREE and guaranteed to work in future. The only critical step is step2, that's why the video does not start off with an intentionallly dirty WindowsXP-SP3 system but with a fresh Windows installation (+ installed Internet Explorer 8).

Check out the long video (feel free to post it on youtube or whatever) and post your questions (problems, troubleshooting, ..) regarding my set of instructions, thanks!

:)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Well, I'm a bit confused here.

When I individualize (either from the site, or in WMP itself) using WMP9, it works but nothing will play, it just refuses my license.

When I install WMP10, the version found on this site in upload links, as soon as I individualize it, it becomes IBX 11.0.6001.8015. Even though it's WMP10. I tried the whole iPlayer thing, had to get a proxy to do it... same thing.
It's like Microsoft forcibly updates the entire IBX structure.

Am I doing something wrong or is this happening to everybody? I'm using VMWare and literally every time I install XP SP3 and update WMP to version 10, or 11 beta, or ANYTHING - it updates the IBX. So it can't have been something else that was installed before.

Please help, I can't really live without my DRM stripping machine!!

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

hi. i'd like to help (and i am very able to do so) but your posting doesnt contain all the details necessary to do troubleshooting and thus is frustrating, irritating and time-wasting. so i am wasting my time by writing this post with the many questions:
works? (what works, what doesnt work, if you say "nothing" a few words later?)
nothing? (what files are you trying to play?)
refuses? (screenshot please.)
this is most likely due to the high version number of wmVcore.dll. i assume that it's 11.00.00.xxxx, instead of 10.00.00.xxxx. The point is: if you have a clean WMP10 installation, *none* of your DLL's will begin with 11.xx.xx.xxxx.
So what's the version of you wmvcore.dll?
okay, i cant speak for Windows7 and VMWare but on WinXP sp3, microsoft will not forcibly upgrade your IBX version --- That's the whole point of this Zune thread!!!!!!!!!!
Again, what are the version numbers for all other relevant DLL's:
wmp-dll's and drm-dll's ?

They are all located in C:\WINDOWS\system32\*.dll, on a WinXP system.

If you are really on a 100% fresh installation of WinXP-sp3, then the IBX will never get upgraded to the high IBX version; this is what i found out through numerous tests. And with just WMP10 installed on top of the 100% fresh installation of WinXP-sp3, Microsoft wont upgrade to high IBX either. But, as soon as you install full version of WMP11 (beta1, beta2, beta3, final, doesnt matter), the IBX can get forcibly upgraded to high IBX version ... and this will depend on the current history&contents of the DRM-folder (and also of registry values).

question:
Have you ever been able to play the BBC iplayer TV wmv files?

After all, it may be VMWare as primary reason why your IBX gets forcibly upgraded... and the set of instructions were given for WinXP, and not for Win7withWinXPmode or for Win7withVMWarewithWinXP. You've seen my video. Everything works as described.

next time i will ignore posts by users who dont detail from the very beginning (their 1st post/request for help in this thread) what exactly they have been trying to do, what exactly they have already tried to do, what exact system they are on, what exact DLL-versions they are on, and other relevant details. my help/support task is to ANSWER you folks' questions and NOT TO ASK YOU questions, got it??! :rolleyes:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

@drfsupercenter
bratwurst is right. provide much more info and detail on your system so that all of us can examine and analyze why your system ..etc..

@bratwurst
Thanks for the revision of your original set of instructions. The 16 steps are very helpful and work for me perfectly well! Are you working on an updated video? I havent received any link (PM) from you yet!! :confused:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Alright, I'll just make a video to make this easier, so I can show you exactly what I'm doing.

Also, the problem with the iPlayer videos is that I live in America and need to use a proxy to get the licenses... and since the proxy I'm using (through FoxyProxy) requires a login, it won't let me individualize with it. Here's a file that I've had for years and usually use to individualize my systems, can somebody look at it and see if it does the same as the iPlayer files?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/3tt0o8

It's a music video that I got off of MTV.com back before they used Flash videos. It has DRM, but the license is free and will always work fine provided your system is individualized. I'm asking because I don't want somebody to assume that this video is causing the problem or anything :P
(I did download one from BBC, but I have to use a proxy and it ends up just sitting there saying "storing license" for 20 minutes before I have to forcibly close it and nothing happened.)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

c'mon dude, you didnt answer any of the question, especially the list of DLL-versions on your system?

your posts frustrate me! :D

yeah, on a Winxp with full WMP11 your WMV file upgrades to high IBX. let'see if i can use it in my set of instructions instead of the BBC crap. thanks for share. might be valuable/useful!

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

There you go.

Though something weird, apparently you can no longer individualize WMP9 systems anymore. It just gives an error about the service being offline... :eek:

So yeah, I don't know what, if anything, I'm doing wrong, all my DLL's were "virgin" 9.0 versions, yet my DRM mysteriously made itself 11...

--EDIT--

I tried another VM (I have a 'virgin system' of XP SP3 that I just clone whenever I want to test things) and installed WMP10 in a way that made my wmvcore have the same version 10 as the rest of them. Still gave me the newest IndivBox.

--EDIT 2--

I tried installing those three Windows Updates (again, on a fresh system) before individualizing. Still gives me the newest IBX. It seems that the wmvcore.dll only stays at version 9 if I attempt (and fail) to individualize the system while still on 9 - if I install 10 without playing anything DRM on 9, it updates on first go.

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

ok dude, THANKS A LOT FOR THE VIDEO (your time and efforts), appreciated, great job!
ok here some points:

1. install WMP10 again (=just double-click on the setup.exe again!!) and then reboot. then wmvcore.dll will be 10.00.00.xxxx version.

2. you did NOT do any DRM-resetting. There are at least 3 DRM-resetting tools available (see a few posts above in this zune thread). fire them off all! and AGAIN delete the contents of the DRM-folder.

3. then, when you visit ALT1 and or ALT2 of the indvpage, your system will produce the low IBX version (= 11.0.5497.6285).

4. the keypoint failure in your video then has to be your video (because my set of instructions specifically refer to BBC, and not MTV), but let me keep you posted on this. i will test it with my HDD images tomorrow, no problem.

Several components of the DRM environment influence the generation of the IBX version: it's your installed DRM-dll's and most notably the wmvcore.dll file, but also the EXISTING contents of the DRM-folder (that's why "the history", 16 steps!!!, is important), and of course the DRM license server itself, plus the wma/wmv media you're trying to play (offline).

Zune server is trimmed to upgrade your IBX to the high IBX, and apparently the MTV-video connects to a server which tries to upgrade to high IBX as well.

okay, while i am asleep, you can try the following proxy for the BBC WMV files:
http://securitykiss.com (install the client and launch it. set UK ip address!)

With it, download the BBC file from this thread:
_http://stream-recorder.com/forum/can-anyone-download-and-play-bbc-iplayer-t10163.html

Then start anew (with HDD image, in your VMware) with FRESH winxp-sp3 installation (with its original wmp9). and try again (for the last time) the 16 steps; step1 and step2 fall flat, thanks God.

Being able to play the BBC video offline (with wmp9, then wmp10) is the crucial step in my set of instructions. Just let us know how it goes. (and forget your MTV video!!!)

my video should be uploaded within a few days (sorry for the delay. i've been busy watching the full series of Breaking Bad, all seasons).

Thanks again for the youtube video. Great job.

Wrong observation/conclusion. the wmvcore.dll file is an installed file (and sometimes WMP10 has to be installed twice to make sure that it is installed) and will not be changed or exchanged by use of indvpage or playing files. OKAY, STOP. Forget your MTV video. Use only ALT1 and ALT2 (not ALT3!) of the indvpages.
Your video shows that on your system the two indvpages DO NOT work. THEY SHOULD WORK!! (Try to use the drmreset.exe's and delete the DRM-folder. CLOSE ALL INSTANCES OF WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER. Then launch ie8 (not ie6 or ie7. you need ie8!!!) and visit ALT1 of indvpage. THIS WILL WORK!

Maybe i forgot to mention that you need Internet Explorer 8 (and not the original IE7, IE6 or lower!).

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Confirmed. "The security upgrade cannot be performed because the server is not available. Try again later."-error message. I hope this is a temporary problem with the Microsoft indvpages and the other DRM license servers (BBC, MTV, ..). As long as the DRM servers are down, we cant do any kind of testing.

Maybe Microsoft is reading this thread and acting accordingly? :rolleyes:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Personally I think there's just something weird going on, somewhat like a forced upgrade - that makes it so you either can't play DRM protected videos or you'll have the newest IBX version.

iTunes did something similar back in the days of JHymn, you needed version 4.9 for the program to work, so they basically forced you to upgrade to version 6. If you were on 4.9, it would "mysteriously" error until they changed it to a message saying "you need to upgrade".

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

So I just tried an entirely new installation (I installed XP SP3 in a brand new VM, installed IE8 and nothing else, then installed WMP10 twice)

Went to alt1 of that indivbox site... still gives me 11.0.6001.8015. I think MS is now forcibly upgrading everybody to that version, because no matter what I do I cannot get an older IBX... :eek: :confused:

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

(yes, we are)

:D

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Yea anything I do gets me 11.0.6001.8015.

Clean XP, WMP10, all v 10. dlls, (Including Core). There is not IBX file in my DRM folder. The second I play anything that needs a licenses(that ridin_Full video) Boom! 11.0.6001.8015.

Hell, I pay for the Zune-pass monthly with no plans on stoping... but I want it on 4 devices... Wife's ZHD, Kids ZHD, my Phone7, and my ZHD. (Yes I still use my ZHD as I have docks, in the car, work, living room, and zK350)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Avoid M$ malware software, services, gadgets,... using DRM, and stay out of trouble. Don't risk losing your legally purchased music collection! Request DRM-free services everywhere!

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

okay, i guess the times of mass-downloading and mass-unDRMing of files by Napster, Zune, Kazaa, MusicMe and Rhapsody are over, but there are still other fine services from where you can **ea* the songs and full albums. Some of them stream in 192kbps MP3 (e.g. RDIO, WE7, (SIMFY)), in 256kbps MP3 (e.g. PLAYME), or in 320kbps MP3 (e.g. GOOM, ********), if you dont want to waste your time with audio/sound recording streams by SPOTIFY or DZR.

Some people like Spotify and Deezer. But if you're into "recording from soundcard", then i'd rather sign up for Napster or Zune, download the 192k wma's and convert the DRM-protected wma's with foobar2000 (or any other player which can playback DRM-protected wma's like Winamp). Recording from soundcard, e.g. with Replay Music is the least practical method to secure legally purchased music and not recommended by me ;)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

If you're just doing music, I recommend SoundTaxi. Yes, it's lossy, but if you can't decrypt it, then it actually works pretty well, I used to use that program way back before I discovered lossless ways of doing it. (You could convert it to a much higher bitrate, like 320kbps mp3, and essentially not lose any quality)

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

thats what im worried about with sound taxi and Tunebite, is the quality.

What is the lossless way? how about a hint, ill do the research.


EDIT: Ohh Lossless is the removal of DRM vs re-recording (stream?) Like FairUse4WM

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Right. Lossless would be decrypting the file.

But since that doesn't seem to be possible anymore, at least with most music services like Zune and Napster, the only real option is a lossy method - of which SoundTaxi is quite great. Think about it: your source file is 192kbps WMA... if you save it to 320kbps that's almost DOUBLE the quality, so you shouldn't really have any issues.

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

SoundTaxi? never heard of it before. so do you sincerely and really recommend it (instead of conversion with Winamp or foobar)?

then i will have a look at it and consider buying it.
i certainly like tools which directly support "our purpose".

Thanks for the great tip!
Other tools similar to soundtaxi are:
Audials Tunebite, and
Aimersoft DRM Music Converter (formerly: Daniusoft Digital Music Converter)

...none of which i have personally tested.

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Winamp and foobar can play encrypted WMA? I didn't think they could.

The only other method I knew of (and keep in mind, this was back in like 2006 before FairUse4WM was created) was to burn the track to a CD, then re-rip it. But obviously with stuff like Zune Pass, you can't do that if the license doesn't allow it.

(I've only dealt in Wal-Mart music downloads back then, they were all 128kbps encrypted WMA. They then changed to mp3, like Amazon did, and a few months ago just shut the store down alltogether since Amazon was beating them sales-wise)

SoundTaxi does (or at least DID, back in 2006) support WMA and unlike having to play it through the sound card and record the output, it somehow can directly convert it to other formats. So if you can't decrypt it, I'd say that's the next best option since conversion will sound better than recording, at least IMO.
Not quite sure if the program even works anymore, I'll try it myself and see LOL

--EDIT--

I have used Tunebite too, that program *does* record through the sound card, in fact what it does is make a "fake" sound card that can play the audio back at 4x speed rather than real-time. It still basically records it though. How do I know SoundTaxi doesn't record it? It only takes like 15 seconds to convert a 4-minute song :D

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

Alright, I downloaded the trial, made a temporary Zune Pass account and yeah, it does indeed work.

It appears to be a bit slower than I remember, perhaps now they HAVE to record the file? Like Tunebite, it actually does install its own proprietary driver. When it's doing the actual conversion, it uses some "Media Protected Framework" by Microsoft, I don't see a WMP running anywhere, so I'm not quite sure how it works (and since it's not free, perhaps that's the idea? ;) )

The trial only lets you do up to 90 seconds, which is a bit annoying. I actually did pay for the software back in 2006, but I seem to have lost all my emails from back then so I can't find my serial :(

Maybe someone here wants to buy a copy and license it to "Stream Recorder Forums?" :rolleyes:

So yeah, I definitely recommend using Soundtaxi - just go into settings and tell it to use 320kbps instead of 170ish, and you should be set. It claims to be able to convert videos too, I haven't actually tested that out - but if it's anything like Tunebite, it actually plays the video and records your screen, it's just automated, quite a waste of CPU if you ask me.

Re: [Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

 

hmm. thanks for the test and info!
i will test all four programs (Tunebite, Soundtaxi, aimersoft drm music converter, winamp) more seriously when i am on a napster or zune subscription again. if any of the four uses recording techniques (from soundcard or soundboard), i will uninstall it from hdd. i hate sound recording! ;)

lossless drm stripping would be the best method. after that comes lossy conversion (with no soundboard involved). yeah, foobar doesnt play drm-protected wma's, sucks. winamp.. i think it does (see wikipedia). but i hate winamp too. so. :D

so drf, we're not sure if soundtaxi does actual conversion (similar to foobar type of conversions) or merely soundboard recording? argh.