Tutorial: Remove DRM from WMV on Windows XP with freeware FairUse4WM

[Lakestone]

Tutorial for how to remove DRM from WMV on Windows XP with Windows Media Player above 10 using FairUse4WM

I found that the information about how to succeed with this task was very scattered and there were broken links everywhere, so I decided to create this step by step guide to simply pay it forward. I read all other tutorials I could find on this forum and on google, but when following them, I only got errors.

So after about 12 hours of reading, reformatting/reinstalling and trying different things, I came up with something that worked for me, and of course I'm going to share it with you guys who still cannot get it to work!

* Downgrade WMP *
1a. First try to uninstall via the add/remove under the control panel.

1b. If it doesn't work, go to Program Files and delete the Windows Media Player folder.

2. Try step 1a again.

3a. Go to Microsoft's web-site

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/AllDownloads.aspx

and download Windows Media Player 10, then install it.

3b. If the system complains about a newer version already being installed, read "Fully uninstall WMP".

* Fully uninstall WMP *
1. Click Start->run and enter "regedit", then click ok.

2. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr ent Version\Uninstall

3. Click on the entry for Media Player.

4. Double-click on the Uninstall-String, and copy the value in the Value "Data field".

5. Close the Registry Editor, and click Start->Run again.

6. This time, paste the string you just copied and click ok.

7. Follow the steps to uninstall WMP, the system will prompt you about installing older versions than the one that came with the system, but you just don't give a shit about Microsoft nor their lousy products and of course choose to click ok.

* Remove DRM protection with FairUse4WM *

1. Remove all content inside "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM".

2. Open up Internet Explorer and go to

http://services.wmdrm.windowsmedia.com/indivSite/en/indivit.asp

and click upgrade.

3. Open up the protected WMV-file up in WMP 10 and get your licence.

4. Download FairUse4Wm @

http://www.box.net/shared/ac286lzgji

MD5: 12815576c78a799114025b3b266dd156
VirusTotal report about FairUse4Wm.exe

5. Open up FairUse4Wm.exe and click "Recover Keys".

6. Click next and select your WMV-file and release it.

You can of course get the licence for all your files first, before you run FairUse4Wm.

Good Luck!