Acronis True Image and DRM

[Paul Anderegg]

So, a few months ago, I had to revive my system OS image from my Acronis backup. All went well, except that all copy protected programs recorded between the time the image was made, and the image was restored, will not play. WTH? Anyone have experience with this issue? Is there some rolling code going on with Media Center Play Ready that changes daily, doesn't make any sense to me. Never had this problem with standard Windows 7 OEM system imaging.

Paul

[adam1991]

That's how PlayReady DRM works.

[Space]

Yes, that is how it works.

DRM licenses are stored in the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\PlayReady\mspr.hds file for each DRM recording you make. If you have a backup of this file from before you restored the image, you can replace this file on your current image with that one and you should be able to play all your old recordings again.

However, if you have made any DRM recordings since the image restore, then if you put that old mspr.hsd file back you will not be able to play those new recordings you have made after the image was restored. You would have to swap this file back and forth to play those recordings vs. the recordings made between your last image backup and the restore.

I assume you don't have a backup of this file (except for the one in the image you restored) so this is just for future reference.

[Paul Anderegg]

Fortunately, I only lost access to a few cable shows, which I caught up with on their websites or weekly reruns. My main confusion stems from never having had this problem when doing the built in Windows "system image" restore option. Was not sure if Acronis is doing something weird with my images? Maybe I could just have Acronis schedule that specific DRM file location for backup to it's own little flash drive daily, as well as my system weekly.

Paul

[Paul Anderegg]

I just realized there are a few exclusions to the backup, thinks like hybernation and page files...could the issue be that an excluded item was a store for DRM related aspects of the OS?

Paul

[DavidinCT]

Fortunately, I only lost access to a few cable shows, which I caught up with on their websites or weekly reruns. My main confusion stems from never having had this problem when doing the built in Windows "system image" restore option. Was not sure if Acronis is doing something weird with my images? Maybe I could just have Acronis schedule that specific DRM file location for backup to it's own little flash drive daily, as well as my system weekly.

Paul

Yea been there and done that. I use Acronis all the time. I do weekly backups, in case the worse happens, I only lose a few things (not everything is DRM protected).

When backing up WMC, it's a mistake you will learn and ONLY do it once.

[robnitro]

Acronis is garbage. I learned the hard way 3 times on restores, having to do an in place reinstall of 7 pro.
You can't just back up the files, Acronis does something funky with the disk signature that bugs up WMC Playready DRM. I was pulling my hair out until I did a trial of another imaging program.

I'm using Macrium Reflect now and it does not mess up the drm.

After dealing with issues and the bloatware that Acronis has become, I don't feel it a loss. It used to be very good, not anymore.

[Space]

I have been using Macrium Reflect (free version) for a while now and have had no problems. I've cloned drives as well as made disk images and restored them and had no problem with DRM or anything else on the cloned/restored drives.

[Bee_Dee_3_Dee]

So, a few months ago, I had to revive my system OS image from my Acronis backup. All went well, except that all copy protected programs recorded between the time the image was made, and the image was restored, will not play. WTH? Anyone have experience with this issue? Is there some rolling code going on with Media Center Play Ready that changes daily, doesn't make any sense to me. Never had this problem with standard Windows 7 OEM system imaging.

Paul

See:
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... =68&t=4635 (Backup Images and Copy Prohibited Recordings)

Doing ^^ (Acronis/PlayReady/Link) has worked for me for 4 years now.

In a nutshell:
u move the PlayReady folder from "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Playready", to any desired location. (Hint: Ur Recording drive is a good place.) Then from the original PlayReady folder location, u create a Symbolic Link to it. That way no matter when an Acronis backup was made; after it is restored it has a Symbolic Link restored in it that points to the PlayReady folder on the other drive. (And it is a good idea/ no-brainer to make a separate Acronis Data backup too, of just the PlayReady Folder; every time the C drive is backed up.)