Microsoft (Maybe) Fixes Xbox 360 DRM Issues
This page on Xbox.com states that if you have had your console replaced by Microsoft, all you have to do to restore the licenses for the content you purchased previously is to simply redownload each piece of content. It works this way because Microsoft can track what your console serial number was on the unit you sent in, and then transfer the licenses to the replacement console's serial number. You have to download everything again to reset the license to your new system.
This only applies to systems that you have had to send in for repair. It won't work if, for example, you buy a brand new system and then just put your old hard drive on it.
This all seems easy enough, and the transfer of the license between the systems will happen automatically. It is still up to you to redownload everything, however.
Once again, the page on Xbox.com describing this new policy is right here.
Comments
how can we state this so that if we were to upgrade our system to the elite, we can do the same thing? or for the other fact, there are some people (I know a few anyway) that will send their unit into xbox to repair, but will go and buy a new one so they can still play their games. how would that licence transfer take place since in his mindset was; well I really want to play these games so I have the money to go ahead and buy an elite, and I can use the one that is getting repaired as a backup. For those of us that purchase Live Content, and have gotten systems swaped, and this fix doesn’t work, when (for example today) xbox live is taken down for maintence, you can’t log into xbox live. so the items you purchased are ultimately unable to be used.
To make this as painless as possible, there needs to be a procedure for people that upgrade their system and how to word it to the representive that they speak with so they will know exactly what needs to be done without having to wait mulitple months, for something that I don’t imagine that takes more than a few moments to change/update in your profile (ex, clearing the S/N that your Profile was associated with when you purchased the games, and then the next redownload will relicence that console.)
I don’t see anything wrong with that, it will still be locked down to one console. why just not limit how many times per calandar year this can be done.