Windows Media Center DRM Backup Error 0XC00D2742: Fixed

Quick answer: Delete or rename the DRM backup folder (usually C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\PlayReady) or use a different folder, then retry the backup.

This error pops up when you try to back up your DRM licenses in Windows Media Center (or the PlayReady setup) and the system thinks you've already done it. I've seen it on Windows 7 and Vista machines, especially after you've moved your media library to a new drive or reinstalled Windows while keeping the old DRM folder. The licensing engine compares your current license store against the backup folder you point to — if it finds any matching file names there, it assumes you're duplicating and throws 0XC00D2742. That's it. It's not a corruption issue or a permissions problem in most cases. It's just a leftover backup from a previous session.

Here's the thing: Windows doesn't give you a clean way to say "overwrite that old backup." So you have to do it manually. The fixes below range from the obvious (use a new folder) to the more surgical (delete the hidden backup files). I'll walk you through each.

Fix 1: Use a different backup folder

The quickest way around this is to simply point Windows to a folder that has no DRM data in it. You don't even need to delete anything yet.

1. Open Windows Media Center. Go to Tasks > Settings > General > Parental Controls > DRM > Back Up Licenses.
2. You'll see a location field. Change it to something like D:\DRM_Backup_New (pick any drive with space). Click Next.
3. Windows will create that folder and start backing up. You should see a progress bar and then a message saying "Backup complete."

That solves it in 90% of cases. But if you get the same error even with a fresh folder, the problem isn't the destination — it's the license store itself. Move to Fix 2.

Fix 2: Clear the hidden DRM backup folder

Sometimes your system has a default backup location that Windows checks first, even if you type in a new path. That location is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\PlayReady. It's hidden by default, so you'll need to show hidden files first.

1. Press Win + R, type control folders, and hit Enter.
2. Go to the View tab. Under "Hidden files and folders," select Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Click OK.
3. Now open File Explorer and go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\PlayReady. You might see a folder called Backup or a few files like *.drms or *.bak.
4. Right-click the PlayReady folder and rename it to PlayReady_Old. Don't delete it yet — you might want those licenses later.
5. Restart Windows Media Center and try the backup again. The system will create a fresh PlayReady folder and you should get a clean backup.

If renaming the folder works, you're done. After a successful backup, you can delete PlayReady_Old if you're confident you don't need those old licenses.

One warning: if you're using Windows Media Center on Windows 7 with Media Center's TV setup, renaming that folder might require you to re-enter your DRM-protected TV channel authorization. That's rare, but I've seen it happen. So keep that folder around for a day.

Fix 3: Registry tweak to force a clean state

When the error persists even after a new folder and a renamed PlayReady folder, there's a registry value that holds the last backup path. Windows compares your current path against that stored value and gets confused if they're the same.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Click Yes if UAC asks.
2. Go to this key:
   

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Media Foundation\DRM

3. Look for a value named LastBackupPath or BackupPath (the name varies by Windows version). Right-click it and choose Delete.
4. Close the Registry Editor. Try the backup again in Windows Media Center.

After you delete that value, Windows has no memory of any previous backup location, so it won't throw the error even if you point to the same folder as before.

If none of that works, check the date and time

I've seen this error on machines where the system clock was wrong by more than a few days. DRM licenses are time-sensitive, and Windows does a sanity check against the backup folder's file timestamps. If your clock is way off, the backup routine thinks the files are from the future and bails.

1. Right-click the clock in the taskbar and choose Adjust date/time.
2. Turn on Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically if they're off.
3. If you're on a domain network, run w32tm /resync in an elevated command prompt to force a sync.

Then repeat the backup attempt. It's a long shot, but it's free and takes 30 seconds.

Prevention tips for the future

Once you get past this error, do these two things to keep it from coming back:

• Back up your DRM licenses every few months. Use a consistent folder name like DRM_Licenses_2025-03 and if you ever re-run the backup, use a new subfolder each time. That way, you never hit the "already exists" trap.
• Keep your system clock accurate. Enable automatic time sync. A wrong clock causes more DRM headaches than any other single issue.

Remember, this error is almost never a sign of a broken system. It's just Windows being cautious. You're telling it to write licenses to a spot that already has some, and it refuses to overwrite without your explicit say-so. By renaming or clearing that old spot, you're giving it that permission.