Windows Update 3/9/2022 Hurt My WMC

urabus99

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Windows Update 3/9/2022 Hurt My WMC

#1

Post by urabus99 » Wed Mar 09, 2022 4:59 pm

My system did an automatic update on my Win 8.1 Pc today and it made me reset my WMC only to find that it could not be reset. I did a system restore with WMC operating again and ran the update with the same negative results. Are there any ideas as to which update caused this? I did turn off the auto update. I also backed up my EPG123 Client and attempted to rebuild the bad WMC database, but to no avail. I am okay now, but I would like to know. Thanks!

The Mac

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#2

Post by The Mac » Wed Mar 09, 2022 5:48 pm

same here.

reset mediacenter to factory.

ajse123

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#3

Post by ajse123 » Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:11 pm

And me ! (And I think this may affect all users of WMC using Windows 8.1 ?)

This security update effectively "uninstalls" Windows Media Center from your computer. After installing the security update, Windows Media Center remains on your computer but you have go through the whole process of re-installing and setting it up again.

Then it works OK as long as you do not switch your computer off or restart it.

If you do, Windows Media Center has disappeared and you have re-install and set it up again..... ad infinitum !

Let's hope Microsoft will do a patch to correct this problem in the near future.

Mikeyboy

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#4

Post by Mikeyboy » Wed Mar 09, 2022 9:04 pm

Same here win 8.1.
I was able to get WMC back by uninstalling 2022-03 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems (KB5011564). Then opting for me to choose which updates to install. Don't have a resolution beyond not installing that update

X1LightningMan

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#5

Post by X1LightningMan » Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:46 pm

This hit me(Win8.1 w/MC) too...

I tried rolling back the Security update. No good. Still left WMC in the new state. So...

I did a System Restore from before the Security update. Then when it came up I still had some problems. But one more re-start did the trick. Of course I turned of the automatic updates. I will wait for people to say that the update has been patched before any updates. Russia can use my PC as a BOT as long as my TV works. :crazy: lol

I guess Microsoft thinks that a configured WMC is a security threat. I'm thinking Microsoft's Security Updates are a Security Threat!! :roll:

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#6

Post by x4matx » Thu Mar 10, 2022 12:00 am

Same here, uninstalling KB5011564 didn't work for me. Had to do a system restore prior to update and am now back in working order. I love WMC and don't want to look for something else as it is nearly perfect, really wish Windows 11 had WMC, but stuff like this makes me wonder if its time to move on, though I don't want to :-(

Mikeyboy

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#7

Post by Mikeyboy » Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:02 am

I hear you. I have 4 win 8.1 laptops and in the panic to get wmc working again I restored 3 of them to prior points. This caused problems with epg123 update reporting out of date on all and google chrome not working on 1. The 4th win 8.1 I have did not have restore enabled so I had no recourse but to try uninstalling latest rollup. Upon reboting WMC was fully functional including guide data. Whatever works. Maybe the difference is I did not mess with running epg setup which deletes ehome data or otherwise running wmc setup from wmc task menues on my 4th laptop.

benhase

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#8

Post by benhase » Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:23 am

Same issue here WMC on Windows 8.1 Pro after installing KB5011564 (2022-03 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems).
When I open WMC is brings up a "Welcome to Windows Media Center" screen.
I did find if I start WMC in "Run as Administrator" mode, it then works correctly.

X1LightningMan

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#9

Post by X1LightningMan » Thu Mar 10, 2022 2:21 am

Hmmm... @benhase That would lead me to believe that it's a Permissions issue.

Very interesting

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#10

Post by newportri » Thu Mar 10, 2022 3:20 am

Mikeyboy wrote: Wed Mar 09, 2022 9:04 pm Same here win 8.1.
I was able to get WMC back by uninstalling 2022-03 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems (KB5011564). Then opting for me to choose which updates to install. Don't have a resolution beyond not installing that update
Rolling that back worked for me to! MikeBoy made my hero list today!

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#11

Post by mercalia » Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:18 am

IMPORTANT
lATEST MARCH 2022 UPDATE TO WINDOWS 8.1 SEEMS TO DAMAGE MEDIA CENTER
IT RESETS MC. ALL SETTING LOST AND RECONFIG CRASHES ENDLESSLY AT THE END OF THE CHANNEL DETECTION. SO CANNOT RESTORE

I had to restore my system from an image file.

andyhi

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#12

Post by andyhi » Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:28 am

benhase wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:23 am Same issue here WMC on Windows 8.1 Pro after installing KB5011564 (2022-03 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems).
When I open WMC is brings up a "Welcome to Windows Media Center" screen.
I did find if I start WMC in "Run as Administrator" mode, it then works correctly.
Similar situation here. Windows 8.1 pro. KB5011564 auto installed last night.

Get the "Welcome to Windows Media Center" screen when launching media center via normal methods.

Manually launching as admin goes straight to the prior working Media Center config, so this looks permissions / UAC related.

Uninstalled KB5011564 via control panel and no longer have to launch Media Center as admin. (The uninstall took 20+ minutes to complete on my Nuc w/ SSD... so be patient.)

Confirmed scheduled recordings work both prior and after uninstalling KB5011564.

Hopefully Microsoft will re-release KB5011564 with fixes or release specific guidance / work arounds related to the changes that break MCE for some users.

JimB

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#13

Post by JimB » Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:48 am

Same here. Win 8.1 pro. Just finished watching TV for the night and media center popped up the message indicating a reboot was needed to install updates. After reboot, Media center started prompting me to set everything up from scratch.

I was preparing to restore last night's backup image, but opted for a quick Google search first that led me to this thread. I uninstalled KB5011564, rebooted and Media Center started up with all guide listings and scheduled recordings intact.

I did not try the start as administrator workaround prior to uninstalling KB5011564, so I can't comment on its viability.

andyhi

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#14

Post by andyhi » Thu Mar 10, 2022 6:11 am

Similar issue reported in the Win 7 Media Center forum.

Check the thread in the WIn 7 MC forum for a possible registry permissions workaround if you don't want to remove KB5011564 or use system restore.

Dennis

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#15

Post by Dennis » Thu Mar 10, 2022 6:57 am

andyhi wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 6:11 am Similar issue reported in the Win 7 Media Center forum.

Check the thread in the WIn 7 MC forum for a possible registry permissions workaround if you don't want to remove KB5011564 or use system restore.
The work around worked for me, now happy

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#16

Post by Space » Thu Mar 10, 2022 7:46 am

This appears to be a registry permissions problem, see here for a fix.

ajse123

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#17

Post by ajse123 » Thu Mar 10, 2022 9:57 am

Hi there,

I have just re-installed security update causing the problem on my system to test whether the solution of right clicking on your WMC icon and then "run as administrator" works.

And it does work for me.

So hopefully it will work for other users.

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IT Troll

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#18

Post by IT Troll » Thu Mar 10, 2022 9:18 pm

After setting the registry permissions I was still left with the Welcome wizard. Running as admin didn’t help, neither did rolling back the update.

So I reinstalled the update, applied the two specific permissions and set about defeating the Welcome wizard. By comparing registry settings with those from a completed setup I found that the following settings skipped the first run setup and retained all my previous config. Normal service finally resumed.

To be clear, you only need these settings if you find you are still getting the Welcome screen after setting the registry permissions. Either save the below as a .reg file and import, or set the values manually. Do this whilst Media Center is closed.

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\MCE.GlobalSettings]
"strPageFirstRun"=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\FirstRunRegSettings]
"CurrentModule"=dword:ffffffff
"CurrentSequence"=""
"RunWizardAgain"=dword:00000000
Last edited by IT Troll on Fri Mar 11, 2022 6:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Are you a Recorded TV HD user or want to give it a try? Check out the new community-made update; Recorded TV HD v2.1.1

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#19

Post by Burger23 » Thu Mar 10, 2022 11:34 pm

IT Troll wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 9:18 pm After setting the registry permissions I was still left with the Welcome wizard. Running as admin didn’t help, neither did rolling back the update.

So I reinstalled the update, applied the two specific permissions and set about defeating the Welcome wizard. By comparing registry settings with those from a completed setup I found that the following settings skipped the first run setup and retained all my previous config. Normal service finally resumed.

Code: Select all

 Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\MCE.GlobalSettings]
"strPageFirstRun"=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\FirstRunRegSettings]
"CurrentModule"=dword:ffffffff
"CurrentSequence"=""
"RunWizardAgain"=dword:00000000
I know very little a registry. That being said, I am not afraid to modify settings. Using the...\FirstRunRegSettings] above, when I select "strPageFirstRun, I right-click and select MODIDY, and enter "=" (quotes are included- also tried without quotes). I reboot computer- and return to the same place- my modification has automatically been replaced with fr.welcome.xml. THis is bad!!

Please advise. Sorry for thius simple question.

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IT Troll

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#20

Post by IT Troll » Fri Mar 11, 2022 12:12 am

The above is a registry file which can be saved as a .reg file and imported.

If you want to make the changes manually then the ="" entries just signify an empty string. So you are just deleting the existing text and leaving blank. For the dword values you just enter the hex number if editing manually.

Make the changes whilst Media Center is closed, then launch Media Center. No need to reboot. If you still have the update installed you also need to make the permission changes.
Are you a Recorded TV HD user or want to give it a try? Check out the new community-made update; Recorded TV HD v2.1.1

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