Using sndrec32.exe to remove DRM from songs downloaded from napster

Contributor Icon Contributed by destep Date Icon March 1, 2005  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows

Here a work around for napsters drm protected music files, it’s a very long process, but if you really like a song, then its worth the trouble.


Editor’s note: Manual way of defeating the DRM. Will likely work only on most sound card configurations. Thanks for the submission.

Ok first off create a shortcut for the file sndrec32.exe thats in your C:\windows\system32 folder. Now the player by default only records 60 seconds, so heres how you make it record longer.

Before you press record unplug any microphones you have, and press record, and save the file as blank.wav. Now reopen the blank file, and scroll the bar all the way to the end, and go to the edit menu and chose insert file, and choose the blank.wav file again, and now you have 120 seconds. Now repeat over, and over again till you get about 6 minutes, and resave the file as blank again.

Don’t worry if the songs your wanting is’nt that long at least you’ve got room to play with. Start playing your songs on media player, or winamp, and press record on the sound recorder before you play your song, and stop recording as soon as your song has finished.

Finally go to your edit menu again, and choose delete after current position, and save the file with any name of the song you want, and don’t worry if you can’t see the filename in the rename bar, it’s a windows bug, or something.

At last you have a unprotected file of your song that you can burn to a music CD. Yes it’s long, but at least it works…for now that is untill they figure out how to keep us from doing that.

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  • sup
    didn't work
  • Anonymous
    worked for me. one thing you may need to do is double click your volume to bring up the mixer, change to properties for recording, and check "stereo mix" instead of "microphone"
  • Anonymous
    I changed my volume properties to recording, but I don't see a "stereo mix" Any help...???
  • TestDummy
    Worked like a charm!
  • Anonymous
    To shorten the process, there's a freeware program called "Step Voice Recorder" that doesn't have a length limit and automatically saves the recorded file to MP3.

    Another alternative is to use Audiograbber's Line In Sampling which can automatically splits the files so you can just start your playlist and let it run.
  • someguy
    there is a freeware app called audacity, I can record an entire album, chop up the tracks and convert to mp3,
    go here..
    http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
    you will also need lame encoder
    go here
    http://mitiok.free.fr/
  • Guest
    Works very well once you get the settings right.

    Open your volume control and goto Options => properties. Select Recording and click the Mono Out checkbox. Now bo back to the volume ettings and check the 'select' box under Mono out. Lower the volume to the second to last tick. Then play your file and you should get a good quality copy.
  • Anonymous
    Perfect! Thank you! Make sure and read the earlier comments - getting the setting correct in the Volume Control box is key. Works great! :)
  • !BrainRot
    Thanks for this information.

    I just bought a tune i really liked, only to find out afterwards that i had to d/l and install Win Media 9 to play the bloody thing, then that was the only software i could play it on...

    Fk that!

    Very valuable information...

    I would reccomend the Audacity route.

    I also had to loop the output from my soundcard into the line input on the soundcard with a cable.

    Thanks!
  • Anonymous
    I have a Creative Audigy 2 ZS soundcard, it came with many apps. One is called Wavestudio. I can just download a track I like, launch the Wavestudio, hit record, then play the track with whatever player I want. Stop the recording when the track is over, do a file ---> save as, set the file type as MP3, type a name and click save. Makes any type of file protection Napster encodes on their music files totally obsolete. Also works with recording any music streams on the net.
  • Anonymous
    This process doesn't have to be this complicated. Just burn the songs you want onto a CD in Napster, and re-rip them as mp3 or wav, or whatever.

    If you don't want to waste CD's, just get a CD-RW disc and re-use it each time. I've done this with Napster & iTunes for a while now...

    BTW, this did work for me. I just figured i'd test it out anyway...
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