Vista's mfpmp.exe (DRM Component)

[Ekhaatvensters]

People have talked a lot about this, so I started experimenting with it.

Every time I start Windows Media Player and play an MP3 mfpmp (Media Foundation Protection bla bla.. .EXE ) starts running. This little exe is only 24kb (in /System32) but uses 5mb or so in Task Manager. It then also clocks up some pretty impressive CPU usages percentages for many people.

I noticed that my WMP11 gets "stuck" for a second every time I skip to a new position in a song or movie (all non-DRM content). So I took full control of the file mfpmp.exe and simply renamed it. Now it doesn't get executed by WMP, and my music subsequently has no pauses in skipping, it is instant again as under Windows XP. I assume the skipping was just because of my slightly old CPU and then the usage from this DRM "feature".

Does anyone know more about this, whether it was actually using enough CPU to be the sole cause of my playback getting stuck when skipping through even a normal MP3? This is what it seems like atm, not a very good sign

EDIT: By the way, before disabling this if I tried to kill the mfpmp.exe process it would simply kill my music too. WMP would stay open but the audio would get cut off. However after killing it completely one of my albums (out of MANY) refuse to play. Very strange because it is downloaded off the internet, just like most of the other CD's in my media library :/

 

[nGAGEd55]

Doubt it's because of a spike in the CPU usage. When i killed it, skipping within music also became more instant and I have a C2D E6600, and my CPU usage stays low, didnt notice any spikes...

but it is kinda worrying... what exactly is that process doing?

 

[RichardP]

Here is a writeup on the DRM

Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want. These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure. They'll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will cause technical support problems. They may even require you to upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software. And these features won't do anything useful. In fact, they're working against you. They're digital rights management (DRM) features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment industry.

And you don't get to refuse them.

http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/10/microsoft-vista-drm-tech-security-cz_bs_0212vista.html

Another link to its "Features"
http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/w...-protection-twenty-questions-and-answers.aspx


http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html

Windows Vista includes an extensive reworking of core OS elements in order to provide content protection for so-called “premium content”, typically HD data from Blu-Ray and HD-DVD sources. Providing this protection incurs considerable costs in terms of system performance, system stability, technical support overhead, and hardware and software cost. These issues affect not only users of Vista but the entire PC industry, since the effects of the protection measures extend to cover all hardware and software that will ever come into contact with Vista, even if it's not used directly with Vista (for example hardware in a Macintosh computer or on a Linux server). This document analyses the cost involved in Vista's content protection, and the collateral damage that this incurs throughout the computer industry.

 

[Abe]

Every time I start Windows Media Player and play an MP3 mfpmp (Media Foundation Protection bla bla.. .EXE ) starts running. This little exe is only 24kb (in /System32) but uses 5mb or so in Task Manager. It then also clocks up some pretty impressive CPU usages percentages for many people.

Have you tried running Media Player Classic? I would be interested if the DRM stuff was in the OS or only Media Player. http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Media_Player_Classic.htm

 

[Ekhaatvensters]

Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want. These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure. They'll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will cause technical support problems. They may even require you to upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software. And these features won't do anything useful. In fact, they're working against you. They're digital rights management (DRM) features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment industry.

This sounds very negative and isn't backed up by anything. In fact he's just saying everything bad he could say, I doubt DRM makes my computer any less reliable. I'm just wondering exactly what the effect of this process, and possibly the subsequent DRM services being deployed, is?

Especially seeing as it has an effect on audio playback.

 

[PeterCH]

Delete Windows Vista, give it to your worst enemy and go out buy a Mac or at least go back to XP/2K.

 

[Ekhaatvensters]

Have you tried running Media Player Classic? I would be interested if the DRM stuff was in the OS or only Media Player. http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Media_Player_Classic.htm

I use Media Player Classic for all my videos. I never checked before if it runs, and this process might only be for audio. I'll have to re-enable mfpmp and try again.

Okay, the answer is that it is only used by Media Player. MPC (and iTunes, Winamp VLC etc) does not enable the process. Also, in WMP11 I cannot play one of my albums without enabling mfpmp, while it works fine playing through MPC with DRM not running.

I can also see the CPU increase by re-enabling mfpmp.exe, WMP11 went from using 4-10% to using 11-25%.

Not good. Unfortunately I will have to sacrifice the new Blind Guardian CD, I like having my skipping instant and using less CPU listening to music while gaming.

So is this maybe just a feature of Windows Media player more than Vista? Well, I guess not seeing as it is in System32 :/ Luckily it only affects WMP, too bad WMP was actually the best media library around for me.

 

[PeterCH]

XP users use the same Windows media player 11, so it's more of a Vista thing.

 

[ShockG]

Why is it always easy to blame VIsta/Windows instead of the cause of the problem?

DRM is by the entertainment industry, to protect their content. For Vista/WMP to be compliant it needs to subscribe to the protection mechanisms of the industry...
How this is a Microsoft doing has yet to be explained to me.

PeterCH last time you put your foot in your mouth about Vista you never came back to defend your suppositions, don't run away this time.

 

[Xarog]

Why is it always easy to blame VIsta/Windows instead of the cause of the problem?

DRM is by the entertainment industry, to protect their content. For Vista/WMP to be compliant it needs to subscribe to the protection mechanisms of the industry...
How this is a Microsoft doing has yet to be explained to me.

PeterCH last time you put your foot in your mouth about Vista you never came back to defend your suppositions, don't run away this time.

Easy, microsoft built their whole frikken OS around the concept.

Just because the entertainment industry moans about something doesn't mean everyone else has to listen.

 

[ShockG]

No, MS didnt' build Vista around DRM to work around. There was no DRM when MS started working on Vista in 2001 or so...
Try again...

For Vista to claim HD Video playback it needs to be compliant, just like for a HDTV to be compliant it needs an HDCP chip that can send signal over a DVI or HDMI connection... You wanna whine, start at whose responsible.

 

[Xarog]

No, MS didnt' build Vista around DRM to work around. There was no DRM when MS started working on Vista in 2001 or so...
Try again...

Irrelevant, DRM is still a core part of the OS. MS didn't have to do that.

For Vista to claim HD Video playback it needs to be compliant, just like for a HDTV to be compliant it needs an HDCP chip that can send signal over a DVI or HDMI connection... You wanna whine, start at whose responsible.

And who told them to purposefully insert distortions into cd -> mp3 conversions?

 

[nGAGEd55]

And who told them to purposefully insert distortions into cd -> mp3 conversions?

my mp3s that i've ripped with wmp11 sound perfectly fine, something else must be wrong...

 

[Ric_Pit]

mfpmp--- wtf!

People have talked a lot about this, so I started experimenting with it.

Every time I start Windows Media Player and play an MP3 mfpmp (Media Foundation Protection bla bla.. .EXE ) starts running. This little exe is only 24kb (in /System32) but uses 5mb or so in Task Manager. It then also clocks up some pretty impressive CPU usages percentages for many people.

I noticed that my WMP11 gets "stuck" for a second every time I skip to a new position in a song or movie (all non-DRM content). So I took full control of the file mfpmp.exe and simply renamed it. Now it doesn't get executed by WMP, and my music subsequently has no pauses in skipping, it is instant again as under Windows XP. I assume the skipping was just because of my slightly old CPU and then the usage from this DRM "feature".

Does anyone know more about this, whether it was actually using enough CPU to be the sole cause of my playback getting stuck when skipping through even a normal MP3? This is what it seems like atm, not a very good sign

EDIT: By the way, before disabling this if I tried to kill the mfpmp.exe process it would simply kill my music too. WMP would stay open but the audio would get cut off. However after killing it completely one of my albums (out of MANY) refuse to play. Very strange because it is downloaded off the internet, just like most of the other CD's in my media library :/

Dear Mr. Ekhaatvensters:
I have same problem, but with the little difference that when a list in WMP is playing, and next song (I do not know why), starts jumping, blinking and skipping..

1) If I open TaskManager and kill fmpmp.exe, song stops, but if I played again with double click (exactly same song that skips), it starts NORMALLY, and if

2)another song with that problem starts, the fmpmp.exe comes again, appears in Taskmanager and starts skipping the song, and as all of you guys sure are thinking, this is a completely ****.

Now I am using Winamp, for this reason and for others, like:

1. When you drag a song to the colored part in the "Now Playing", song adds to the last place!
2. when you drag a song to bottom part, where you can see the Stop, FastForward, Pause buttons, ALL your list goes to the hell and the song you are dragging is presented as the only song you want to play!, ofcourse, if you was trying to make a good selection, everything goes directly to the hell.
3. why if I have a cool "now playing list" and someone introduce a CD to play it with that "now playing list", WHY ALL the songs just DESAPPEAR and just put there the songs in the cd!! I have to remember all songs I had!
4. when you make a right click on your song that you want to add to a "playlist", right click, "add to" and appear all playlists, additional playlist appear too, but, what if I have that song already in a song list?
5. My WMPlayer, make a "click" just 15 seconds before the other song is gonna be played, I have an Intel Core 2 DUO T7250 with 3 GB RAM, 32bits, Vista Home Premius SP1. WHY I have to listen to a small retard just 15 second before next song is played, DAMN!
6. why if I close this my WMP, why do I have to call again ALL that songs I was listening? if I do not have that "now playing music" saved.

WINAMP just donno do ALL THAT!

but lets go back to your super-solution:

you said:

"So I took full control of the file mfpmp.exe and simply renamed it. "

I tried all I know, from DOS, starting just with Sys Symbol, to change the name of mfpmp.exe, rename it, change attrib -s -h -r, nothing at all let me change the name, erase it, move it man.

Please, Tell me how can you did that, PLEASE!

What do you think about this link, Mr. Ekhaatvensters?

http://www.petri.co.il/add-take-ownership-context-menu-vista.htm

Ric.

 

[ponder]

Irrelevant, DRM is still a core part of the OS. MS didn't have to do that.

+1

I hate it when an OS tells me how, when & where if at all I can play content on my machine with my media. It's BS, so much for consumer rights & fair usage.

 

[Ekhaatvensters]

Dear Mr. Ekhaatvensters:
Please, Tell me how can you did that, PLEASE!

That link sounds like an easy way.
Otherwise the full procedure is right click -> Properties -> Security -> Advanced -> Owner tab -> Edit -> Select your username - > Apply. Close all the dialog windows then right click again -> Properties -> Security -> Edit and give yourself full control.

I think that's all you need to do anyway, but you can google it pretty easily too. Then you'll only be allowed to rename it and it shouldn't run, check the task list (crtl alt delete) to see if it is while music's playing.