NS_E_WMP_COMPONENT_REVOKED (0XC00D1306) – component upgrade needed

You're trying to play a video or audio file in Windows Media Player and it just stops. The error says something like "Windows Media Player cannot play this file until you complete the software component upgrade." The code is 0XC00D1306. This usually shows up right after you install a Windows update, or after you switched user accounts. I've seen it on Windows 7, 8.1, and 10. It's not a corrupted file — it's a DRM problem.

What's actually happening here

The error means a media component, usually a DRM (Digital Rights Management) license or codec, was revoked or expired. Windows Media Player uses DRM to check if you're allowed to play certain protected content (like purchased videos or some streaming files). When Windows updates, sometimes the certificate chain for that component gets invalidated. The player then refuses to play anything until you re-acquire the component. It's not a bug — it's by design. But the fix is simple.

The fix — re-register the WMDRM component

Skip the "run SFC" or "reinstall WMP" stuff you see on other sites. That doesn't work here. The real fix is to manually re-register the DRM component. Here's how:

1. Close Windows Media Player completely. Make sure it's not running in the background. Check Task Manager if you have to.
2. Open Command Prompt as administrator. Press the Windows key, type cmd, right-click "Command Prompt", and choose "Run as administrator". Accept the UAC prompt.
3. Navigate to the System32 folder. Type this and press Enter: cd /d %windir%\System32
4. Re-register the DRM component. Type this command and press Enter: regsvr32 wmvdrm.dll
5. Do the same for the playback component. Type: regsvr32 wmnetmgr.dll
6. Restart Windows Media Player. Now try playing the file again. The upgrade prompt should be gone.

Why step 4 and 5 work

The wmvdrm.dll file handles DRM license checking. Re-registering it rebuilds the COM registration that Windows Media Player uses to talk to the DRM system. The wmnetmgr.dll is the network manager — it's often involved when the error mentions "upgrade" because the player tries to fetch a new component from Microsoft's servers. Without a proper registration, that fetch fails silently.

If it still fails — clean the DRM folder

Sometimes the license store itself is corrupted. If the re-register doesn't fix it, you need to flush the DRM folder. Be careful: this removes all your saved licenses. You'll have to re-download content you bought from stores like Zune or old Xbox Video purchases. But for most people, that's fine because those stores are gone anyway.

1. Stop the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. Open Services (type services.msc in Run), find "Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service", right-click, and stop it.
2. Delete the DRM folder. Open File Explorer, go to %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player. You'll see a folder called DRM. Delete it. If you get a permission error, repeat step 1.
3. Start the service again. Go back to Services and start "Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service".
4. Open Windows Media Player. It will create a fresh DRM folder. Try playing the file.

One more thing to check

If you're on Windows 10 version 22H2 or later, Microsoft has stopped bundling Windows Media Player by default. You might need to turn it on via "Turn Windows features on or off" — look for "Media Features" and check "Windows Media Player". But that's rare for this error. The DRM re-register fixes 9 out of 10 cases.

If none of this works, the file itself might be a format Windows Media Player just can't handle. Try VLC Media Player — it ignores DRM and plays almost anything. But that's a different topic.