[Tutorial] Zune DRM removal

[tthorntone]

Originally Posted by bratwurst

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!

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!

[Foog]

Give it a try in safe mode

[bratwurst]

Originally Posted by tthorntone

can you just please type of the steps needed to accomplish this?

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

[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

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.

Originally Posted by Foog

Give it a try in safe mode

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

[bratwurst]

Originally Posted by placebo

If you fail to delete one or more of the 5 DLL's, then this is your problem. Not mine. And you lose, good-bye!
No, seriously. This is your problem. If you are too dumb to delete files from your system, then you are too dumb. Use Eraser (this works for sure, and also read How to delete files protected by TrustedInstaller or else use Cedric's Unlocker!) or call a RL friend of yours

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.

[placebo]

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

Originally Posted by bratwurst

then placebo is probably right and you are too dumb.

hehe.

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

[placebo]

Originally Posted by bratwurst

5. delete the complete contents of the DRM-folder

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.

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:

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

http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp

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..

[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

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!!

[bratwurst]

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 ) 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 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 . 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! ) 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!

[drfsupercenter]

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!!