I have spent several hours trying to convert wma copy protected files to mp3. My school recently signed up for "Ruckus," a download program similar to napster. The files I download cannot be burned to cd, copied to mp3 player, or moved to another computer. Therefore, I tried all of the above mentioned means to convert to mp3. Thus far, the only manner that has worked is Winamp. Using winamp, I can either dual play / encode wma files to wav using the above mentioned method, or using the lame plug in, I can directly copy wma files to mp3. The only drawback is that the encoding happens real time.

Every other attempt has failed (I am not going to waste my time recording the tracks with my computer's recorder as this WILL decrease the audio quailty though this method should work). This includes Virtuosa, Goldwave, Nero, Roxio EZ CD, MusicMatch, and ITunes. While it is possible Ruckus uses more advanced encryption, I believe those of you who posted success stories regarding the above mentioned programs were not actually converting truly encrypted files. One other theory is that, for example, Virtuosa upgraded their software to no longer encode copy protected files, explaining the change in file size neccessary for the crack, but I remain sceptible.

Well I hope this helps some of you, let me know if you have questions.