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

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

  1. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

    Mar 4, 2011
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    I'll rephrase my post, I've always had problems with WMC and it had made several new mcepg3-1,2,3.....
    It may have been bad timing but when i tried your prog, WMC threw a fit again. I could try it again now, as I only last night reinstalled WMC and it hasn't thrown a fit yet.
    I've always wondered why WMC does it and how/what your prog actually does....
    Hope you dont take issue with what i'v just said :)
     
  2. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

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    #10042 technodevotee, Jun 15, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2020
    Well, as I say in the read me, it can't usually fix a broken installation because the registry entry will have been set by then and setting it to point to the corrupt database will just make it crash again.

    It needs to be run on a virgin installation before it crashes but it isn't needed with V13 because I set the registry on installation.

    Basically, when version 8x is installed there is no registry entry to tell WMC which database to use until there's a problem and a new one is made.

    I discovered that on very rare occasions WMC had a problem reading the database (maybe got confused, the file was being scanned by antivirus, updated by an EPG download or read by RecordingBroker) and so it created a new one. I found that on those very rare occasions, setting the registry entry to point to the old database and restarted the PC it was fine again.

    However, if the database is actually corrupt, it doesn't help.

    I wondered if setting the registry on a fresh installation would help prevent it being confused and it does seem to have helped me. It may be pure coincidence and nothing to do with that at all of course.
     
  3. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    #10043 Bigal, Jun 15, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2020
    i got a virgin WMC install:) atm
    how often should it be run
    ill do it when there aren't any recordings ... i've stopped the current recordings but they wont stop and there are upcoming recordings... guess what happens if i cancel them lol
    I will then try your WMC Multi Tool option 7 and report back
     
  4. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

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    I've updated my last post with some background info.

    What antivirus are you using? Have you excluded .db files from scanning?
     
  5. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    thanks for the info, i will add yr set_db_instance script to the list of things i do when installing WMC
    just the default windows security and iv'e made no changes to it.
    should i exclude;
    C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\mcepg3-0\mcepg3-0.db
    C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\mcepg3-0 dir
    or the whole C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome dir
     
  6. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

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    I normally just exclude .db files although I have no proof that it makes any difference to WMC and I mainly do it because I run other software that use the same database files and it seem to slow them down.
     
  7. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    ah ok, ill leave it be for the time being, this problem used to happen with my windows 7 install as well and with my 2002 xp install, shame you weren't around back then lol
    I'm still waiting on a hung WMC to cancel and stop current recordings:mad:
     
  8. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    ok, so i did your set_db_instance script and WMC Multi Tool option 7, no change.
    if WMC still hangs, i will try v13
     
  9. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

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    #10049 technodevotee, Jun 15, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2020
    Well, I was hanging around on this site from the very beginning but my login got blasted along with everyone else when MS pulled the plug.

    I've been installing and maintaining PCs since long before MCE 2005 came out but the companies I worked for later on only supported businesses and not personal users so I wasn't as involved with Media Center but even though I've been retired for nearly ten years, I'm still loving it!
     
  10. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

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    #10050 technodevotee, Jun 15, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2020
    I assume you rebooted?

    I didn't know whether option 7 works with 8.8.4 because I've never tried it. I'm not sure what is causing the hanging either. Never seen that - how is it you have so many unusually problems?
     
  11. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    yup, rebooted
    always had the hanging thing, i just lived with it
    option 7 said a file was copied, no biggie
    Ive only seen you on here in the last year or 2, i was talking way back in 2002, i didn't know about this forum then
     
  12. j.c.f.

    j.c.f. MDL Member

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    Fairly sure in the distant past I had similar sorts of hangs so I created exclusions for:
    .wtv file type (no point having it scan terabytes of video)
    ehsched.exe
    ehshell.exe
     
  13. j.c.f.

    j.c.f. MDL Member

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    Just noticed in the dissection of last week's security updates talk about there being Media Foundation vulnerabilities so I'm guessing by reverting MSVidCtl.dll in SYSTEM32 we're probably exposing those machines to vulnerabilities in some other Windows component. Pretty strong argument for 8.8.4 where Kevin has secluded the old MSVidCtl.dll in the ehome folder so other processes won't use it.
     
  14. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

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    #10054 technodevotee, Jun 16, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
    Sure is - all these workarounds should only ever have been used until a long term solution was found.

    I'm actually glad you brought this up because it is something I have meant to mention in the readme files in my zip files. I have therefore added some warnings to all my zip files that contain old DLLs.
     
  15. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    #10055 Bigal, Jun 16, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
    You mean virus scan? i have tried several ones in the past
    When it hangs, in task manager WMC is at the top of cpu usage with 16%, then WMI Provider Host, with 3%, i tried restarting that service, no change. I also restarted, wmc reciever service and wmc scheduler services, no change, WMC stays hung, WMC is hung again from canceling a recording lol

    I have tried to find the cause for years and couldn't and just lived with it

    I also get WMC not recording after an unset amount of time, looks like WMC looses its connection to the tuners and i have to reboot.

    If i use v13, can the backup that i made with 8.8.4 be used?
     
  16. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

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    The only way I can think of finding the cause is to start with a basic installation of just Windows and WMC then adding any other software you use one at a time if it has been running OK for a while.

    Could the failure to record be a power management issue?

    I see almost none of the problems you report on any of the 5 PCs I'm currently running with different builds of Windows 10 and versions of WMC. They all just work.
     
  17. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    #10057 Bigal, Jun 16, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
    Well WMC stopped recording, even though it said it was recording a program and it wasnt recording programs that were on at the time, so i rebooted and got the "windows media center has corrected a problem with your recording data" blah blah blah and it made a new mcepg3-1.db
    I think it is due to a windows setting i do because i've had it from the start in every build i make, below is a list of most i do

    creat scratch file on desktop
    pin settings to taskbar
    check for windows updates
    update windows
    restart
    check for windows updates
    update windows
    turn off screen saver
    turn off sleep
    power options to high performance
    change sleep turn off display to never
    turn off hdd set to never
    turn off timeline
    enable remote desktop
    rename this pc to *******
    restart pc
    change network to private
    file and printer sharing turned on
    media streaming turn on
    background colour to solid colur black
    default app mode to dark
    turn off lock screen background picture
    turn off windows sounds
    show reciently added apps OFF
    show suggestions occasionally in start OFF
    show reciently opened items in jump list OFF
    automatically hide the taskbar ON
    use small tackbar buttons ON
    use peek preview ON
    combine taskbar buttons NEVER
    always show all icons
    startup apps turn off apart from windows security
    pin magnifier to taskbar move to the left
    safe search off
    cloud search off
    device history off
    customise search locations off
    use cortana even when my device is locked off
    privacy settings off
    desktop icons computer, network
    desktop icons small
    move icons to middle of the screen
    taskbar, show cortana, show tasks view off, search hidden, close one drive
    change screen res
    msconfig, normal startup, delete windows setup in boot, restart
    pin task manager to taskbar
    c: turn off indexing
    pin control panel to taskbar
    mouse pointer speed full

    remove hiberfil.sys powercfg.exe /hibernate off
    swapfile.sys
    pagefile.sys
    uninstall
    farm here saga
    candy crush friends
    change default apps
    445.87-desktop-win10-64bit-international-dch-whql
    uninstall xbox beta

    add HDD
    remove c:\sources if you want to I INSTALL FROM SSD
    change folder view settings
    open file explorer to this pc
    show frequently used folders off

    Samsung_Magician_Installer 6.10
    update firmware of 250ssd to RVT04B6Q
    set over provisioning
    optimize drive

    I tried v13 using the bakcup from 8.8.4 and it didnt work, so doing a setup of v13 now

    I need to do a clean install of win 10 so i could try without changing any windows settings
     
  18. Bigal

    Bigal MDL Member

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    #10058 Bigal, Jun 16, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
    after installing v13 i had the following problems;

    speaker setup didnt work, clicking test made no sound for 5.1
    got tuner conflict when trying live tv, all tuners currently in use
    WMC hung when trying to play a movie from movie library but will play from file explorer
    decoder error when trying to watch a recorded tv program
    no thumbnails with new recorded tv

    ran
    wmc_multi_tool.cmd
    option 1 MsVidCtl.dll.
    option a MSSQLlite
    option 4 MsVidCtl.dll system32
    option 3 EncDec.dll windows\ehome
    option 6 EncDec.dll system32

    i still get wmc wont play movie from movie library but will play from file explorer
    Any suggestions

    2 bonus points with v13
    music library works without turning off automatic download options
    taskbar short cut now shows guide
     
  19. technodevotee

    technodevotee MDL Senior Member

    Sep 18, 2015
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    I just don't get it.

    I install Windows 10, wait for it to finish installing everything and reboot. Install WMC V13 and run through the tools provided in the installer folder using the known issues document as a guide. Reboot and everything works perfectly.

    I assume that the majority of people who have downloaded and installed V13 have the same trouble free outcome that I do, otherwise there would be thousands of people on here and TGB telling me it is crap.

    What is it that different about your computer that makes life so difficult for you?
     
  20. j.c.f.

    j.c.f. MDL Member

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    #10060 j.c.f., Jun 17, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2020
    Yeah, it's the same underlying WMC executable so I imagine using BackupRestoreSettings.cmd in the 8.8.4 directory on the old v13 install and then the Uninstaller.cmd with an optional reboot if you're being religious (and given your install you should be) and then a new install of 8.8.4 followed by a BackupRestoreSettings.cmd from the 8.8.4 directory should at the very least be reversible.

    EDIT: Just saw your long list of things you do to a machine. Most of that is pretty benign, but if I were you I wouldn't do any of it and see if your problem manifests. Other than that my bet is that it's your audio drivers as I've seen them cause problems in any number of instances so I'd even try it without the audio card (assuming it is a card of course).