Windows Re-Install & DRM loss

[SethTCC]

Firstly, thank you for any help you can offer. I had some serious issues with media center on my HTPC that forced me to re-install windows. When I did I didn't realize I would lose all of my DRM content from the premium channels. I lost roughly 6GB worth of recordings. I have run through sever attempts to fix the issue with the help of ex media center team member to no avail. Does anyone have any help that they can offer, or am I going to lose all of my content? I have tried erasing my playready information as well as resetting my DRM information and neither worked. I keep getting the same error message, "Copyright Prohibited. You only play this content on the computer it was recorded on."

Thanks again,
Seth

[richard1980]

When you perform a clean install, you erase all of the data on the OS partition...including the DRM keys that were created when your system authored each of the recordings. The only way to retrieve those DRM keys is from a backup.

[nathagt]

I've also been through the frustrating process of losing all DRM content due to a reinstall. Richard is right, unfortunately, and it's why I started doing a backup every night of the playready MSPR.hds file.

[richard1980]

That's what I recommend. I also recommend maintaining a known-good backup of the OS partition. You can always replace the keys from an OS image with a newer copy.

[nathagt]

Exactly. My DM strategy consists of weekly OS backups and nightly MSPR backups. I'd just restore the most recent full backup and then replace the key in that backup with the most recent daily one. Since I haven't had a crash since I started I havne't personally verified it but I know there have been users who had success doing this same thing.

[SethTCC]

That's what I was afraid of..... Thank you all for the help. At least now I can protect myself from myself and not have this happen again!

[bobbob]

6Gb of recordings? thats like 1 hour of recording in HD

[richard1980]

I suspect the OP meant TB, not GB.

[mmoore5553]

curious how to you get to old recordings. i have a backup copy of my orginal hds key and i have restored it and still unable to view the content. I put it back in same spot in play ready folder. I even ran through turner setup again. Any ideas how to view old recordings. This is same pc I just could not update play ready.

[richard1980]

You need a version of mspr.hds from after the recordings were created.

[mmoore5553]

yeah i have that as i have never removed that file. I did back it up though . That is the original one that it has always had. That is why i am confused why moving it there did not work.

[cwinfield]

yeah i have that as i have never removed that file. I did back it up though . That is the original one that it has always had. That is why i am confused why moving it there did not work.

If you reinstalled windows the .hds key is only part of what playready looks at. The DRM is tied to the windows partition install which changes anytime you format and reinstall it is changed. The only way you can keep this is to make a windows backup if you want to have a fresh install.

The info in this thread is kinda long winded but helpful http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... ady#p83457

[richard1980]

I think he had an issue with PlayReady, not a reinstall. At least that's my assumption based on his statement that "This is same PC I just could not update play ready."

yeah i have that as i have never removed that file. I did back it up though . That is the original one that it has always had. That is why i am confused why moving it there did not work.

What do you mean by "that is the original one"? The original mspr.hds is the version that is created during initial PlayReady setup. After each recording is authored, the playback key is added to mspr.hds. In order to play a recording, you need a version of mspr.hds that contains the playback key for that recording. So if you are trying to use the original mspr.hds from when PlayReady was initially set up, it won't work because the file doesn't contain any playback keys.

[cKuR6]

Is backing up this mspr.hds file, as easy as a copy / paste to a new backup location, utilizing a batch file which would be set to run as a task each night?

mmoore5553, are you saying you have the latest copy of the mspr.hds file, from before you performed a clean install?

[Crash2009]

There is a little more to it than that.....Checkout the link in post #12

[richard1980]

The link in post #12 does not discuss mspr.hds. To answer cKuR6's question, yes, backing up the mspr.hds is as easy as copy/paste and can be done via a batch file, either manually or via a scheduled task.

[Crash2009]

Your absolutely right Richard. mspr.hds is not mentioned once in that link. I thought the link was how to backup and rebuild the DRM system. I expected mspr.hds would be part of that.

Why should we backup mspr.hds as opposed to the entire DRM system?

[richard1980]

I don't think it is possible to backup the entire PlayReady system unless you create an image of the OS partition. And I would assume that people don't create OS partition images after every recording. Presumably most people that create OS partition images do so at regular intervals (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) In the event that it becomes necessary to restore an OS partition image, the version of mspr.hds in the image will only allow playback of recordings made prior to the time of creation of the image. But if you have a newer version of mspr.hds, you can restore the OS partition image, then overwrite the stale version of mspr.hds that gets restored with the newer version, and that will allow you play whatever protected recordings were made between the time the image was created and the time the separate backup of mspr.hds was created.