Fast Fix: Delete DRM Files (30 seconds)
This is the real fix 9 times out of 10. What's happening here is the DRM license files got corrupted from a Windows update, a crash, or just age. Windows Media Player won't tell you that—it just shows the error code.
- Close Windows Media Player completely. Task Manager won't hurt if it's stuck.
- Open File Explorer and paste this into the address bar (hit Enter):
%windir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\DRM - Delete everything inside this DRM folder. Don't delete the folder itself—just the files inside it. You might need admin permission; click Continue.
- Open Windows Media Player again. It will recreate fresh license files automatically. Try the file that gave you the error.
Why this works: Windows rebuilds those DRM cache files from scratch. The old corrupt ones are gone. You don't lose your purchased content because the actual licenses are tied to your Microsoft account, not those local cache files. The cache files just store temporary keys for playback.
Moderate Fix: Clear DRM Licenses from WMP Settings (5 minutes)
Skip these steps if the fast fix already worked. But if it didn't, the fast fix sometimes fails because the DRM folder is locked by a background process or you didn't have full permissions.
- Open Windows Media Player. If it won't even start, skip to the advanced section.
- Press Alt to show the classic menu bar.
- Click Tools → Options.
- Go to the Privacy tab.
- Click the Restore Defaults button under “History and DRM.” This wipes DRM license cache and history.
- Click OK. Close WMP and reopen. It'll download fresh license info from the provider (like Netflix or Amazon, if you used those).
When this helps: The “Restore Defaults” button also resets some registry keys related to DRM. If one of those keys got stuck to a wrong value, this clears it. But it doesn't delete the actual DRM cache files—that's why the fast fix is more thorough.
Advanced Fix: Manually Restore DRM DLLs and Reset Permissions (15+ minutes)
You're here because nothing above worked. The error still shows. What's happening now is the DRM system files themselves might be missing or corrupted. Or the permissions on the DRM folder are wrong—Windows won't let the service write new cache files.
Step 1: Check DRM Service State
Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Run: sc query ehdrmsvc
If it says STOPPED or STATE: 1 STOPPED, run: net start ehdrmsvc
If it says FAILED 1075 (dependency error), your DRM service dependencies are broken. This needs a system file check.
Step 2: System File Checker
Run this in the same admin Command Prompt: sfc /scannow
Let it finish. This replaces corrupted Windows files. After it's done, restart and try the fast fix again. The SFC often fixes the underlying DLL issue.
Step 3: Fix DRM Folder Permissions
If SFC found nothing, permissions are the next suspect. Open File Explorer as Admin (right-click File Explorer → Run as administrator). Navigate to C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\DRM. Right-click the DRM folder → Properties → Security tab. Click Advanced. Make sure SYSTEM and Local Service have Full Control. If not, change owner to Local Service and grant full control. Apply, close, restart.
Step 4: Last Resort – Restore Missing DRM Files
Sometimes Windows 10 or 11 updates remove the file blackbox.dll from the DRM folder. That file is required for DRM playback. You need it from another working PC with the same Windows version, or from a backup. Copy it to C:\Windows\System32\ and register it: regsvr32 blackbox.dll
Real trigger for this error: I've seen this mostly after Windows 10 version 22H2 updates when people try to play old .wma or .wmv files bought from the Zune Marketplace back in 2009. The DRM infrastructure for those files is ancient and the update breaks the blackbox.dll registration. Fast fix usually gets them playing again.
If none of these work, you might be out of luck with old DRM-restricted content. Microsoft shut down the Zune DRM servers in 2021. Those files simply won't play anymore—the error is permanent. Accept it and convert to DRM-free formats if you still have the original purchase email.