Live TV DRM issues after resolving Win7 activation problem

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foxt

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Live TV DRM issues after resolving Win7 activation problem

#1

Post by foxt » Sun Nov 24, 2019 7:37 pm

I have had WMC running nicely on Win7 for over 5 years. Sometime in the not so distant past, I started getting a "windows not genuine" issue popping up. Sorry Microsoft, I bought the OS from an authorized seller and it is genuine. The pc ran fine, and I was tempted to just ignore it, but the xbox extender stopped working because apparently windows wouldn't play nice with it without first fixing the "not genuine" issue.

I found a temp solution, which was to use slmgr to reset the activation trial period, and got by with that for about a year. Earlier this week, I ran out of the number of rearms allowed. So, I dug through all of the info I could find on why my valid copy of windows was being called out as not genuine, and finally managed to get that fixed today. Something to do with a bad fix that MS pushed out, backed it off, did some other stuff to reset my OS activation, and now MS thinks I'm legit again.

Part of the fix was to enter new activation/license keys for the OS - I did not reinstall, just entered different key.

My previously recorded TV works fine, but now I can not view live TV. WMC tells me that I need to activate my cable card tuner. I am hesitant to do anything at this point because I want to make sure I can continue to view my recorded TV.

My question: is WMC now asking me to activate my tuner because the OS thinks it has just been installed because the license keys are different than when WMC first set up the tuner? Why can I watch previously recorded shows, but not live tv? If I go ahead an start over with the cable card tuner, am I going to screw up my ability to watch previously recorded TV?

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#2

Post by stuartm » Sun Nov 24, 2019 10:31 pm

It sounds like the new activation keys may have broken your DRM so possibly Playready is not working properly. I suspect you need to re-setup your tuners in WMC you may also need to first re-run the cable ready check in the extras library. I would try the cable ready thing first before trying tuner/Playready re-setup. You should not need to have your cable co do anything as far as the cable card that pairing should still be good.

foxt

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#3

Post by foxt » Sun Nov 24, 2019 11:26 pm

Thanks.

WMC sees the tuners, and I can get non-DRM protected channels. It's just the DRM stuff, which means something needs to be done to Playerready, and since I have no idea how that stuff works, I don't want to touch anything until someone can point me in the right direction.

I'll try the cable ready check when I get home and see what it tells me ...

jachin99

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#4

Post by jachin99 » Mon Nov 25, 2019 12:15 am

There is a separate key for wmc that you sometimes need to activate it. Look on the silicondust forums for a little more info or if need be I might be able to point you to the instructions.

foxt

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#5

Post by foxt » Mon Nov 25, 2019 12:26 am

Not sure I understand? WMC is able to play my recorded TV content, and OTA channels. It's just not able to play DRM protected live TV and it's telling me that I need to activate my tuner. If i do that, do I risk messing up the playback I now have for previously recorded TV?

foxt

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#6

Post by foxt » Mon Nov 25, 2019 12:30 am

I ran the DCA, and it tells me that the Cable Card is already set up for use, so no changes needed. That makes sense, since I can view non-protected channels, it's just the DRM channels I can't view.

If I start over with TV setup, will I mess up the playback I still have for DRM-protected recorded TV?

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#7

Post by jachin99 » Mon Nov 25, 2019 12:45 am

Take a look at this to see if it pertains to you and won't ruin your recordings. https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/vie ... ion#p53985

foxt

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#8

Post by foxt » Mon Nov 25, 2019 1:05 am

Thanks for that. I only have the entry for Window 7 OS, I do not have the entry for OCUR add-on. Where does that point to next?

foxt

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#9

Post by foxt » Mon Nov 25, 2019 2:16 am

I decided to make a system image of my OS disk, to provide a restore point for things that are working right now, and then go ahead and try to let WMC reactivate the cable card tuner.

I began the process of activating the cable card, which starts with the entry or a product key. WMC presented that screen, spun a bit, and then moved on to the next screen without even giving me a chance to enter the key. Rather than continue, I canceled the activation, and then tried to watch DRM protected live TV. Guess what, it works now. And all my old recordings are also still playable.

No idea what's up with all of this, but it's working fine now, so I'll stop here - thanks for all of the input!

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#10

Post by jachin99 » Mon Nov 25, 2019 2:21 am

The DCA should have put that key in for you so that makes some sense. Maybe just going through the motions in terms of setting up cable was enough for wmc to recognize that nothing was wrong.

foxt

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#11

Post by foxt » Mon Nov 25, 2019 5:58 pm

Thanks. I thought it was odd that DCA told me that everything was already set up, but yet live TV for DRM content was not working. I've discovered some of the backup best practices for WMC on these forums, and I've got those set up now so I am less concerned about losing my recorded TV.

Now just to keep this win7 machine running as long as possible :)

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#12

Post by StinkyImp » Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:36 pm

foxt wrote: Sun Nov 24, 2019 7:37 pmI have had WMC running nicely on Win7 for over 5 years. Sometime in the not so distant past, I started getting a "windows not genuine" issue popping up. Sorry Microsoft, I bought the OS from an authorized seller and it is genuine.
I've had struggles with MS in the past and have been using two solutions to help me quickly and easily restore my genuine (legal and valid) Win 7 activation's without relying on MS.
  1. Easus Todo Backup to clone my OS drive monthly. That way I can just slip in the "clone" and be back in service within a few minutes. DISCLAIMER: The only thing on my OS drive is the OS and anything that exists there by default. Everything else is installed or placed onto secondary drives (including TV recordings).
  2. Josh Cell's "Advanced Tokens Manager" that will create a backup of your valid Windows 7 activation (unless you've made major hardware modifications - motherboard, processor, etc) and allow a quick and easy activation restore if needed. The official version from Josh can be downloaded from the My Digital Life Forum. NOTE: You need a user account to access it.
I've used and tested their dependability and reliability many times over the years and in every case they've worked without fail.

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