Wma Conversion Problems

[Unregistered]

I cant seem to convert my WMA Files It Keeps saying, is copy protected, dMC will not illegally convert protected audio files.
Who Copy Protected The Songs In the first Place, I tried to convert songs That I made Myself, And They re not copy protected so who Protected them? What the heck is going on?

[Spoons]

i'm not that familiar with WMA myself, but when you copied the music using windows media player it may have had copy protect on by default.

[Spoon]

Razgo is right, Windows Media Player copy protected the songs - they will only work on your computer and your computer alone. You are best to re-rip them using dMC and they will not be copy protected.

[Unregistered]

Thanxs Guys Only problem Now is If I cant unprotect them I've lost quite a few of them. Very old cd's Copied to save them from skips and it worked only now I can't burn them. Damn That Microsoft There has to be a way if you can protect them you can unprotect I'll find a way.

[totalXSive]

There are many ways to unprotect WMA files, it's just that none of them are legal...

[Unregistered]

Well That is the dumbest thing i've ever heard, no offense intended I swear what is this world coming to. Why would I want them protected in the first place! If they can be unproteced at the copy time and it's legal, what's the difference, why is it illeagle to unprotec.



sorry not trying to be offensive thanks for the help

[totalXSive]

Why would I want them protected in the first place!

To stop them from being traded across the internet?

The fact is that you can download secured WMA files from the net, that will only work on your machine. That's why the protection is there - to stop copyrighted works from being traded illegally.

It's just that MS decided to protect them, probably due to music industry pressure.

[Unregistered]

Apparently, you have so called "Digital right management" on in your M$ player (it is set on by default), so whatever you rip with it comes out copy protected. Just disable it. BTW, why don't you use professional ripping software, like CDEx (free)? In any case it is always better to keep files in usable formats; nobody knows what's going to happen to wma in a year or two...

[Unregistered]

To totalXSive:

I just wonder how it can be illegal to modify (any number of) bits on *MY* hard drive? It's like declaring illegal to put an armchair you bought to the right of the fireplace in your living room as the manufacturer mandates it should go to the left.

[Spoon]

May be it is not illegal for you to modify your files, but it is illegal under the US DCMA for anyone to supply the programs to do this. If I were able (I cannot because MS revoked dBpowerAMPs ability to decode protected files), I would find myself arrested.

[totalXSive]

It may also be illegal in all EU nations under the EUCD - circumventing copyright protection will become a criminal offence in these countries :(.

[Unregistered]

It's a pitty that EU plays US tunes

Poor guys... Before it's enforced, get a good FTP search engine (say, Russian FTP search) and look for [edited out by razgo]

[Spoons]

I edited the above post as it is a programme that may circumnavigate the copyright protection. I don't think thats a good thing to put here on spoons forum.

[Spoon]

I permit the names being posted of such programs, but not direct linking. Mr Unregistered is right, it is illegal to distribute such a program in the US, not sure about the EU, but in Russia there is a law that forbids the encryption of any digital content - so using such a program there is not only allowed - you would be breaking the law if you did not.

For what it is worth the program was called freeme.exe, this supposidly removed the protection from wma v8 files, an older version called un****.exe supposidly worked on wma v2.

However MS have installed many updates to my Windows Media Player system as normal security patches - I am sure that the above will not work unless you have an old system.

[Spoons]

well in that case. i just read this article also.

"WARNING!!!!! I have just learned that the new Microsoft Media Player EULA includes a clause that says they can *automatically* modify the software on your system, without any confirmation from you required! In other words, they can disable your software, or force an upgrade so that FreeMe won't work, just because they feel like it. Be careful out there!"

so yeh if you are running an older version like Spoon said it may still work.