Microsoft finally allows license transfer for Xbox 360

Xbox users have been able to move data from one hard drive to another for some time. This is extremely useful if you happen to have bought a model with a small hard drive and want to upgrade to a larger one. Unfortunately one thing missing from the process has been the ability to transfer licenses for DRM-crippled content from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

With the introduction of a new DRM transfer tool Microsoft has finally made that possible. A PC is required to initiate the transfer online, after which you can connect to Xbox Live with a new hard drive in your Xbox (or with a Xbox) and download the licenses.

Movie licenses still can't be transferred, so you'll want to make sure and watch any titles you've rented before swapping hard drives.

You can find more information about the process, including a video demonstrating the process, on Microsoft's website.

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 27 Jun 2008 10:00

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26 comments

Gnawnivek

Wow, i didn't know you're not even allowed to do this... i always thought that i can upgrade my 20gb hdd to 120gb hdd w/o problems (yeah, it's expensive as hell and there's no other alternatives too, stupid MS). I mean, i bought all the games right? So upgrading the hdd should not be a problem. wow, when reading this, i'm so wrong... This sucks! No sir, i'll remain as a 20gb user, no thanks MS.

27.6.2008 11:22 #1

BludRayne

Why not allow the user to redownload everything after the hd swap.

27.6.2008 12:28 #2

Gnawnivek

Originally posted by BludRayne: Why not allow the user to redownload everything after the hd swap.What the hell? You're not even allowed to re-download what you bought? Are you serious? I don't have to re-download anything yet, since my X360 is running pretty smoothly (got the RRoD on the first one, but didn't install anything on it, since it failed me within a month of purchase). Damn, now this is anti-consumerism!

27.6.2008 12:36 #3

bdoggie08

where's nobrainer with his fanboyish anti-consumer comments, Oh wait..that's only with Sony. Oh my bad..anyone else is ok to commit that stuff.

27.6.2008 12:39 #4

nobrainer

well is suppose this is good news for xbox owners but only once a year, the movies transfer is still being blocked by the MPAA wanting multiple purchases of films/rentals.

@ bdoggie08

anti-consumer is anti consumer but this news is stating that 360 owners can now transfer licences.

re your offtopic flaming post, sony happen to make the most restrictive DRM used, shout the loudest about piracy have more pro ip lobbyists than congress members are the one of the main companies behind the MPAA, RIAA Soundexchange, actually the list is endless.....

m$ apple are bad because of monopolistic behaviour sony just always go one step futher down anti-consumer avenue.

The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!
The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

27.6.2008 12:44 #5

bdoggie08

ohhhh...there he is..but wait..no Microsoft or Xbox fanboyish comments here...makes ya think.....
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/676913#4119582

27.6.2008 12:47 #6

atomicxl

Quote:Originally posted by BludRayne: Why not allow the user to redownload everything after the hd swap.What the hell? You're not even allowed to re-download what you bought? Are you serious? I don't have to re-download anything yet, since my X360 is running pretty smoothly (got the RRoD on the first one, but didn't install anything on it, since it failed me within a month of purchase). Damn, now this is anti-consumerism!READ THE ARTICLE. The very first words are "Xbox users have been able to move data from one hard drive to another for some time". You don't have to redownload. The guy you quoted pulled that out of thin air and I can already see people responding to it even though it'd be clear the guy was pulling this info out of his arse if you even read the first article.

Why would you want to redownload the content when you can can transfer it to your new hdd? Do you want to waste time and bandwidth for fun?

27.6.2008 12:47 #7

Jaussi

Originally posted by nobrainer: your offtopic flaming post, sony happen to make the most restrictive DRM used, shout the loudest about piracy have more pro ip lobbyists than congress members are the one of the main companies behind the MPAA, RIAA Soundexchange, actually the list is endless.....

m$ apple are bad because of monopolistic behaviour sony just always go one step futher down anti-consumer avenue. Everybody knows that Sony has shot themselves in the leg with DRM, and they are the most anti-consumer on that part. But at least they don't charge 100� for a 120GB hard drive, and make file transfer from HD to another without problems nearly impossible. DRM can always be cracked, but no way I'm paying 100� for a half-decent hard drive, 70� for wireless network, 15� for 2 pairs of rechargeable batteries for the controller, and only Bill Gates knows what for shipping your Xbox back to get it repaired after RRoD.

Don't get me wrong now, if I had to choose between X0 and PS3, I would choose X0. But I'll be fine with a PS2 for a couple more years.

My hands are frozen, my mind is at the edge of madness
Oh how many nights and days, I've been lost in this land of sadness

27.6.2008 13:03 #8

DVDBack23

Originally posted by bdoggie08: where's nobrainer with his fanboyish anti-consumer comments, Oh wait..that's only with Sony. Oh my bad..anyone else is ok to commit that stuff.Oh wait, is that you again calling out other members for no reason? Stop calling out nobrainer in every thread or you can take a break.

BACK ON TOPIC PLEASE.

27.6.2008 13:04 #9

Gnawnivek

Quote:Quote:Originally posted by BludRayne: Why not allow the user to redownload everything after the hd swap.What the hell? You're not even allowed to re-download what you bought? Are you serious? I don't have to re-download anything yet, since my X360 is running pretty smoothly (got the RRoD on the first one, but didn't install anything on it, since it failed me within a month of purchase). Damn, now this is anti-consumerism!READ THE ARTICLE. The very first words are "Xbox users have been able to move data from one hard drive to another for some time". You don't have to redownload. The guy you quoted pulled that out of thin air and I can already see people responding to it even though it'd be clear the guy was pulling this info out of his arse if you even read the first article.

Why would you want to redownload the content when you can can transfer it to your new hdd? Do you want to waste time and bandwidth for fun?err, no, you misunderstand my intentions... First off, the re-download notion is "given." That is, if i pay for a game from the Live then i should be able to download it again (at least few tries like PSN) if i happen to lose it (back it up is cool, but i don't do it very often, hey, can you backup the X360's hdd?)

Secondly, i didn't know you can't tranfers hdd contents when upgrading hdd. To me, this option is also a "given." Since now you can, it's a not a biggie, but i figure if you can't, you can still re-download right? Yeah, waste of bandwidth, but hey, at least it's an option if the hdd is corrupted or needs to be upgraded, right?

No, i'm not trying to waste bandwidth, i'm just surprised that the OBVIOUS choices are not there! Wow, call me slow, but i just realized that MS give me the option that i thought it was there in the first place (and just learned that you can't re-download).

I forgive the Wii, since it got no build-in hdd... so the notion of upgrading hdd in the Wii never came to my mind.

27.6.2008 13:07 #10

LOCOENG

Originally posted by bdoggie08: ohhhh...there he is..but wait..no Microsoft or Xbox fanboyish comments here...makes ya think.....
" target="_blank">http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view....4119582

You were warned yesterday not to taunt nobrainer. Just because the mods are involved with another member doesn't give anyone else the right to jump on the bus.

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27.6.2008 13:08 #11

johnflash

Yea guys. Leave him alone. He's just trying to send a message acrossed to people.

27.6.2008 13:44 #12

susieqbbb

Here is even a worse problem with this.

Final fantasy 11 on xbox live cannot be transfered at all as well i thought well that sucks because in order to reinstall final fantasy 11 for xbox live you have to confirm your serial number online which if you serial number is already in use by the 20 gig hard drive locks you out of final fantasy 11.

If microsoft would just spend the money and allow us to use any hard drive with the xbox 360 we would be better off we are tired of having to spend 179.99 for a hard drive that costs only 100.00 in most computer stores.

27.6.2008 14:01 #13

nobrainer

Originally posted by susieqbbb: Here is even a worse problem with this.

Final fantasy 11 on xbox live cannot be transfered at all as well i thought well that sucks because in order to reinstall final fantasy 11 for xbox live you have to confirm your serial number online which if you serial number is already in use by the 20 gig hard drive locks you out of final fantasy 11.

If microsoft would just spend the money and allow us to use any hard drive with the xbox 360 we would be better off we are tired of having to spend 179.99 for a hard drive that costs only 100.00 in most computer stores.this is exactly why all DRM'ed content should be boycotted until they give us rights to do whatever we want with media we purchase, the only restriction should be do not re-distribute it, but global price fixing and reselling multiple licences is a great business practice, as is selling of mods at extortionate rates now, thanks to this generation of consoles.

when i read this news article it was new news to me and i cannot believe than anyone in their right mind would ever purchase anything from these ppl ever again, basically you purchasing media that you do not own, why not just burn your money or spend it on a prostitute as least you will have somthing to take away even if it is only a std at least you will always remember getting f*****!

27.6.2008 14:19 #14

shaunice2

removed by loco

27.6.2008 14:21 #15

johnflash

stupid advertisement, i hate spam. Thought this wasn't allowed on aD.

27.6.2008 14:26 #16

johnflash

Quote:Originally posted by bdoggie08: where's nobrainer with his fanboyish anti-consumer comments, Oh wait..that's only with Sony. Oh my bad..anyone else is ok to commit that stuff.Oh wait, is that you again calling out other members for no reason? Stop calling out nobrainer in every thread or you can take a break.

BACK ON TOPIC PLEASE.Yeah, but he's got a point. Been reading through the posts and it seems to be a factual point. Just saying. lol

27.6.2008 14:43 #17

SProdigy

Even though purchases are still tied to an individual console, the Wii at least allows multiple (unlimited) downloads of purchased content. If it were more mature, where you have an account as in Xbox Live, then it would be better.

However, MS freaked out and tied everything down. Purchases are tied to the console (not the account) and you can move content from the 20gb to the 120gb drive ONCE (remember the special cradle they made for transfers?) To make it worse, consoles that were repaired for problems such as RRoD made retrieving purchases impossible due to the DRM scheme up until a few months ago, where MS finally made a tool for the DRM files, though it was still the SAME console throughout the whole process and repaired by MS themselves!

Don't get me wrong, I own a 360, but I always found paying any amount of money for renting a movie, tied up with DRM, that had to be watched within a certain time period, to be a waste. Why not get Netflix and either watch streaming movies or rent DVD's with no late charges? The whole Live Marketplace movie business just doesn't make sense to me.

27.6.2008 15:23 #18

Gnawnivek

Originally posted by SProdigy: Even though purchases are still tied to an individual console, the Wii at least allows multiple (unlimited) downloads of purchased content. If it were more mature, where you have an account as in Xbox Live, then it would be better.

However, MS freaked out and tied everything down. Purchases are tied to the console (not the account) and you can move content from the 20gb to the 120gb drive ONCE (remember the special cradle they made for transfers?) To make it worse, consoles that were repaired for problems such as RRoD made retrieving purchases impossible due to the DRM scheme up until a few months ago, where MS finally made a tool for the DRM files, though it was still the SAME console throughout the whole process and repaired by MS themselves!

Don't get me wrong, I own a 360, but I always found paying any amount of money for renting a movie, tied up with DRM, that had to be watched within a certain time period, to be a waste. Why not get Netflix and either watch streaming movies or rent DVD's with no late charges? The whole Live Marketplace movie business just doesn't make sense to me.thanks for the info, i didn't know there was a transfer cradle... So basically they do have a way to upgrade your hdds completely and painlessly, but only once? So, if i mess up (i'm not good with computers and stuffs, even hooking up HDMI took me two tries), then what? Anyhow, i'm still glad that now you can do this the better way, b/c MS says so, should i applaud for the remedy? Nah, i suppose to be able to do that! Oh, wait, didn't the article said that the process is not 100%? Not good enough...

27.6.2008 15:36 #19

windsong

Better to have a high end PC and move anything anywhere rather than wait on Bill Gates to "authorize" you every time you want to break wind (in between waiting for your "BOX" from Microsoft)

27.6.2008 17:01 #20

Oner

Originally posted by SProdigy: Don't get me wrong, I own a 360, but I always found paying any amount of money for renting a movie, tied up with DRM, that had to be watched within a certain time period, to be a waste. Why not get Netflix and either watch streaming movies or rent DVD's with no late charges? The whole Live Marketplace movie business just doesn't make sense to me.Exactly. Just because a company has a service that may have some sort of DRM, timed period or limited use on extra tech devices does not mean you cannot find another viable option. Why make a big deal out of it? Move on to another service that fits your needs and that is it. I mean seriously, a company that is offering a service wants to protect their investment, invention/service...sounds crazy huh? That is BUSINESS.

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27.6.2008 17:12 #21

grkblood

someone buy nobrainer a snow cone. seriously though, it does suck with whats been building up the past few months. I just know when I read any news article I already know the comments are going to be from nobrainer and someone arguing with him. Ive done it quite a few times myself. Everyone has an opinion so what do you expect really. It just really hard to talk about something without it turning into a debate or a roast. It sucks it has to be this way but what can you really do? I guess thats the great thing about America, freedom of speech.

Now on to the topic. This is REALLY good on microsoft's part. If you wanna talk about a console being anti-consumer its definately the 360. These issues should have never occured, and Ive read posts/blogs from some really ticked off 360 customers. I am definately a PS3 fanboy, but I am for some obvious reasons. This being one of them. While I still think it sucks that this does not apply to everything atleast its a step in the right direction. Until Microsoft corrects everything else like paying off devs for timed exclusivity, free online, and abandoning last gen systems I will continue to say they have a long ways to go. Now lets get moving Microsoft!

27.6.2008 17:23 #22

scorpNZ

Originally posted by grkblood: someone buy nobrainer a snow cone. seriously though, it does suck with whats been building up the past few months. I just know when I read any news article I already know the comments are going to be from nobrainer and someone arguing with him. Ive done it quite a few times myself. Everyone has an opinion so what do you expect really. It just really hard to talk about something without it turning into a debate or a roast. It sucks it has to be this way but what can you really do? I guess thats the great thing about America, freedom of speech.

If a thread turns in to a flame war or any other crap it's because the posters let it become personal,it's real simple never post in anger go away then come back with a clear head or the best thing let it slide & don't get sucked in by the antagoniser,then again you get the loonies who are always trying to get a bite again ignore em & always stay on topic,*thinks to self*now wtf was this thread about again..lol..

27.6.2008 20:13 #23

Oner

But the issue becomes something different when members don't want to heed warnings or even temp bans. Then later complain as if a mod is picking on them when they are violating a couple forum rules that we enforce! The point is you can speak what is on your mind but to spam EVERY thread with the same rhetoric gets old and turns members off/away from wanting to contribute & participate and that is not what aD is about.

So please try to stay on topic and not bring the threads to a screeching halt with bait, bad attitudes, arguments & outdated misinformation. Then aD will continue to be what it always has been a place for discussion about how to work together to help alleviate these "issues" instead of just constant complaining about them every time....

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28.6.2008 09:07 #24

LOCOENG

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28.6.2008 12:09 #25

johnflash

why is there spam? or is this a joke of some sort?? But anyways, I will say that the 360 has really sweet games, but the system sucks. I like the PS3 system, its built better, but the games are lacking as of now. I know that PS3 will start getting more games out, after Metal Gear they now know the capability of gaming.

30.6.2008 13:19 #26

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