NS_E_DRM_INDIVIDUALIZATION_INCOMPLETE Fix for Windows Media DRM Error 0xC00D274C

You're trying to play a protected song or video, and Windows Media Player just throws up that ugly dialog: "A problem occurred during the security upgrade." The exact error code is 0xC00D274C, and the message label is NS_E_DRM_INDIVIDUALIZATION_INCOMPLETE.

This usually happens when you're playing a purchased WMA song, a subscription track from a legacy service, or a protected video file from a corporate training library. I've seen it most often on Windows 10 machines that have been sitting on a shelf for a few months, or after a major Windows update pulls the DRM individualization component out of whack.

What's actually going wrong?

The DRM (Digital Rights Management) system in Windows Media Player uses a per-machine unique ID called an "individualization" file. It's stored deep in the system folders and gets used when the player talks to a license server to verify you're allowed to play that file. When the individualization process fails partway through — usually because of a corrupted temporary file, an antivirus interfering, or a permissions snafu — you get this error.

The real fix isn't reinstalling Windows or running some junk "DRM repair tool" from the web. Skip those. You need to flush the corrupted DRM store and trigger a fresh individualization from scratch.

Fix: Reset the DRM Individualization Store

1. Close everything. Shut down Windows Media Player, your browser, any app that could touch DRM content. Check Task Manager for any wmplayer.exe or wmpnscfg.exe processes still lurking — kill them.
2. Kill the DRM folder. Open File Explorer. In the address bar, paste this and hit Enter:
   

   %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\DRM

   
   You'll see a folder with a few files — IndivBox.key is the big one, plus some random hex-named files. Select everything inside (Ctrl+A) and delete it. Windows will say you need permission. Click Continue — yes, you're okay to nuke these.
3. Clear the temp DRM cache too. Press Win+R, type %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE} and hit Enter. Sort by Date Modified, look for any file with "drm" or "indiv" in the name from today or yesterday. Delete those. Don't touch anything else in there.
4. Re-run DRM individualization manually. Open Windows Media Player. Press Alt to show the menu bar, go to Tools > Options > Privacy tab. Check the box that says Download media usage rights automatically. Then click OK.
5. Try playing the file again. Windows Media Player will silently download a new IndivBox.key from Microsoft's DRM server. You'll see a brief "Acquiring media usage rights" status in the player. Then the file should play.

Still broken? Here's the nuclear option

If you're on a corporate machine with tight Group Policy, the DRM individualization might be blocked entirely. Check with your IT team. For home users, the next step is to nuke the player's settings entirely.

1. Close WMP again.
2. Open Command Prompt as Administrator (Win+X > Terminal (Admin)).
3. Run these commands one by one:
   

   unregmp2.exe /UnRegister
   regsvr32 atl.dll
   regsvr32 vbscript.dll
   regsvr32 jscript.dll
   unregmp2.exe /Register

4. Reboot. Then try the DRM folder delete from step 2 again, then play the file.

If that still fails, you're looking at a deeper issue — sometimes a third-party firewall or antivirus (looking at you, McAfee) blocks the download of the DRM individualization binary. Temporarily disable your AV's web scanning, try the file once, then re-enable it. I've fixed this exact error on three office PCs last year using just the folder delete + re-individualize. Don't overthink it.

One more thing: if the file you're playing is from an old Zune Pass or MSN Music subscription, those license servers were decommissioned years ago. No fix exists for expired licenses. The error in that case is honest — the server isn't there to talk to.