[DISCUSSION] Patch WMC to run on Windows 10 final & possible alternatives

Discussion in 'Windows 10' started by ricktendo64, May 8, 2015.

  1. ssmith29

    ssmith29 MDL Novice

    Jul 11, 2015
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    Downloaded the 64 bit file from above followed BigKev's instructions to the T only issue was I kept getting a message to the effect that the PlayReady needed to be updated and it kept saying unable to connect with PlayReady's site so I just hit no then rebooted and and it works again I have my WMC back working on Windows 10 1903 thank you to this site and all who contribute to it and the people who love there wmc just like me..
     
  2. blueblur27015

    blueblur27015 MDL Novice

    Jun 11, 2019
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    can you make it work with version 1903
     
  3. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    Yes, but you need to run the fix_thumbnails and replace_dlls scripts in the installer folder after installing.

    Please also read the known issues, notes and warnings in the post with the links.
     
  4. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    #9364 technodevotee, Jun 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2019
    While BigKev's instructions work, there is no need to run anything as administrator because all the scripts prompt for elevation to perform their work.

    A lot of people (including me) are having problems downloading or upgrading Playready when installing *any* version of WMC and I couldn't download it direct from Microsoft either.

    I have had issues when Playready is installed, where you get a black screen or no sound for 10-20 seconds every time you try to watch or play TV after changing versions of WMC. The fix is to rename or delete mspr.hds in %programdata%\Microsoft\PlayReady.

    I'm not sure whether most people even need PlayReady but I managed to find and save copies of the latest MSI for both x86 and x64 buried on working PCs and if anyone wants a copy, send me a PM and I'll send you a link.
     
  5. Tim59

    Tim59 MDL Novice

    Jun 15, 2019
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    I have just installed WMC on Windows 10 from the download on this site. Installation seemed to go well with all expected channels found.

    EPG even downloads.

    However, when I try to watch Live TV, it appears to start but then WMC shuts down.

    When I try to watch a .wtv recording from a previous Windows 8.1 setup, it opens WMC and then shuts it down again before starting to play.

    It is a new Windows 10 installation version 1903. I have tried running as administrator, installing Win DVD and LAV filters (whatever they are) but to no avail.

    Can anybody give me some guidance?

    I have Mediaportal installed. Could there be a conflict with that?

    Any help would be much appreciated
     
  6. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    #9366 technodevotee, Jun 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2019
    This is a known issue in 1903 that currently affects all versions.

    You didn't specify which download you installed but if you installed V13, just run replace_dlls.cmd from the installer folder. If you don't have any thumbnails, run fix_thumbnails.cmd as well.

    If you installed a different version, download replace_dlls.zip, unzip it into the root of the folder containing whichever installer you have and run replace_dlls.cmd.

    If you don't have any thumbnails, you can download and run the fix_thumbnails.zip to fix that as well.

    Please read the warnings in the posts with the links.
     
  7. boyonthebus

    boyonthebus MDL Expert

    Sep 16, 2018
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    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  8. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    #9368 technodevotee, Jun 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2019
    I probably should have been clearer about known issues and the add-ons to fix them that I included in WMC-V13 when I posted the details.

    There are a number of reasons I didn't build my add-ons into the installer:

    Firstly, some of the issues only occur in later versions of Windows 10 so work arounds such as my add-ons to fix them are only needed in later versions of Windows 10.

    Secondly, some of the issues may also recur when Microsoft change Windows at a later date so the fixes may be needed again.

    Thirdly, I have no way of knowing what Hardware or Software you have on your PC or what else you use it for. I therefore can't know what collateral damage would occur by running the add-ons on your particular setup so I adopted an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach.

    Fourthly, many of the more technically minded users have an in depth knowledge of how the installer works so rather than creating problems by making a lot of changes to it at once, I made a few changes in the installer and put the other stuff outside.

    Fifthly, those same, more technically minded users may prefer to use their own known techniques to overcome some of the challenges we have faced in recent years.

    Here are some of the known issues in WMC-V13 and how to fix them:

    It suffers the same problem seen on other versions where there are no thumbnails. This is because MS switched the functionality of EncDec.dll to MsVidCtl.dll. In later versions, they removed the DLL and the registry entries that link to it entirely. You can run fix_thumbnails.cmd to fix that.

    It suffers the same problem seen on other versions where there's no sound or picture when trying to watch or play TV. This is because MS changed the functionality of MsVidCtl.dll. You can run replace_dlls.cmd to fix that.

    It suffers the same problem seen on other versions where there is an error about all tuners being in use when trying to record or crashes when trying to play recorded TV. This is because MS changed the functionality of CpFilters.dll. You can run replace_dlls.cmd to fix that.
     
  9. Tim59

    Tim59 MDL Novice

    Jun 15, 2019
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    I was using installer v8.8.2 but uninstalled it and installed your v13. Now it won't tune in at setup and won't go past the 'downloading the latest TV setup data for your region' stage. I have also tried going back to v8.8.2 but that will not go past the same stage now either.

    However, I can now use it to play back previously recorded material.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks for your help. It is appreciated.
     
  10. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    My guess would be that the MS servers are down. I get two or three days a week where I can't connect to them with any version.

    Hopefully, you made a backup and can restore \programdata\ehome folder and the WMC registry.
     
  11. Tim59

    Tim59 MDL Novice

    Jun 15, 2019
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    I didn't make the backup. Is that a problem? If I try to set it up again in a day or two they should be reconstructed shouldn't they?
     
  12. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    Hopefully, you will be able to connect some time soon and then it will rebuild the important stuff.

    Unfortunately, any personalisation, recording schedules and history are already gone. That's why I recommend doing a backup before doing anything like this - even if only with the BackupRestoreSettings feature - because it means you can quickly go back to how you were if it doesn't work for any reason.
     
  13. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    #9373 technodevotee, Jun 17, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2019
    I installed windows 10 1903 and WMC v13 on a clean hdd at about 4pm and it gave me the same error. I tried again at 7pm and it downloaded playready and the setup data fine.

    Hopfully it will work for you now.

    edit:
    Actually, I'm not so sure now. I think you may have hit a problem that I hadn't seen until today despite having installed and uninstalled everything from V8.8.1 to 8.8.3 and V12 to V13 on 7 different PCs with various versions of windows over the last few months.

    Looking through MDL, other people have reported the same issue with other versions.

    It seems to be a bit random but I uninstalled V13 which had been working fine since installing it a few week's ago and installed V8.8.2 and I can't download setup data. I've tried 8.8.1, 8.8.2 and 8.8.3 and none of them work. It worked on a fresh install of Windows so I'm wondering if there's something being left over by the uninstaller used in all the modern versions that conflicts with something MS have changed.

    I'm trying to find a fix for it but need to go to bed.
     
  14. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

    Mar 4, 2011
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    make sure you follow the uninstall instructions;
    check there are no ehome dirs in
    C:\Windows
    C:\ProgramData\Microsoft
    I just reinstalled my setup and went from 8.8.2 to 8.8.3 with no problems on 1809
     
  15. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    #9375 technodevotee, Jun 18, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2019
    As I suspected, this is a long standing problem (since at least Windows 7) and I tracked it down to a problem with the security tokens.

    If you think about it, WMC was part of Windows and no-one ever expected anyone but Microsoft to be changing parts of it, let alone replacing the installed version.

    Anyway, using information I found on the web, I have developed a simple fix to clear the token cache so that Windows creates new ones when it is restarted.

    I'm sure I don't need to tell you that doing this may cause other unrelated problems so I would recommend making a backup first to be safe. Also, be extremely careful in the trustedinstaller command prompt as you can really mess things up in there.

    I've written an add-on to do the job and will make it available soon but In the meantime, go into the folder containing whichever WMC installer you are using, run _testrights.cmd to get a trustedinstaller command prompt and type in
    Code:
    robocopy /copyall /move %programdata%\Microsoft\crypto\rsa\machinekeys %programdata%\Microsoft\crypto\rsa\MachineKeysOld * 
    and hit enter.

    Reboot.

    The next thing is, I don't know which version of Windows 10 or WMC you have installed at the moment but basically, there's issues with all versions of WMC in 1903 so it doesn't really matter.

    If you have anything other than V13, you can download my other add-ons, unzip them into the root of the folder containing whichever version of installer you have and run them to fix some of the issues you encounter.
     
  16. tannerjim

    tannerjim MDL Novice

    Dec 26, 2015
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    Just upgraded (forced) to 1903...using details above, I am now running MCE with no issues.

    THANKS!!!!!
     
  17. Tim59

    Tim59 MDL Novice

    Jun 15, 2019
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    Thanks. I've been away for a couple of days but will try later.
     
  18. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

    Mar 4, 2011
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    i just installed WMC 8.8.3 onto my 1809 x84 ver of win 10
    WMC crashes when i open music library.
    I have cleared out the database "%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Media Player" to no avail.
    WMP plays ok, any idea?
    All was working fine with 8.8.2 before
    Thanks
     
  19. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    I think this stopped working a long time ago when Microsoft removed the media update functionality that WMC uses from Windows and the only current way round this is to disable 'automatic download options, retrieve CD album art, media information ...' in WMC and let Media Player get the information.
     
  20. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

    Mar 4, 2011
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    it was working fine with 8.8.2, is it a dll problem?