Hi everyone,
I'm wondering if anyone knows a location where PlayReady might store a backup file of its database for recordings. I had recorded a bunch of movies back when we had a free preview of HBO (May '22, believe it or not) and was hoping to watch them. All of them say that they are copy protected and can only be played on the computer that made the original recording. I started clicking around and all the older movies--back to 2015/2016--also do not work. More recent recordings--Springsteen on Howard Stern--works.
I'm guessing that it had something to do with the Windows Update breaking Media Center that happened late last year/early this year. I had no clue that whatever I did to fix that would actually break the copy protection. EDIT: I checked and there is an mspr.old file along with mspr.hds, but renaming the .old file to .hds didn't work.
If anyone has a suggestion about where else I might look for the back up files, I'd appreciate it. I can live without watching The Batman but my kids will be said if Air Buddies and Home Alone are no longer viewable. . . .
Thanks!
EDIT #2: Alas, tinkering with renaming the mpsr files seems to have made it so that NONE of the files will play, including the ones I had most recently recorded and were working just an hour or so ago. . . .
Playready Backup?
-
Springsteen76
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:42 am
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
-
Space
- Posts: 2841
- Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:44 pm
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
I believe you need to stop the "Windows Media Center Receiver Service" before you swap out the mspr.hds file and then restart the service (as has been reported by others in these forums).
Also, the mspr.hds file is useless if the PlayReady signature of your machine changed for any reason since the recording licenses for individual recordings were written to the mspr.hds. I don't know what you had to do to recover from a Windows Update, but if it involved messing with PlayReady, then this may very well be the case.
If you, for instance, "reset" PlayReady (which I believe assigns a new signature to your machine) then the old mspr.hds licenses are no longer valid.
The licenses in the mspr.hds are paired with the signature of your machine to determine if you can play back a recording. If your current machine signature does not match the machine signature at the time of the recording, then you will be unable to play back the recording. This is so you cannot just take the mspr.hds file from one machine and put it on another machine and be able to play back the copy protected recordings.
I suspect that if your current mspr.hds file does not work to play back old content, no older/backup one will work either. Any specific license for a recording that is in the mspr.hds will be no different than the one that is in an older backup (except in the rare case of file corruption).
Also, the mspr.hds file is useless if the PlayReady signature of your machine changed for any reason since the recording licenses for individual recordings were written to the mspr.hds. I don't know what you had to do to recover from a Windows Update, but if it involved messing with PlayReady, then this may very well be the case.
If you, for instance, "reset" PlayReady (which I believe assigns a new signature to your machine) then the old mspr.hds licenses are no longer valid.
The licenses in the mspr.hds are paired with the signature of your machine to determine if you can play back a recording. If your current machine signature does not match the machine signature at the time of the recording, then you will be unable to play back the recording. This is so you cannot just take the mspr.hds file from one machine and put it on another machine and be able to play back the copy protected recordings.
I suspect that if your current mspr.hds file does not work to play back old content, no older/backup one will work either. Any specific license for a recording that is in the mspr.hds will be no different than the one that is in an older backup (except in the rare case of file corruption).
-
Springsteen76
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:42 am
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
I don't remember resetting PlayReady, although it's entirely possible that I did it as part of trying to reinstall WMC after the Update crashed it. I thought, in fact, that I ultimately solved the problem by doing a System Restore and not installing new updates, which (to me) means that the changes shouldn't matter.
However, I wonder if tinkering with the file name--which changed the date of the file--affected the "legitimacy" of the recordings made since then. I tried a System Restore but that didn't help; it seems like the files were among those not restored. If that is the case, then even doing a system restore after (accidentally) resetting PlayReady wouldn't bring them back.
It's a bummer. We've had this system and movies recorded on it since like 2011, a big chunk of which are now unviewable. On the bright side, I guess there's nothing preventing me from getting a newer system now
However, I wonder if tinkering with the file name--which changed the date of the file--affected the "legitimacy" of the recordings made since then. I tried a System Restore but that didn't help; it seems like the files were among those not restored. If that is the case, then even doing a system restore after (accidentally) resetting PlayReady wouldn't bring them back.
It's a bummer. We've had this system and movies recorded on it since like 2011, a big chunk of which are now unviewable. On the bright side, I guess there's nothing preventing me from getting a newer system now
-
Space
- Posts: 2841
- Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:44 pm
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
I don't think a system restore touches that file. Only your own backups would make a backup of any kind of that file as far as I know.
I don't think renaming or changing the date of the file should affect it working (at least I don't recall anyone ever reporting that), so I think you, at least, should be able to get the more recent recordings working.
I feel you pain, however, I have about 20 TERABYTES of movies recorded from copy protected channels that I can currently not watch due to my main WMC PC motherboard going bad. I hope to be able to troubleshoot that at some point (and hope it is just something simple like loose chips or something), but just haven't had the time or motivation to tackle that yet...
Search these forums for "mspr.hds" and you should find postings about various tests that some have done with this file. From my recollection it was fairly robust, and as long as the signature of your system hasn't changed, you can swap multiple versions of the mspr.hds file in and out and they still work (as long as both mspr.hds files were created on the same machine with the same signature).
I don't think renaming or changing the date of the file should affect it working (at least I don't recall anyone ever reporting that), so I think you, at least, should be able to get the more recent recordings working.
I feel you pain, however, I have about 20 TERABYTES of movies recorded from copy protected channels that I can currently not watch due to my main WMC PC motherboard going bad. I hope to be able to troubleshoot that at some point (and hope it is just something simple like loose chips or something), but just haven't had the time or motivation to tackle that yet...
Search these forums for "mspr.hds" and you should find postings about various tests that some have done with this file. From my recollection it was fairly robust, and as long as the signature of your system hasn't changed, you can swap multiple versions of the mspr.hds file in and out and they still work (as long as both mspr.hds files were created on the same machine with the same signature).
-
Springsteen76
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:42 am
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
Having searched through the forums--Wow you've been working on this issue for a long time! Thanks for all your help.
I tried again to either replace the "new" file with the .old file or to get the existing file to work, with no luck. I'm going to try the following:
1) Revert back from the previous system restore.
2) Having backed up those files, I might try to update PlayReady. I know it can be a huge, huge hassle but if I can do that, I can copy the mspr.hds file back and hopefully that will work.
3) Look harder for a system image. I have backups of all the shows on another hard drive, and I remember clearly creating an image, like seven years ago. Now I just have to find it.
I've loved WMC for years, but man is this frustrating. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose that many movies! I guess I'm lucky that we've never actually subscribed to any premium channels, so we'd only record stuff when free previews were available. It's adding insult to injury when your motherboard dies and then you can't watch your movies. . . .
I tried again to either replace the "new" file with the .old file or to get the existing file to work, with no luck. I'm going to try the following:
1) Revert back from the previous system restore.
2) Having backed up those files, I might try to update PlayReady. I know it can be a huge, huge hassle but if I can do that, I can copy the mspr.hds file back and hopefully that will work.
3) Look harder for a system image. I have backups of all the shows on another hard drive, and I remember clearly creating an image, like seven years ago. Now I just have to find it.
I've loved WMC for years, but man is this frustrating. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose that many movies! I guess I'm lucky that we've never actually subscribed to any premium channels, so we'd only record stuff when free previews were available. It's adding insult to injury when your motherboard dies and then you can't watch your movies. . . .
-
Space
- Posts: 2841
- Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:44 pm
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
I'd be careful with updating PlayReady, I don't think that is something that will fix anything regarding previous recordings, that is usually only done to make it so that you can record NEW recordings and view live TV when you are having issues doing so. But to be honest, PlayReady is a bit of a mystery to me, as I guess it is supposed to be.
As for an older image, yes, you should be able to restore an older image (as long as you backed up and restore all critical partitions, it is more than just the C: drive partition, there is also one or more other smaller system partitions that may need to have been backed up and restored, these are very important to have PlayReady work correctly and not change your signature) and then copy over the latest mspr.hds file and it SHOULD work.
I'm not sure what happens when the PlayReady system signature changes, it makes everything in the existing mspr.hds worthless, so it may also wipe out this file, but I'm not sure. If it does, then you may need a copy of the mspr.hds from just before the signature changed (if you can guess when that might have happened, if it did) to play back any recording made before that change, and then you may need the new mspr.hds file to play back anything you recorded AFTER the signature change.
Note that most of this is just based on my own experience and recollections from others that have posted here. I may be incorrect about some of this, and I don't think anyone here knows fully how everything works.
As for an older image, yes, you should be able to restore an older image (as long as you backed up and restore all critical partitions, it is more than just the C: drive partition, there is also one or more other smaller system partitions that may need to have been backed up and restored, these are very important to have PlayReady work correctly and not change your signature) and then copy over the latest mspr.hds file and it SHOULD work.
I'm not sure what happens when the PlayReady system signature changes, it makes everything in the existing mspr.hds worthless, so it may also wipe out this file, but I'm not sure. If it does, then you may need a copy of the mspr.hds from just before the signature changed (if you can guess when that might have happened, if it did) to play back any recording made before that change, and then you may need the new mspr.hds file to play back anything you recorded AFTER the signature change.
Note that most of this is just based on my own experience and recollections from others that have posted here. I may be incorrect about some of this, and I don't think anyone here knows fully how everything works.
-
Springsteen76
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:42 am
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
So far, nothing seems to be working, but I have not yet found the old image.
I thought about updating the Playready because it keeps showing up as an option. Since I don't subscribe to any premium channels, I can't tell if the issue is with PlayReady and DRM in general or with the specific permissions of recorded files. Since I have WMC, I don't have a FiOS box and so can't request a "Free View" weekend. (Maybe I'll try to call: They've got an Indiana Jones marathon this weekend, as well as Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Explorers!)
The mspr.old file was created November 20 (22?) 2022, so I am guessing that's when the change took place. I remember a WMC problem around then, due to Windows Updates, but I haven't changed the hardware on the computer in YEARS (a hard drive failure in like 2016, where I was able to recover the data and clone to a new drive--almost all the recorded TV files we have are from after that, and even the earlier ones had worked until now). Maybe I'll try to go through the Events file on that computer and see if something changed around then without my knowing it--a BiOS update, maybe?
Either way, the second mspr.hds file isn't working (it's about a tenth the size of the .old file, so having been created late last year makes sense). When I renamed it to A-mspr.hds,it changed the modified date to 7/30 and it hasn't worked since. That's my fault, obviously, for re-naming it rather than moving it, but it's still odd that it's not working. (The mspr.hds file on my other PC--not a full time WMC computer--dates back to 2015, but also has a modified date of yesterday, although I don't think I viewed/recorded anything.)
I thought about updating the Playready because it keeps showing up as an option. Since I don't subscribe to any premium channels, I can't tell if the issue is with PlayReady and DRM in general or with the specific permissions of recorded files. Since I have WMC, I don't have a FiOS box and so can't request a "Free View" weekend. (Maybe I'll try to call: They've got an Indiana Jones marathon this weekend, as well as Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Explorers!)
The mspr.old file was created November 20 (22?) 2022, so I am guessing that's when the change took place. I remember a WMC problem around then, due to Windows Updates, but I haven't changed the hardware on the computer in YEARS (a hard drive failure in like 2016, where I was able to recover the data and clone to a new drive--almost all the recorded TV files we have are from after that, and even the earlier ones had worked until now). Maybe I'll try to go through the Events file on that computer and see if something changed around then without my knowing it--a BiOS update, maybe?
Either way, the second mspr.hds file isn't working (it's about a tenth the size of the .old file, so having been created late last year makes sense). When I renamed it to A-mspr.hds,it changed the modified date to 7/30 and it hasn't worked since. That's my fault, obviously, for re-naming it rather than moving it, but it's still odd that it's not working. (The mspr.hds file on my other PC--not a full time WMC computer--dates back to 2015, but also has a modified date of yesterday, although I don't think I viewed/recorded anything.)
-
Space
- Posts: 2841
- Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:44 pm
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
People have the misconception that the premium networks (and only the premium networks) are copy protected (copy-once), but If you have FiOS then the copy-once protected channels are HBO, Cinemax, and all Fox cable networks (FX, FXX, Fox Sports, BTN, Fox Business, Fox News, National Geographic). So other than HBO and Cinemax, no other premium channel is copy protected.
If you subscribe to any of the above channels and are able to play/record them, then PlayReady is working.
I'm not sure what you mean by "Update PlayReady" showing up as an option. Does it happen when you try to play back an old DRM recording or at other times, like when trying to play live TV? Does it say anything else other than "Update PlayReady"?
If you subscribe to any of the above channels and are able to play/record them, then PlayReady is working.
I'm not sure what you mean by "Update PlayReady" showing up as an option. Does it happen when you try to play back an old DRM recording or at other times, like when trying to play live TV? Does it say anything else other than "Update PlayReady"?
-
Springsteen76
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:42 am
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
Oddly, sometimes FX shows up as copy-protected, and sometimes it doesn't. But in any case, I don't have any of those channels on a regular basis, so it's all stuff I have recorded during free preview weeks and weekends.
Update PlayReady shows up as an option in the Setup TV Signal (I think that's it) submenu; it doesn't show up when I try to play any of the protected content.
Thus far, I've tried a bunch of different things with no success. I system restored as far back as possible, but that's only to the beginning of July, which is weird because I know I had created a System Restore point after the last Windows Update fiasco.
I found an old mspr.hds file for that computer (2019, created in 2015) and I tried replacing the more recent one with that, but it still didn't work to play the older files (recorded 2016).
Unfortunately, when I went to the backup drive I have, it looks like I didn't create a system image; I just copied the root drive folders/files to an external drive. Awfully lazy, I know, but it's hard to get to the WMC computer, so I am sure I didn't want to go through the trouble of adding a flash drive to boot into something that would create an image, then add another USB drive to back up the image, too, and so on. Laziness.
I still can't figure out why none of the PlayReady files (either the one created in 2015 and backed up in 2019, the one that was created in 2015 and seems to have been in use until November of 2022, or the one that was created in November '22 and modified recently) files will play anything. It seems like something must have changed in my hardware, but the only hardware change I made was when I had to replace the hard drive, I'm guessing back in 2015. (And even that allowed for previously recorded content to play.) I went through Event Viewer as much as possible, and there are no hardware changes more recent that that. The errors in the MC logs over the past several months are almost all related to failed connections for MC Update (duh) and sporadic failures of EPG123 (sorry, Gary! they always resolve themselves).
I'm going to keep looking for an old image, because I could have sworn I had one SOMEWHERE, maybe even the original HDD that failed, which I could clone. I'm also going to try to figure out the last time we watched any protected content, as that would help me narrow down the timeline.
Update PlayReady shows up as an option in the Setup TV Signal (I think that's it) submenu; it doesn't show up when I try to play any of the protected content.
Thus far, I've tried a bunch of different things with no success. I system restored as far back as possible, but that's only to the beginning of July, which is weird because I know I had created a System Restore point after the last Windows Update fiasco.
I found an old mspr.hds file for that computer (2019, created in 2015) and I tried replacing the more recent one with that, but it still didn't work to play the older files (recorded 2016).
Unfortunately, when I went to the backup drive I have, it looks like I didn't create a system image; I just copied the root drive folders/files to an external drive. Awfully lazy, I know, but it's hard to get to the WMC computer, so I am sure I didn't want to go through the trouble of adding a flash drive to boot into something that would create an image, then add another USB drive to back up the image, too, and so on. Laziness.
I still can't figure out why none of the PlayReady files (either the one created in 2015 and backed up in 2019, the one that was created in 2015 and seems to have been in use until November of 2022, or the one that was created in November '22 and modified recently) files will play anything. It seems like something must have changed in my hardware, but the only hardware change I made was when I had to replace the hard drive, I'm guessing back in 2015. (And even that allowed for previously recorded content to play.) I went through Event Viewer as much as possible, and there are no hardware changes more recent that that. The errors in the MC logs over the past several months are almost all related to failed connections for MC Update (duh) and sporadic failures of EPG123 (sorry, Gary! they always resolve themselves).
I'm going to keep looking for an old image, because I could have sworn I had one SOMEWHERE, maybe even the original HDD that failed, which I could clone. I'm also going to try to figure out the last time we watched any protected content, as that would help me narrow down the timeline.
-
Space
- Posts: 2841
- Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:44 pm
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
I use the free version of Macrium Reflect and it allows you to backup the system drive (and automatically selects all other needed partitions for a successful backup/restore for purposes of WMC PlayReady) to another partition (to a single file), no need to boot off of another drive, it uses shadow copy so it can make an image of the same drive you are booted from without any issue. You can even save that image file to the same drive that contains the partitions you are backing up if you have another formatted partition on that drive to save it to. Of course this is not ideal if you have a physical hard drive failure, as the image will also be lost, but you can just use it as a temporary storage location while doing the image backup and then offload the image to an external location.
As for your playback issues, I really don't have any extensive knowledge of PlayReady (not sure anyone here does) but I do know that I have been able to save the current mspr.hds file, restore an older system image (using Macrium Reflect) and then put the mspr.hds file back again and all DRM recordings play back, both those recorded before the image was taken and those after.
The key here is that the "signature" of my system did not change at any time, so the signature was the same when I took the image and the same when I restored the image (no hardware changes, or at least not significant enough changes to cause PlayReady to make a new signature).
As I mentioned previously, part of the system signature is based on the Windows install. If you were to reinstall windows, then you would get a new signature. If you were to restore a system image of drive "C:", but NOT restore the other related partitions (such as the small "FAT32" partition or other small "unformatted" partitions) then it would also change the signature (note that if you use the "Create an Image to Backup and Restore Windows" option in Macrium Reflect, it should select and backup/restore all the partitions needed to successfully backup and restore the system image without having any PlayReady signature issues.) However, if you restore a system image, and all related partitions, then you should have no issues with the signature and PlayReady.
The pieces of PlayReady I don't know much about is if you do anything to PlayReady itself, such as "update" it or mess with any of its files. I don't know what might cause issues with respect to this activity. Although, like I indicated, simply replacing the mspr.hds files has worked for me (and others) with no issues. Copying it out and them back in (not moving the file) has worked for myself and others, so I don't think the modified time of the file is significant.
Unfortunately, if you copy the file in, and it doesn't work, I don't know of many things to do to try to get it working. If your systems signature has changed due to a software issue (not a hardware change), then unless you have a proper system image (with all needed partitions) that you can restore, you may be out of luck with getting any license within the mspr.hds to work, since they were made with a different signature.
If the signature change was due to a hardware change, then you may be able to revert your system to how it was (remove the hard drive or memory stick or whatever) and get it to match the signature again. Note that I think when you do something to change the signature, it should be noticeable, as I believe the system will tell you that a new signature must be created due to changes to your system, but I don't know much about this and it may only happen under certain circumstances (such as a hardware change, as opposed to a software change).
As for your playback issues, I really don't have any extensive knowledge of PlayReady (not sure anyone here does) but I do know that I have been able to save the current mspr.hds file, restore an older system image (using Macrium Reflect) and then put the mspr.hds file back again and all DRM recordings play back, both those recorded before the image was taken and those after.
The key here is that the "signature" of my system did not change at any time, so the signature was the same when I took the image and the same when I restored the image (no hardware changes, or at least not significant enough changes to cause PlayReady to make a new signature).
As I mentioned previously, part of the system signature is based on the Windows install. If you were to reinstall windows, then you would get a new signature. If you were to restore a system image of drive "C:", but NOT restore the other related partitions (such as the small "FAT32" partition or other small "unformatted" partitions) then it would also change the signature (note that if you use the "Create an Image to Backup and Restore Windows" option in Macrium Reflect, it should select and backup/restore all the partitions needed to successfully backup and restore the system image without having any PlayReady signature issues.) However, if you restore a system image, and all related partitions, then you should have no issues with the signature and PlayReady.
The pieces of PlayReady I don't know much about is if you do anything to PlayReady itself, such as "update" it or mess with any of its files. I don't know what might cause issues with respect to this activity. Although, like I indicated, simply replacing the mspr.hds files has worked for me (and others) with no issues. Copying it out and them back in (not moving the file) has worked for myself and others, so I don't think the modified time of the file is significant.
Unfortunately, if you copy the file in, and it doesn't work, I don't know of many things to do to try to get it working. If your systems signature has changed due to a software issue (not a hardware change), then unless you have a proper system image (with all needed partitions) that you can restore, you may be out of luck with getting any license within the mspr.hds to work, since they were made with a different signature.
If the signature change was due to a hardware change, then you may be able to revert your system to how it was (remove the hard drive or memory stick or whatever) and get it to match the signature again. Note that I think when you do something to change the signature, it should be noticeable, as I believe the system will tell you that a new signature must be created due to changes to your system, but I don't know much about this and it may only happen under certain circumstances (such as a hardware change, as opposed to a software change).
-
Springsteen76
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:42 am
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
Like I said, I don't recall any changes to the hardware in years, and the only software fiddling I've done has been when WMC was busted. It's the only thing we use the computer for.
BUT!
I went into the Event Viewer and having not found anything in Hardware, or in WMC, I just started looking around and I came upon this error, which began (at least) several days before I experienced my problem:
"The description for Event ID 7023 from source Service Control Manager cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.
If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.
The following information was included with the event:
Intel(R) Content Protection HECI Service
%%2147942659
The locale specific resource for the desired message is not present"
I am not sure what it means or how to fix it, but it sure looks like something that could cause the error I've been getting. I didn't scroll back all the way to find when it started, but it predates when I started fiddling around with WMC. Could it be nothing more than a bad cable?! (I kid, but out of hope!) It looks like it had something to do with graphics drivers, which I have no recollection of tinkering with.
BUT!
I went into the Event Viewer and having not found anything in Hardware, or in WMC, I just started looking around and I came upon this error, which began (at least) several days before I experienced my problem:
"The description for Event ID 7023 from source Service Control Manager cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.
If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.
The following information was included with the event:
Intel(R) Content Protection HECI Service
%%2147942659
The locale specific resource for the desired message is not present"
I am not sure what it means or how to fix it, but it sure looks like something that could cause the error I've been getting. I didn't scroll back all the way to find when it started, but it predates when I started fiddling around with WMC. Could it be nothing more than a bad cable?! (I kid, but out of hope!) It looks like it had something to do with graphics drivers, which I have no recollection of tinkering with.
-
Space
- Posts: 2841
- Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:44 pm
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
Maybe, not sure. What error do you get when you try to play back protected video?
-
Springsteen76
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:42 am
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
1) That error definitely coincides with my attempt to play protected files. There is a series of requests every time I worked on WMC (early morning, late night).
2) The error also predates the problem. My history logs go back three years, and the same error shows up back in August 2020, though with far less regularity.
In any case, here is what has "worked" in case it helps others: I cloned the existing WMC drive, even though it wasn't playing copy protected files. I then copied over the existing folders in the C: drive with what I had backed up--as a file system, not an image--back in 2019. That included the ProgramData and all the other Windows folders. I put that modified drive in the computer and booted up: It worked and when WMC opened, I was able to play copy protected files that I had recorded before that.
So far, so good. What I did then was boot into safe mode and put the mspr.old file that (created in 2015, last modified in November 22) into the PlayReady folder (renaming it, of course). When I went into WMC, I was able to play everything that was recorded up to that point. So far, great!
I booted into safe mode and copied over the mspr.hds file that had been on the current system,dating back to November 22. However, when I went into WMC, it would not play the older files anymore (which I expected) but also not the newer ones that had been recorded since then. There was apparently a big preview on HBO that month, and we had recorded a bunch of shows: Fantastic Beasts: The Lies of Dumbledore, DC Super Pets, Death on the Nile, and the only one I cared about, Bruce Springsteen's interview with Howard Stern.
So I can live without those shows, but it's really weird that at some point in November 2022, something happened that (1) caused PlayReady to reset itself, making previously recorded content unviewable, and then (2) caused PlayReady to reset itself yet again, making that newly recorded content ALSO unviewable. I looked through the event logs as much as possible around that time period and saw absolutely nothing that would indicate any sort of "system change" that would make PlayReady think, "Gee, we've moved to a new system." It's like I had a different computer from, say, November '22 till June '23, which I obviously didn't.
The big lesson here, as I've learned from Space (thanks for the help!), is to do a far better job backing things up. Unfortunately, it looks like Macrium no longer has a free version for home use, so I'll make do with a trial version for now.
EDIT: Alas, when I tried to make these changes to the actual drive, it didn't work. Even with the older mspr files, I got the content restriction error. I don't want to use the drive that I'd cloned because it crashed once before, and so I think it's kind of unreliable. I suppose I could do a better job of backing up and go with it for a while. . . .
2) The error also predates the problem. My history logs go back three years, and the same error shows up back in August 2020, though with far less regularity.
In any case, here is what has "worked" in case it helps others: I cloned the existing WMC drive, even though it wasn't playing copy protected files. I then copied over the existing folders in the C: drive with what I had backed up--as a file system, not an image--back in 2019. That included the ProgramData and all the other Windows folders. I put that modified drive in the computer and booted up: It worked and when WMC opened, I was able to play copy protected files that I had recorded before that.
So far, so good. What I did then was boot into safe mode and put the mspr.old file that (created in 2015, last modified in November 22) into the PlayReady folder (renaming it, of course). When I went into WMC, I was able to play everything that was recorded up to that point. So far, great!
I booted into safe mode and copied over the mspr.hds file that had been on the current system,dating back to November 22. However, when I went into WMC, it would not play the older files anymore (which I expected) but also not the newer ones that had been recorded since then. There was apparently a big preview on HBO that month, and we had recorded a bunch of shows: Fantastic Beasts: The Lies of Dumbledore, DC Super Pets, Death on the Nile, and the only one I cared about, Bruce Springsteen's interview with Howard Stern.
So I can live without those shows, but it's really weird that at some point in November 2022, something happened that (1) caused PlayReady to reset itself, making previously recorded content unviewable, and then (2) caused PlayReady to reset itself yet again, making that newly recorded content ALSO unviewable. I looked through the event logs as much as possible around that time period and saw absolutely nothing that would indicate any sort of "system change" that would make PlayReady think, "Gee, we've moved to a new system." It's like I had a different computer from, say, November '22 till June '23, which I obviously didn't.
The big lesson here, as I've learned from Space (thanks for the help!), is to do a far better job backing things up. Unfortunately, it looks like Macrium no longer has a free version for home use, so I'll make do with a trial version for now.
EDIT: Alas, when I tried to make these changes to the actual drive, it didn't work. Even with the older mspr files, I got the content restriction error. I don't want to use the drive that I'd cloned because it crashed once before, and so I think it's kind of unreliable. I suppose I could do a better job of backing up and go with it for a while. . . .
-
StinkyImp
- Posts: 675
- Joined: Thu May 11, 2017 7:53 pm
- Location:
-
HTPC Specs:
While Space is undoubtedly the most qualified and familiar with PlayReady, mspr, and everything in between, I have a couple of unrelated observations.Springsteen76 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2023 6:36 pmUnfortunately, it looks like Macrium no longer has a free version for home use, so I'll make do with a trial version for now.
I use Macrium on one of my computers but I've been using EaseUS Todo backup for years on my HTPC and it's saved me a number of times. I use the "free" version from here -> https://www.easeus.com/backup-software/tb-free.html
For me personally, I find it easier than Macrium. Of course I've used it much longer so I'm more familiar (biased) with it.
Another thing that struck me is that I've lost a few recordings over time and have found that older (and some new) movies and TV shows can actually be played through one of the many free streaming services. I stumbled across this while playing with Plex and their "Discover" function. So if a movie or TV show is available for free, I simply delete it from my library knowing that I don't have to fuss with it.
Sorry for the interruption!
