VISTA WMC Stuck on Zap2it

Discuss Vista Media Center & XP Media Center Edition
mtreehugger

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#61

Post by mtreehugger » Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:40 pm

SteelWill, My Vista 32 bit used to wake up for no reason quite often over a stretch of maybe 9 months or so, but then some update cured it. This was all, of course, well before TV Pack was installed. Don't know how my sleeping disorder might relate to yours, tho.

Vistaar, I'm so sorry that happened! I have tried messing with that new sys tray icon to no avail, but I will try your sequence tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed...

THANKS!

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#62

Post by mtreehugger » Tue Aug 11, 2015 11:07 pm

Vistaar, as I followed your prescribed steps I realized that I had this same idea and already had tried it. I went through with it again but still got the the setup failure message. What's different after TV Pack is that it now takes 40 seconds or so to fail, whereas previous to my TV Pack install it would fail in less than a second.

It's funny that you get this error too, yet you have Rovi and guide data. Ah, well, Vista--I shoulda bought the upgrade to Win7 back in the day.

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Vistaar

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#63

Post by Vistaar » Wed Aug 12, 2015 1:41 am

mtreehugger wrote:I went through with it again but still got the the setup failure message. What's different after TV Pack is that it now takes 40 seconds or so to fail...
If you always attempt setup in the evening, it might simply be that the server is always busy then. If you would like to try the ever-popular tinkering with your hosts file, see page 2, post #34 by columbia93. SteelWill also mentioned in post #23 that he had modified his hosts file, but he didn't say exactly how. For that matter, you could try any of the solutions posted by Windows 7 users in the megathread. I can only assure you that none of them were necessary in my case. Good luck!

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#64

Post by lindatwaikiki » Wed Aug 12, 2015 4:13 am

Thank you! :D :D :D
I have Windows Vista 64 SP2, and am located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Below are the very good instructions that (finally) got Rovi into my WMC!

A few notes:
- - I had to re-boot a few times and install 24 Windows updates that showed up a day later.
- - The local cable (Oceanic Time Warner Cable) now appears twice in the list of local cable providers. The 2nd one worked for me.
- - Probably because we're a tiny market, the local (Hawaiian) station names and the local program listings do not appear, though you can see the station number (example: for channel 53, the station name is LOPROG, and there's just a steady stream of programs named "Local Programming".) These stations are viewable.
Once again, thank you!
-`-`-`-`-`-`-`
ogahm wrote:My attempt at how-to resolve this issue, feedback appreciated. Windows Vista 64 Ultimate SP2.
Write down or take screenshots of your series (Recordings>View Scheduled>Series) See notes at the end.
Go to this website: (From second post in this thread, THANK YOU Steelwill!)
http://digiex.net/guides-reviews/guides ... guide.html

1. Close Media Center and run the Windows Media Center 2008 update X86 or X64. Rar files, I used 7zip, it doesn't load other programs. (This update complained it wasn't for this system, but ran anyway.)
2. Run the PlayReady update, reboot. None of the other updates on that page would run for me, so:
3. Run Windows Update, it will show you are up to date, but click on the link to look for new updates, takes 5-10 minutes, there should be 5 updates. Load the updates and reboot.
Open MC, run signal setup. At the point after it asks for your zip code there should now be many more choices (they look like "Denver Suburbs (Comcast Digital Cable)").
After finishing setup I opened the program guide it was populated correctly. Settings>TV>Guide>About Guide settings shows ROVI!

Notes:
I tried going to MS.com and downloading the updates, but those updates kept telling me that it doesn't apply to this system and aborting. So I ran the one from the above website, and though it also complained, it ran anyway.

You may want to look at the series you are recording and right them down. This update left me with no series :evil: , but they are in:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\Recording\Recordings.xml file. The file is there but now, the series appear to be in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\mcepg1-0.db which is where Win 7/8 keeps it (I think, I'm going on the fact this file updates every time I add a recording/series). So you will have to manually re-input your series and recordings through MC.

You can actually open the file C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\Recording\Recordings.xml in notepad and though it is very cryptic, you can get the data about your series from it, search on SeriesID and you'll see the name of the series. Searching on ChannelNum and PrototypicalStartTime also helped.
You cannot open the mcepg1-0.db file this way, it's too large, and when it finally opened, it's encoded.
P.S. The MC now looks slightly different, has some features I'll have to get used to on the guide (left and right mouse arrows) and it looks a little different. But I also noted that the annoying popping sounds on all my recordings are gone, so this process has resolved another long standing issue. Good luck all. :D So so happy!

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Vistaar

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#65

Post by Vistaar » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:56 pm

lindatwaikiki wrote:The local cable (Oceanic Time Warner Cable) now appears twice in the list of local cable providers.
ogahm wrote:2. Run the PlayReady update, reboot. None of the other updates on that page would run for me
My cable lineup also appears twice. I'm currently using the first choice but have also successfully loaded the second.

PlayReady PC Runtime is not essential for getting Rovi listings but is apparently needed for proper functioning of WMC with certain content. Rather than downloading an RAR of v1.2, I would recommend downloading v1.3 directly from Microsoft and relying on Windows Update for other patches.

32-bit: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download ... x?id=21772
64-bit: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download ... px?id=5445

There is a thread devoted to issues with the quality of Rovi data: http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... =93&t=9026

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#66

Post by columbia93 » Mon Aug 17, 2015 6:26 am

mtreehugger wrote:i installed TV pack, ran setup a couple times, but still no guide data. I tried a couple of zip codes too, to no avail. Does anybody here have a list of which zip codes Rovi recognizes (seems like I ran across one somewhere but can't find it now...)

However, I can't even be sure I'm hooked up to Rovi. Before I was able to navigate through the WMC setup menus until I found a screen that referenced Zap2it, but I can't find this screen anymore. I did find a screen that referenced Dolby and some other product, but no reference to Rovi. Am I hosed?

Windows Vista 32 bit SP2.
For me it wasn't about the zip code. You have to get the connection first. I posted the steps I took on page 2 and I'm still getting everything to work, as far as I know. To be honest I don't use WMC that often but it is working for what I do.

If you want to know if you are still on Zap2it or have moved to Rovi, open WMC, click on Tasks, Settings, TV, Guide, About Guide Listings. At the top it will say either Rovi or Zap2it. If you aren't finding it, that means you are in limbo and are halfway there to getting it set up correctly. I know, believe it or not it's not as bad as you think.

Even though I have Vista 64 SP2, the methods are probably similar. Go back to my earlier post and check off what you've done and continue down the list. You may not need everything - not everyone does - but it is exactly what I did in the order I did it to finally resolve it. I checked at every step so, for me, each step was necessary.

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#67

Post by mtreehugger » Mon Aug 17, 2015 3:09 pm

For me it wasn't about the zip code. You have to get the connection first. I posted the steps I took on page 2 and I'm still getting everything to work, as far as I know. To be honest I don't use WMC that often but it is working for what I do.

If you want to know if you are still on Zap2it or have moved to Rovi, open WMC, click on Tasks, Settings, TV, Guide, About Guide Listings. At the top it will say either Rovi or Zap2it. If you aren't finding it, that means you are in limbo and are halfway there to getting it set up correctly. I know, believe it or not it's not as bad as you think.

Even though I have Vista 64 SP2, the methods are probably similar. Go back to my earlier post and check off what you've done and continue down the list. You may not need everything - not everyone does - but it is exactly what I did in the order I did it to finally resolve it. I checked at every step so, for me, each step was necessary.[/quote]

-----------------------

"Black screen of death" you say? I don't have a Vista Disc, I have a partition. Right now I don't even have virus software, as somewhere along the line Norton turned itself off, won't let me uninstall it, and my ISP won't let me download on top of it. Meanwhile, I'm getting auto updates very frequently (about daily whereas before it was more like monthly). Thanks for the advice. I can't put much faith in my cure being the same as that of a 64-bit system, but it's worth checking out.

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Vistaar

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#68

Post by Vistaar » Tue Aug 18, 2015 2:12 am

I would suggest Norton Removal Tool if only your ISP would let you download. You're getting auto updates of what very frequently? (Obviously not Rovi data.)

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#69

Post by mtreehugger » Tue Aug 18, 2015 2:10 pm

Mostly just the typical stuff, tho I believe one did involve WMC but didn't help. I used system restore (fixed that so it works first, obviously) as soon as I saw that Norton was switched off--went back and forth on a few restore points but nothing, not even mid-July, cured Norton, so I undid the last restore, intending to leave it as I found it. It was then that all these updates started rolling in. I had checked for pending updates previously, so was somewhat surprised at the updates, but it seems like restore sometimes doesn't actually get all the updates right.

So now I'm not using that computer for online stuff, which stinks because I don't like my laptop. Yes, I get Norton from my ISP. I'll have to check out this Norton Removal tool.

Thanks!

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#70

Post by mtreehugger » Tue Aug 18, 2015 4:44 pm

Vistaar, thanks for the tip! I figured I'd have to spend an hour with ISP tech support, but now I won't have to! Should have Norton back tonight. : )

No eta on Rovi, tho... : (

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#71

Post by mtreehugger » Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:45 pm

Well, now that I've got Norton back--along with updates ad nauseum--I've also got Zap2it back as well. I'm not sure why, but this seems a step backward from not having any guide service at all (which, chronologically, it actually is).

I've had it with Vista. I'm considering buying Win 7 home premium 32 bit for $50 on ebay. Does anybody know if doing this as an upgrade (without wiping your hard drive) yields a stable OS?

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#72

Post by Vistaar » Fri Aug 21, 2015 12:10 am

mtreehugger wrote:I've had it with Vista. I'm considering buying Win 7 home premium 32 bit for $50 on ebay. Does anybody know if doing this as an upgrade (without wiping your hard drive) yields a stable OS?
The place to look for an answer to that question is the support forum of the company that made your PC. (Posts at HP Support Forums indicated that in-place upgrades for my specific model regularly failed, which is why I'm sticking with Vista until my present hardware bites the dust.) You should also run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download ... aspx?id=20. Good luck with that. Meanwhile, WMC with TV Pack is running just fine on Vista and I don't think I'll be needing the image I created 3 weeks ago.

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#73

Post by mtreehugger » Fri Aug 21, 2015 2:12 pm

The Win7 seller also advised the upgrade advisor, and having run it, I'm now having second thoughts on the upgrade. My freeware version of Photoshop elements was flagged, which reminded me that I couldn't run it at work on my win7 machine. Looks like I'd lose my favorite disc copy app too--and that's if all goes well. Ugh.

thanks for the tips--I'll def look at the Dell forums! I'm kinda tempted to try it all again just to be sure, but being that it didn't work for me the 1st time, I also must consider the definition of insanity and how that applies to this line of thinking.

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#74

Post by Avalanche » Thu Aug 27, 2015 1:24 am

Joined just to thank SteelWill and Vistaar. :thumbup: My Vista SP2 32-bit system lives on, thanks to you guys and TV Pack. No hosts file editing needed. Were all my troubles so easily resolved...

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#75

Post by tillerr » Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:10 pm

Avalanche wrote:Joined just to thank SteelWill and Vistaar. :thumbup: My Vista SP2 32-bit system lives on, thanks to you guys and TV Pack. No hosts file editing needed. Were all my troubles so easily resolved...
Avalanche, did you do anything other than add the TV Pack? I have the same system as you and my EPG is still looking to Zap2it and wondering if I should bite the bullet and try TV Pack. I'm just worried about how to get rid of it if it doesn't work or there is a problem, as it sounds like there is no uninstall option.

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#76

Post by tillerr » Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:53 pm

SteelWill wrote:I'm using 32-bit Vista, didn't install PlayReady or anything else from the link, but the pack installer did download the cumulative update during the install, and I'm strictly OTA. I too am working on the expectation that the legacy service isn't coming back.

I'm a little hesitant to post my whole EPG key, but my discSvc value is "https://data.tvdownload.microsoft.com/d ... esMetaInfo". I can also say that only my old zip code is listed in the registry values there, not the new one I got the Rovi info from, so there's more info being polled from somewhere than just there.

I might restore my OS image from before the TV pack install, so I can possibly do some more comparisons. Ever since the install my computer wakes a couple of times a day to not do anything for two minutes or so before going back to sleep. The times are 8:34PM and 3:00AM. Nothing in the task scheduler is doing it (I've disabled damn near everything, mcupdate tasks included), guide data isn't set to download on its own (since the pack install anyway), Windows update is disabled, and the Event Viewer isn't giving any clues either. The one time I happened to keep it awake and do a powercfg -lastwake it was from an RTC Alarm but no idea from what. And unfortunately, the Vista version of powercfg doesn't support the -waketimers switch.
SteelWill, I made a restore point and am ready to bite the bullet and install TV Pack 2008. Did you only install TV Pack 2008 from step 1 or did you follow steps 2-4 as well?

Thank you!

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#77

Post by Vistaar » Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:53 pm

tillerr wrote:I'm just worried about how to get rid of it if it doesn't work or there is a problem, as it sounds like there is no uninstall option.
SteelWill wrote:didn't install PlayReady or anything else from the link
Welcome tillerr. I was equally worried about how to roll back my installation at first (but not so much now), so I created not only a restore point but also an image. I think Vista Ultimate has built-in imaging capability, but I'm running Home Premium and use a Macrium Reflect CD (SteelWill mentioned Acronis). I would say that all Vista users should back up with an image in any event, because factory restores are a major pain. However there might not be much advantage to rolling back even if TV Pack doesn't work (which it does), since Vista WMC cannot otherwise get guide data now.

SteelWill has moved on to Windows 7 because his PC was waking from sleep (post #59). Regarding PlayReady PC Runtime and patches, see post #65 above.

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#78

Post by tillerr » Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:16 pm

Vistaar wrote:
tillerr wrote:I'm just worried about how to get rid of it if it doesn't work or there is a problem, as it sounds like there is no uninstall option.
SteelWill wrote:didn't install PlayReady or anything else from the link
Welcome tillerr. I was equally worried about how to roll back my installation at first (but not so much now), so I created not only a restore point but also an image. I think Vista Ultimate has built-in imaging capability, but I'm running Home Premium and use a Macrium Reflect CD (SteelWill mentioned Acronis). I would say that all Vista users should back up with an image in any event, because factory restores are a major pain. However there might not be much advantage to rolling back even if TV Pack doesn't work (which it does), since Vista WMC cannot otherwise get guide data now.

SteelWill has moved on to Windows 7 because his PC was waking from sleep (post #59). Regarding PlayReady PC Runtime and patches, see post #65 above.
Thanks! I'll grab PlayReady from your link in post #65 above. So far I only grabbed TV Pack 2008 and ran the file in WinRAR. After a reboot I still had Zap2it. I'll get PlayReady and check my status after a reboot.

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#79

Post by tillerr » Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:57 pm

Turns out on my first attempt I grabbed the wrong version of TV Pack 2008. After installing the correct version there is something going on with WMC that looks promising. The downside is it looks like I have to go through initial setup again and none of my recorded programs are visible. Am I out of luck or is there something that will fix that? Did I ask this question too soon and moving forward with PlayReady will get me where I want to be?

Thanks again.

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#80

Post by mtreehugger » Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:44 pm

There are 2 versions of TV Pack? How do I know which I want? True to form for Vista, my subsequent issues and fixes and updates completely obliterated my install of both TV Pack and PlayReady.

(PlayReady is cool cuz with it you get all kinds of extra OTA channels that would otherwise be unavailable!!!)

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