How to fix error C00D11DA: an error occurred while verifying the license
So, this HUGE thunderstorm rolled through last night and took out the power a bunch of times. The first time the power went out, I had the computer on and was playing a licensed media file.
Upon rebooting the computer, I found that NONE of my licensed media would play. That REALLY stunk. I listen to unabbridged audio books all the time. I have several libary accounts with branches that offer LibaryReserve borrowing through Overdrive Media, the Ohio eBook Project website (http://ohdbks.lib.overdrive.com) and Net Library accounts. Each branch offers different lists of audio books, so I probably have free access to 3000 or so audio books.
So it was a ROYAL pain when none media player could play none of these files. Media Player wouldn’t even do the OverDrive Media Player’s security update task.
When I tried to do anything related to Media Player’s Digital Rights management, I got the error “Windows Media Player cannot play, synchronize, or burn a protected file because an error occurred while verifying the license.” That’s error C00D11DA if you must know… It means that one or more of your license files are corrupt. In my case, it seems all of them were. I could neither do a restore nor a backup of the licenses. Here’s how to fix that…
ATTEMPT 1: Surgical Assualt
The first choice you have, if the problem is with one song or story or whatever, is to delete that wma file, download a new unlicensed one and aquire a new license. That’s the easy fix. But my problem was with ALL licensed media. The Windows Media Player would not even attempt to get a new license for any file.
ATTEMPT 2: Send in the Ground Forces
You might be able to do a license restore and save your self a lot of pain. So try this first.
1. Run media player
2. Choose Tools-> Manage Licenses
3. Click “Restore now”
Hopefully that works. Of course that depends upon you having backed them up before, and who does that? Who even knows that menu entry is there???
Anyway, it didn’t work for me. So, I searched my hard drive and registry for anything related to the licensing. Google revealed nothing until I found a post by a guy that had just paid $35 to MS Support for the fix. (HAH! This morning I can’t find the link, but the very first result is a more detailed blog entry by Cris Lanier describing what I was about to tell you in this post. Oh well, I’ll tell you anyway and turn it into a three step process. If you want to do this process manually, or have some OS other than XP, I recommend that you use the link I provided to Chris’s blog.)
ATTEMPT 3: Throw out the baby with the bath water it’s time for Global Thermonuclear War
Well, that’s it. Now, it is time to quit playing games get serious. Now, to fix your Digital Rights Management problem, we are going to erase everything your computer knows about the DRM licenses you have and tell it to start over. Since this process will delete all licenses you have, after we’re done, you’ll have to redownload the WMA (or whatever they are) and reaquire a new license. Hopefully, that’s not a problem for you, but if it is, there’s really not much else that can be done at this point, as far as I know. A call to MS and a few hundred dollars in support fees might get them to rebuild the license database, but I wouldn’t count on it. In the meantime, the rest of us are gonna give DRM a brain transplant. Or at least we’ll remove the old brain and see if a new one grows back…
SUMMARY:
Delete the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM directory
Delete these two registry branches:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DRM
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Media\WMSDK
WindowsXP three step process: (Close all media players first)
1. Click Start->Run paste in the following line, press enter and hit Y if you are sure you did it correctly:
rd /s “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM”
2. Click Start->Run paste in the following line, press enter and hit Y if you are sure you did it correctly:
reg delete “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DRM”
3. Click Start->Run paste in the following line, press enter and hit Y if you are sure you did it correctly:
reg delete “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows Media\WMSDK”
That’s it. You’re done. Now re-download the files and re-aquire your licenses. You should be in business.
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Wow. Is there a process for backing up one’s licenses? Seems like a proactive step here that would be useful. Of course then you’ll probably never get hit with this again 🙂
And good thing nothing else (?) appeared to fry…
I will say that when the power came back on and my computer did not – I was a bit scared. I’d just replaced the motherboard after suffering with a crippled one for two years from an earlier lightning storm.
Yes there is a way to backup your licenses. It is a manual process in the media player under “Tools-> Manage Licenses” and the backup button. But for some reason, it did not work for me. Luckly, all of my licenses are library check-outs and not things I’ve purchased.
I’m sorry, but after this, if I purchase a DRM’d file, I’ll transfer it to an unprotected MP3. I can stay within the license agreement myself. Apararently this technology cannot live up to its end of the bargain…
In actuality, I already do that. I purchased a Toshiba E750 PDA in part because it had Windows Media Player 9 which adds DRM. It was worth it so that I could play NetLibrary stuff. However, that part of it was a wast of money. Aparently WMP cannot transfer to the PDA due because “AN UNKNOWN ERROR HAS OCCURRED”. Grrr…
From what I’ve read, even if the pda had WMP10, it would not work as it only alows DRM files to be transfered to the built in memory? No SD cards!!! What PDA has 350mb of free memory? The E750 was very generous at its time because it had 64mb and an extra 32mb flash ram built in,
So, I record to mp3, listen to, and delete the stuff long before my license has expired. If I don’t get to it in time, I check it out again. I’m as legit as the technology allows me to be…
It’s annoying but it works. Assuming there are no lightning storms….
Suddenly my old stick-in-the-mud technique of creating mp3’s off of CD’s I actually own seems pretty reasonable…
That is just sooooo last millenium! 😉
I have tried over and over to delete the DRM folder…it will NOT GO!!! Any ideas. I have tried to rename the folder also. Even had techs go into the registry and nothing worked.
Hi Elizabeth!
What message do you get when you try to remove the DRM folder? Chances are you can remove it after you boot to safe mode. Just hit F8 as you are booting and Windows will prompt you from there. If you can, let me know if this works!
Just an additional note guys…..
I have this habit of partitioning my HDD and have the OS/Apps in one partition and all my files in another. This way if the OS goes belly-up I can simply re-install/restore (from an image) without worrying about backing up all the files. To make my life easier and protect the files of all the users setup in the machine I always move the folder “Documents and Settings” (not just My Documents) from OS partition to the other. By fiddling with the Registry you can make sure all User Profiles and their files are created and stored in secondary partitions rather than where your OS creates it (you guys probably know this already).
This created a problem when I started DRMed files. When the Media Player tries to obtain the license it always gave me the C00D11DA error.
The problem is Media Player was trying the store the license in C:\ Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM which doesn’t exist (because I have moved the Documents and Settings folder from C:)
The solution:
Fire up RegEdit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DRM
Modify Binary Data “DataPath”
Change “C:\ Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM” to “:\ Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM”
Always backup the Registry (by exporting) before you touch it.
If you don’t know what your doing, please don’t attempt to modify the Registry.
GREAT tip!
I’m seen similar problems with media player directories being “hard coded” to profile directories on the C: drive. But I’ve never thought it interfering with the DRM.
Good find on the data path key.
Setting DataPath to:
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\DRM
Should provide a good, dynamic solution. Part of the problem with Microsoft is that it is a bunch of micro companies within a macro company. For instance Outlook Express is unrelated to Outlook. The Outlook Express people even have their own office building! So, stuff is not consistent across the board. You would have thought this one would be an easy catch though…
It’s so wonderful how intelligent helpers provide the type of help that even Microsoft does not provide..these steps fixed my problem and I’m greatful..I was even told to reformat my machine, yeah right! this is wonderful advice, thanks a lot!
Thanks for this fix, had a similar problem which now I think about it was probably caused by momentary power loss a couple of days ago. Following the instructions here sorted the whole thing out and I can now play DRM files again 🙂 I am completely against the whole idea of DRM so avoid it when I can, the vast majority of my music and audio is ripped from my original CDs, DRM is an annoying nuisance!
Appreciated.. Even on Microsoft Media player help site they could solve it – the message is – no additional help available.
Thanks,
Jaipal
Thanks for the “WindowsXP three step process” to reacquire DRM licences.
But what can I do if I have Windows Vista???
Success after a year of trying things like the above, I finally got this working. Well Netflix and Napster got it working.
Here are my steps though I have no idea if they are all required. I used Netflix because they have such a mass market they had to develop scripts so the general public could make it work. I had two PCs to get working. One worked before the other.
1. Go to Netflix
2. Pick a movie to watch instantly.
3. Go through the steps to play the movie.
4. It will reset and issue a license.
5. One PC failed the DRM licence issue and the other passed. Neither would play a movie yet.
6. Tried to play the movie on PC 1 and Netflix downloaded some code again and then it started working.
7. PC 2 would not work though I had a successful licence transferred to it.
8. Typed DRM in the help of Netflix. Downloaded the latest version of WIndows Media again for the millionth time.
9. Downloaded the SDK upgrade on netflix’s website. Still would not work same error.
10. Typed DRM reset in google and found a napster link to some software that resets the DRM.
11. Went back to Netflix and tried to play a movie again. It downloaded another license and started working, FINALLY!
I hate Microsof!!!!!!! Now I can play movies from both Netflix and my favorite site Totalvid.com
I just want to say a huge thank you!!!! it has taken me months to fix this and you have done just that. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I deleted the DRM folder from the registry and then went to Channel 4OD software which wouldnt play due to ‘DRM file problem’ and it updated my DRM files for me.
Fantastic!
Hey I’m glad this helped. I remember how frustrating this was for me at the time. I’ve bought two several more devices for playing DRM audio books since the time of this post, but not one of them successfuly played a book fragment. Even the Windows Mobile one on my phone had problems didn’t allow you to start more that 15 minutes into a file. And that’s a pain if you’ve already listed to the first 45 minutes twice. So I am hanging on to a Windows XP PC and stripping the DRM protection off of the files and then deleted the files when I am done.
As I said before I’ve more than done my part in purchasing the requisit hardware – several times over. I now have 5 or 6 devices around that should play these files, but simply don’t.