Midbar player/trojan/copy protection?

[Mean_Chlorine]

I just bought Deleriums CD "Chimera", and when I popped it in my
CD-ROM to listen to it, I got a small requester which said that media
player needed to upgrade to play it. So I clicked OK. And a new
player, which is not anything like Windows Mediaplayer, opened.

I can now not play this record with any other player. WinAmp and Media
Player can't even see that it's an audio CD.

The (suspiciously secretive) gray-colored player is just called
"Player". The about says "Portions utilize Microsoft Windows Media
Technologies. Copyright (c) 1999 - 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All
Rights Reserved. Powered By: Midbar Tech LTD." There is a button to
"www" which doesn't work.

The player's process is named wmmp.exe.

A quick search of the net didn't reveal much except that this is some
sort of copy protection, which is all fine and dandy, I paid $17 for
this CD and everyone else should too, but frankly having software I've
not asked for or want forced upon me under false premises pisses me
off. Don't like it one bit. Also it slows down the computer something
wicked; I've got an 1.5GHz machine, and the player uses 100% of the
available CPU cycles, meaning that e.g. surfing is basically
impossible while the Midbar player is running.

I want the player gone. Right fricking now.

Now, I can get rid of the offending trojan/player by rolling back the
system, but then I can't play the CD without it reinstalling itself
again.

So: how do I bypass this "protection"/trojan so I can play my CD with
the player of *my* choice, WinAmp?

 

[Chris Lanier [MVP]]

If it's copy-protected and they include a special application for listen to
the CD on a PC then there is nothing you can do to change that.

 

[GMAN]

I just bought Deleriums CD "Chimera", and when I popped it in my
CD-ROM to listen to it, I got a small requester which said that media
player needed to upgrade to play it. So I clicked OK. And a new
player, which is not anything like Windows Mediaplayer, opened.

I can now not play this record with any other player. WinAmp and Media
Player can't even see that it's an audio CD.

The (suspiciously secretive) gray-colored player is just called
"Player". The about says "Portions utilize Microsoft Windows Media
Technologies. Copyright (c) 1999 - 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All
Rights Reserved. Powered By: Midbar Tech LTD." There is a button to
"www" which doesn't work.

http://www.midbartech.com/
Midbar Tech Ltd. has been acquired by Macrovision Corporation.



http://www.drmwatch.com/drmtech/article.php/3100501

Macrovision announced its acquisitions of Midbar Tech Ltd
November 4, 2002
By DRM Watch Staff

Macrovision, the dominant player in copy protection solutions for physical
digital media such as DVDs and CDs, is acquiring two businesses that have
developed technology for copy-protected audio CDs. (TTR was previously an IP
licensor to Macrovision.) The most likely interpretation of this development
is that Macrovision - a voracious licensee and acquirer of DRM-related
intellectual property - is betting that copy-protected audio CDs will take off
in the market, and it is looking to consolidate its position in the face of
newer competitors like SunnComm.

The assertion that copy-protected audio CDs will succeed in the market flies
in the face of many historical factors. The public has grown accustomed to
non-copy-protected CDs since over a decade ago - a lifetime in consumer
electronics terms; the audio CD is widely perceived as a format that will die
off during the next several years; DIVX, a locked-up DVD format, has been a
failure; and back in the late 90s, two companies that built DRM-protected
network CD-ROM servers (InfoSafe and CDMax) folded without success. We have to
ask what Macrovision, a mainstay in entertainment technology, knows that we
don't know.

 

[Tzortzakakis Dimitrios]

Press alt+ctrl+del. while the player is running.Detect the .exe player
file.Delete with DOS command.Remove all related registry entries.Finito.

--
Dimitris Tzortzakakis,Iraklion Crete,Greece
Analogue technology rules-digital sucks
http://www.patriko-kreta.com
dimtzort AT otenet DOT gr the return adress is corrupted
Warning:all offending messages will be deleted, and the offender/spammer
will be put on my personal "black list".

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

Press alt+ctrl+del. while the player is running.Detect the .exe player
file.Delete with DOS command.Remove all related registry entries.Finito.

I got rid of the player with a rollback, the problem is that there's
no way of playing the CD without it. It's not presently playable in
either mediaplayer or winamp.

 

[Stoned Hippy]

You could play it with the given player and then record it through your
soundcard analogly, you would lose a bit of quality in the process though...

Stoned Hippy

 

[Robert]

I got rid of the player with a rollback, the problem is that there's
no way of playing the CD without it. It's not presently playable in
either mediaplayer or winamp.

Return the CD to store and tell them why.
r

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

Return the CD to store and tell them why.

Yes, I agree, that is the best course of action. Shame, it's a good
CD, musically speaking.

 

[Dylan1968]

I had no problem ripping a CD with this very annoying player on it (Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions). I had Windows Media Player 9 series on a 2000 system rip it to wma. Then converted to mp3 using SongsDB (ancient tool).