Remove DRM from WMA files

Someone made a file to do it and within hours microsoft took it down (years back though so not sure if things have changed).
 
Instead of trying to crack the files themselves, why not record them on another PC when playing them at the same time?

You'll need two PC's and a male-male stereo headphone connector.

On PC1 plug it into 'earphone' or 'speaker', on PC2 plug it into 'mic'

Get a good MP3 recording program, and record it thusly.

Or won't it work?
 
The_Librarian said:
Instead of trying to crack the files themselves, why not record them on another PC when playing them at the same time?

You'll need two PC's and a male-male stereo headphone connector.

On PC1 plug it into 'earphone' or 'speaker', on PC2 plug it into 'mic'

Get a good MP3 recording program, and record it thusly.

Or won't it work?
Click to expand...

You need the license key on any pc to decrypt in the first place... If you've copied a WMA file from a mate or similar - you can't do squat without HIS license key... The DRM can be removed but you need the license keys first - the software, it seems, effectively decrypts it using the original key and stores it without the encryption...

Darn...
 
kalevra said:
You need the license key on any pc to decrypt in the first place... If you've copied a WMA file from a mate or similar - you can't do squat without HIS license key... The DRM can be removed but you need the license keys first - the software, it seems, effectively decrypts it using the original key and stores it without the encryption...

Darn...
Click to expand...

Ahhhh... learnt something...
 
kalevra said:
Fark... it's asking me for a SID - I'm guessing removal of DRM can only be done on the computer that has the DRM keys already... Not say if I had downloaded a DRM protected file?

I'm guessing you'd need to brute force it then? Or am I not understanding this properly?
Click to expand...

Can't find a single thing that attempts to brute force... might be better spending your time trying to locate unprotected files?
 
Random717 said:
Can't find a single thing that attempts to brute force... might be better spending your time trying to locate unprotected files?
Click to expand...

I'm think the same :( screw this dam DRM - and anyway who distributes DRM protected content in the first place! It didn't even take me anywhere when I clicked to go retrieve/purchase a license.
 
There is an even easier 'backdoor' method than one of the posts above suggested, if you want to go the route of simply re-recording the track. You should be able to do it using just one computer, not two as suggested -- definitely works for me on a fairly basic Toshiba laptop.

Get yourself the best of the freebie audio recording apps, Audacity. Then play the WMA track in the normal way, probably through Windows Media Player, and while it's playing, record the sound-card's output (it's usually identified as something like Stereo Mix) at a high-quality setting. Then save the resulting output in Audacity as whatever you want, e.g. MP3 -- which will of course have no DRM! Finish and klaar, sorted.

In rare cases where this doesn't work, all you need is a mini-jack to mini-jack audio cable coming out of the computer's audio output socket and going into the computer's microphone (or line-in, better) socket, same deal!
 
Terencek said:
There is an even easier 'backdoor' method than one of the posts above suggested, if you want to go the route of simply re-recording the track. You should be able to do it using just one computer, not two as suggested -- definitely works for me on a fairly basic Toshiba laptop.

Get yourself the best of the freebie audio recording apps, Audacity. Then play the WMA track in the normal way, probably through Windows Media Player, and while it's playing, record the sound-card's output (it's usually identified as something like Stereo Mix) at a high-quality setting. Then save the resulting output in Audacity as whatever you want, e.g. MP3 -- which will of course have no DRM! Finish and klaar, sorted.

In rare cases where this doesn't work, all you need is a mini-jack to mini-jack audio cable coming out of the computer's audio output socket and going into the computer's microphone (or line-in, better) socket, same deal!
Click to expand...

Thanks - nice idea. This, however, won't work if you can't play the WMA in the first place due to lack of license. E.g. you lost your license etc ... Then you're just screwed.
 
Then just redownload it. If you paid for it originally but can't play it due to stupid DRM then your conscience is clear when you pirate the damn stuff which you purchased a license for.
 
Microsoft themselves has a tool which removes the DRM from WMA files:
It's called
**Digital Rights Update Tool** from their MS Store:

www.microsoft.com

Digital Rights Update Tool - Free download and install on Windows | Microsoft Store

The Digital Rights Update Tool removes the copy protection you added when ripping CDs to the .wma format from within Windows Media Player. Other forms of copy protection cannot be removed.
www.microsoft.com
 
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