Help! I've lost three years of work!

[felicia]

I've recorded three years of irreplaceable, personal, non-copyright material in OMA files. Then Windows started playing up, so I recovered it from the recovery partition on my IBM laptop. I backed up and restored my OMA files using Explorer. Now my files won't play any more. I've read posts here and elsewhere that basically say nobody has been able to decrypt OMA files. Sony has been unhelpful and while people in these forums have suggested Sony might have the technical means to help, there's no report of Sony actually having helped. I've found some programs that claim to be able to bust the DRM, but they don't work. It seems that the same company sells the same program under multiple names, but that the program doesn't do what it does (at least not as far as Sony's DRM is concerned). They don't answer emails.

Had I read these forms earlier, I would have known to convert the OMA files to something unprotected like WAV or MPG.... however, it's now too late for that.

So my question is whether there is anything that can be done on the basis that I'm trying to play the files on the computer on which they were originally recorded? How does SonicStage determine that it is on a "different" computer? Does Sony somehow still have a copy of the key tied to my computer as originally configured?

[BIGHMW]

Whoa, OUCH!

It's a good thing I keep all of my work that I play on my NW-HD5 backed up on MD (in SP Stereo mode for car/home and other playback purposes). At least I have never erased any of my MD masters, and I also keep the master CDs/cassettes/LPs it was originally recorded off of.

Most of it was made up pre-Hi-MD and some was originally uploaded to earlier versions of SS (3.1, 3.4, and my current program, which is 4.2 CP) to first my MZ-NH700 and as of almost 2 years ago to my RH1 and my HD5 after that in 64k Atrac3+.

Before I got the RH1, all of my custom MD recordings were first put down on MD and recorded onto CD through both my MDS-E10 Pro MD Recorder (and earlier my old MDS-JE510 home recorder) to my HHB CDR-850 Pro CD Recorder, so after I got the RH1 the CD part of this process became unnecessary, so I just skipped that part of the process.

[tekdroid]

So my question is whether there is anything that can be done on the basis that I'm trying to play the files on the computer on which they were originally recorded? How does SonicStage determine that it is on a "different" computer? Does Sony somehow still have a copy of the key tied to my computer as originally configured?

First of all my deepest sympathies for your loss. Sony are bitches.

Secondly, I think they're gone

The OMG/OMA stuff I wish I had a recent working knowledge of, but every time this has cropped up in the past, there has been no real solution if it's been DRMd. I have no idea how they determine it's on a different computer; I think there is some internet new-key shenanigans involved. I don't think anyone has reverse-engineered their DRM. I have heard murmurs that someone said they did, but there is no proof or anything as far as I can tell.

To this day the whole OMG/OMA/SonicStage back-up business does my head in. I never wanted to bother with its intricacies, even long after most restrictions were removed. I have only once or twice bothered to even record in ATRAC, let alone save in their format. Someone more clued-in on the intricacies of their lovely system may be able to provide more insight.

[sfbp]

My fear is they are using something called perfect forward secrecy (google it) on the keys themselves.

Hope not. But the keys are definitely time-sensitive. Any system restore may mess them up irreversibly. However I think I'm sure that when you restore the keys properly to time X, that the only .OMA files you will lose are the ones encrypted between X and now. However now you will want to get everything you can OUT (ie decrypted) because nothing new will work, if I recall correctly.

A long dark tunnel. Step 1 - try to get your system to the point BEFORE that system restore. Then there is at least HOPE for the music before that restore point.

You may have to revive the keys, so read everything posted by Avrin here in the last 6 months and try to understand what he says about the keys. I think they're in a hidden folder called OMGRIGHTS.

Stephen

[kino170878]

1) Sony like to kick their customers in the teeth after they fall on the ground. Somebody should sue these jokers big time.

2) You are a bit of a fool yourself for entrusting your entire collection to only one source. Why didn't you make a back up to another source if the material was so valuable?

3) I don't use Sonicstage for storing anything, all my minidisc material is on discs. See (1).

Edited February 1, 2009 by kino170878

[felicia]

My fear is they are using something called perfect forward secrecy (google it) on the keys themselves.

Hope not. But the keys are definitely time-sensitive. Any system restore may mess them up irreversibly. However I think I'm sure that when you restore the keys properly to time X, that the only .OMA files you will lose are the ones encrypted between X and now. However now you will want to get everything you can OUT (ie decrypted) because nothing new will work, if I recall correctly.

A long dark tunnel. Step 1 - try to get your system to the point BEFORE that system restore. Then there is at least HOPE for the music before that restore point.

You may have to revive the keys, so read everything posted by Avrin here in the last 6 months and try to understand what he says about the keys. I think they're in a hidden folder called OMGRIGHTS.

Stephen

Thanks! I will see whether I can find the old OMGRIGHTS....

Felicia

... You probably offloaded on the computer every time and erased the original copy...

Yip

Felicia

[sfbp]

Thanks! I will see whether I can find the old OMGRIGHTS....

Felicia

Don't take my literal word for it. But the outline of what you might be able to do is there, and the copying as Avrin describes may (or may not) be an essential step.

What you probably *dont* want to do (before you get it working again) is to generate a backup (from the SS menu) as I think this overwrites what ever got saved before, and will only restore you to the messed up state you are in.

(added)

Sorry I read this this morning earlier before rushing out the door, and I missed that you totally reinstalled Windows.

What I might do (if I had an extra machine) is to experiment with the whole thing on a setup on another computer before you try doing anything drastic like fixing registry entries.

You won't be able to decrypt it as such, but you may (it sounds like you are fairly techie) be able to figure out what changes as you mess with the various pieces.

Do you have a backup of Windows itself I wonder? I feel sure Sony has locked it to (all of) a. date/time b. some GUID in the Windows registry c. some specially generated keys that get updated each time you close SonicStage,

Stephen

[bluecrab]

This truly unfortunate case serves as a reminder to backup important files and data whenever possible. I have learned the (very) hard way. My sympathies for your loss.

[Syrius]

Backup tool? How come there is no mention of (prior to the restoring) removing the copy protection so those OMAs can be played anywhere? I do that religiously with every single little file I upload in non PCM format, then backup to DVD in both Non-DRM OMA and Flac.

Backup tool... that's as arcane as a phonograph.