NS_E_WMPBR_BACKUPCANCEL (0XC00D1131): Media rights backup canceled

When this error shows up

You're trying to back up your media usage rights (DRM licenses) in Windows Media Player 10 or 11 on Windows XP, Vista, or 7. You go to Tools -> Manage Licenses, click Backup Now, and a box pops up: "Your media usage rights were not backed up because the backup was canceled." The full error code is 0XC00D1131. This typically happens right after you select a destination folder and hit OK — the backup starts, then almost immediately fails.

What's actually going wrong

The real issue is that Windows Media Player stores temporary files while backing up your licenses. If that process gets interrupted — even by a split-second glitch — the temporary folder gets corrupted. The next time you try, the player sees the old temp files and assumes the backup is already happening, so it cancels itself.

It's not a permissions problem, and it's not a corrupted license file. The fix is to delete the leftover temp folder so WMP can start fresh.

How to fix it — the only method that works

1. Close Windows Media Player completely. Don't just minimize it — right-click the WMP icon in the system tray and pick Exit. If you leave it running in the background, the fix won't work.
2. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to:
   

   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM

   On Windows Vista and 7, the path is:
   

   C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\DRM

   If you don't see the folder, type the path directly into the address bar. You might need to turn on "Show hidden files and folders" in Folder Options.

3. Inside the DRM folder, look for a subfolder called Backup or DRMBackup. It might also be named Temp or start with "tmp". If you see any folder that looks like a backup attempt, delete it. You don't need to delete the main DRM folder — just the subfolder.
4. Empty your Recycle Bin — skipping this step can cause the error to come back.
5. Restart Windows Media Player. Go to Tools -> Manage Licenses again. Choose a new backup folder this time (create a new folder on your desktop or in My Documents). Click Backup Now.

After clicking Backup Now, you should see a progress bar that moves quickly — usually under 30 seconds. When it finishes, a confirmation window says "Your media usage rights were backed up successfully."

If the fix still fails

Two things to double-check:

• Does the DRM folder still have a leftover Backup subfolder? Sometimes Windows doesn't delete it right away. Delete it again, restart the player, and try once more.
• Are you using an administrator account? If your account is a standard user, WMP can't write the backup files. Log off and log back in as an administrator before trying again.

This error is stubborn but not dangerous. It doesn't mean your licenses are corrupted — just that the backup got hung up on old temp data. Clear the temp folder and you're done. I've fixed this on dozens of machines and never needed to reinstall WMP or run any third-party DRM cleaners.