Media Center EPG Cutover

Global guide related discussion. All Windows versions.
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HDTV-WMC-fan

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#1521

Post by HDTV-WMC-fan » Fri Aug 21, 2015 12:52 pm

fzy8gc wrote:I have 2 PCs. Both are on the same LAN. I am using ZIP 34243 (Sarasota, Fl) for both PCs. One PC is Windows 7 Ultimate and downloads Rovi. The other PC is Windows 7 Home Premium and does not download Rovi. Note, I have tried everything that has been listed on this site. I even did a clean rebuilt of the Windows 7 Home Premium system. I have submitted this issue to the Microsoft site. Can anyone on this site help?

Here is the failure message section from my Home Premium FirstRun.log:
<EnterZip t="05:36:14" PostalCode="34243" />
<NavigateTo t="05:36:14" Page="fr.termsofservice.xml" Nav="Forward" />
<GuideTOSAgreed t="05:36:19">True</GuideTOSAgreed>
<FirstRunModule t="05:36:19" Name="PlayReadyInstall">
<NavigateTo t="05:36:19" Page="FR.PlayReadyIntro.xml" Nav="Forward" />
<NavigateTo t="05:36:25" Page="FR.PlayReadyInstall.xml" Nav="Forward" />
<FirstRunModuleFinish t="05:37:03" Name="PlayReadyInstall" Duration="0:44.300" Reason="Ended" />
</FirstRunModule>
<NavigateTo t="05:37:03" Page="FR.DownloadUpdates.xml" Nav="Forward" />
<DownloadUpdates t="05:37:07">Download result for package 'ClientUpdate': Downloaded</DownloadUpdates>
<DownloadUpdates t="05:37:07">Download result for package 'EpgLineups': NotAvailable</DownloadUpdates>
Hi fzy8gc,

Your zip code is good, but you need to get your Windows 7 Media Center to switch to Rovi.

Go to my post #1512 (above) and follow the steps. You will get your guide back.

Good luck!

darknight65

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#1522

Post by darknight65 » Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:15 pm

PROBLEM SOVLVED! My guide data is now fixed! You guys on this post are awesome!

I followed the post on #1485. Thanks to lucky_dog_33 for the initial post and to dkaffenb for tweaking the solution.

I cloned a 60GB SSD to a 240GB SSD thinking the guide data settings would be saved but this was not to be. I ended up doing a fresh install of Windows 7 last week and was trying so many different solutions to no avail.

This solution litterally took me about 15 minutes. I have my guide data and that's all that matters. Gotta love having your 1st world problems solved. Thanks again to this wonderful community.

fzy8gc

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#1523

Post by fzy8gc » Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:47 pm

I finally got it to work after trying a combination of many solutions offered by others (thank you!!!) by copying an ehome directory from another computer that successfully built WMC with Rovi:
1. Edit host
a. click start button
type CMD in search box
right click CMD and run as administrator
cd c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc
notepad hosts
Add the following 2 lines
65.55.186.113 data.tvdownload.microsoft.com
72.246.56.59 cdn.epg.tvdownload.microsoft.com
be sure to save host file
b. In your cmd window type:
ipconfig /flushdns
c. restart/reboot
2. Uninstall WMC
a. click start button
in search box type taskschd.msc
after task scheduler opens
In the left tree expand Task Scheduler Library, Microsoft, Windows
click on Media Center folder to highlight it
In the upper window of the center section scroll through the activities under the Name column.
right-click ObjectStoreRecoveryTask, and click Run
Let this run for a minute or two
b. restart/reboot
c. Uninstall Windows Media Center by going to Control Panel => Programs and Features => Turn Windows features on and off
=> Media Features => uncheck Windows Media Center => Yes => OK => Restart
3. Go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft, erase/delete ehome directory
4. Copy working ehome directory from another Win 7 computer or from a download to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft
a. Here in lies the problem. If you do not have your own working Windows Media Center PC, we need someone with the capability
(perhaps Microsoft) to provide a download of a working ehome directory that has been build with a Rovi guide.
5. Restart/reboot
6. Set up TV Signal
a. Start WMC
b. Go to Settings/General/WMC Setup/Setup TV Signal
c. Use a verified ZIP code
d. You may get the dreaded DOWNLOAD FAILURE error. I did.
e. Click OK. The click back and try again. It worked the second time for me.
f. Proceed with TV Signal set up as usual

TRiddle

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#1524

Post by TRiddle » Fri Aug 21, 2015 8:12 pm

For a followup to my post in #1511:

I sent Rovi an email stating that I can easily re-produce the problem with not being able to receive channel 118 for Dish-Oklahoma City and Dish-United States (or whatever it's called). Their response was basically "we see it in our guide data on our end, must be a Microsoft problem".

I've done every fix listed in this thread and others up to and including completely starting from scratch. Still no channel 118 (and no way to add it manually). My ultimate solution: install NextPVR (super easy), point NextPVR to my Schedules Direct account (super easy), setup recurring recordings (not as easy as WMC, but I'm learning how to handle the recording logic well enough), setup my Kodi machines with the NextPVR addon (super easy), sit back, and enjoy. 5 total tv locations able to stream content from one centralized server with 100% on point guide data, that includes all of my channels!

Maybe one day in the future Rovi and Microsoft will get their stuff together, but until that time I'm quite pleased with my results

grandpooba

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#1525

Post by grandpooba » Fri Aug 21, 2015 9:33 pm

Just found this petition post on Microsoft site 1145........... FYI


Tell Microsoft we want Zap2it back for our Windows Media Center PC's
https://www.change.org/p/satya-nadella- ... 9688&utm_s

richard1980

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#1526

Post by richard1980 » Fri Aug 21, 2015 11:21 pm

Zap2it data had its fair share of problems...enough problems that I wouldn't recommend going back to Zap2it. Give the Rovi switchover some time and see if it gets better.

ronaldo47

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#1527

Post by ronaldo47 » Sat Aug 22, 2015 3:06 am

I have been unable to record sporting events as a series (e.g. MLB games, PGA Golf, NFL Football), but I was able to do it with Zap2it. I reported this to Rovi and received the following response:

"Regarding the sporting event listings, these are not a mistake but rather reflect the way our dataset is structured; we treat them as One Time Only programs rather than series."

I did a work around by setting up Keyword recordings, which is a little more work, but it will have to do.

Just letting everyone know.

Ron

Xam

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#1528

Post by Xam » Sat Aug 22, 2015 3:47 am

Solution from post #1442 of this discussion worked for me!

My HTPC just died, so I was planning on building another but in the interim inserted my tuners into our office computer so I could stream our recordings through a media player. However no EPG data was downloading, so after a week of trying to figure this out I was wondering if it was even worth building another. I'll be continuing my build.

First post but have visited and troubleshooted with this site many times....so Thank you!

wmcforme

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#1529

Post by wmcforme » Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:59 am

Thanks to kdurbin82 and hueyatl1 and HDTV-WMC-fan
After 5 days of trying everything on the internet to fix this problem, the post by HDTV-WMC-fan was of great help.
Your post #1501 was most helpful. I worked thru Issue 1 and Issue 2 , but I feel that
reinstalling Windows 7 and following post 1501 (Issue 3) did the trick.
After two tries it worked.
Most important to do first is to reformat the hard drive and install Windows 7 and follow post #1501.
Thanks to all.

HDTV-WMC-fan

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#1530

Post by HDTV-WMC-fan » Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:20 pm

wmcforme wrote:Thanks to kdurbin82 and hueyatl1 and HDTV-WMC-fan
After 5 days of trying everything on the internet to fix this problem, the post by HDTV-WMC-fan was of great help.
Your post #1501 was most helpful. I worked thru Issue 1 and Issue 2 , but I feel that
reinstalling Windows 7 and following post 1501 (Issue 3) did the trick.
After two tries it worked.
Most important to do first is to reformat the hard drive and install Windows 7 and follow post #1501.
Thanks to all.
Hi wmcforme,

Good to hear that you have had success.

My post #1501 does mention reinstalling Windows 7 (by hueyatl1), HOWEVER... this did not need to be done for both my Windows 7 Pro and Windows 8.1 HDTV Media Center systems. In fact, all of the other WMC users using the fix in post #1501 that I have talked to have not needed to reinstall Windows either. The most important step is to delete the eHome folder and then turn WMC back on (as shown in my post #1512) and to do the fix in order. If you uninstall WMC and reinstall WMC after the fix, you usually will not have a good result. So if the post #1501 fix does not work for you at first, go to post #1512 and do the fix in that order. One thing to note is that WMC must be turned off in order to delete the eHome folder.

For the conspiracy theory readers.... One has got to wonder why Microsoft in it's vast wisdom and teams of software engineers would allow the EPG tragedy to occur and fail to provide any feedback on the issue. Could it be that Microsoft is forcing it's WMC users to jump through hoops in order to keep heir beloved WMC. Is the purpose behind the EPG tragedy to thin the herd of WMC users? Are Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and the other large TV providers somehow influencing the demise of Windows Media Center?

bmcpeak

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#1531

Post by bmcpeak » Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:46 pm

Hello All,
Well I am at my wits end! I have tried everything! On this forum and elsewhere. I have spent many hours on this.
Still no luck, I am getting the TV data download failure message. Media Center works fine except for the all important GUIDE. I started with a formatted hard drive and clean Windows 7 install. Live TV is fine.
If someone has something else to try I would give it a shot.
Thanks

wifiwanderer

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#1532

Post by wifiwanderer » Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:37 pm

For the conspiracy theory readers.... One has got to wonder why Microsoft in it's vast wisdom and teams of software engineers would allow the EPG tragedy to occur and fail to provide any feedback on the issue. Could it be that Microsoft is forcing it's WMC users to jump through hoops in order to keep heir beloved WMC. Is the purpose behind the EPG tragedy to thin the herd of WMC users? Are Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and the other large TV providers somehow influencing the demise of Windows Media Center?
Lost track of which suggestions I tried, before things began to work. Does seem like the whole hassle must've been intentional, MS couldn't have allowed this fiasco to happen just by mistake. I think uninstalling, then reinstalling WMC after deleting the eHome folder worked best for my situation, which included resolving a broadcaster transmitter part failure. Initially, the broadcaster said the problem wasn't their fault back in July. Then after I emailed the WMC fix that worked for me to their lead engineer, he replied that their transmitter needed a new part that would be installed (last week). Between the loss of stations due to the broadcaster's transmitter problem and the botched switch to Rovi, I was at wit's end. My advice is to hang in there and keep trying.

BTW, many thanks for posts with suggestions about how to get WMC working. :thumbup:

ewtaylo

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#1533

Post by ewtaylo » Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:52 am

bmcpeak wrote:Hello All,
Well I am at my wits end! I have tried everything! On this forum and elsewhere. I have spent many hours on this.
Still no luck, I am getting the TV data download failure message. Media Center works fine except for the all important GUIDE. I started with a formatted hard drive and clean Windows 7 install. Live TV is fine.
If someone has something else to try I would give it a shot.
Thanks
Verify correct 2 lines are in the hosts file.
mcupdate -uf -pscn 0
let it finish
mcupdate -uf -pscn 0
let it finish
run tv setup. use zipcode 11111, force it to go all the way through
reboot
run tv setup use your zip code.

randu

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#1534

Post by randu » Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:43 am

I couldn't get any of the suggestions for getting the EPG from Rovi to work. I ended up getting the EPG data from Schedules Direct. Thanks to Bob ODell for giving the steps on getting that working in post 66 on this thread.
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 934#p94934

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zebraloc

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#1535

Post by zebraloc » Sun Aug 23, 2015 2:02 am

[quote="Chalk"][quote="Chalk"]This worked for me finally. The trick was to delete the ehome folders in both places.

Thank you Brian from Bawlmer!

[quote="scoobybri"]After going through the million or so posts about the EPG not working, I tried many of the solutions posted and none worked for me. I tried uninstalling WMC and reinstalling, changing DNS servers, installing all Windows updates, trying many different ZIP codes, etc. The TV setup process would never download the guide data. I tried running a packet sniffer to see what was happening when WMC was looking for the guide data and everything was working with the DNS, negotiations with the guide server, etc. Pulling on some of my old Windows knowledge about program installations and data, I found a solution that worked for me as well as a friend of mine who lives in another state.

Here are the steps:

Keep in mind that you will lose your recording schedule. You will just need to set it up again once you are finished with this process.

1. Uninstall Windows Media center from the Programs and Features section of Control Panel. Under the Media Features section, unselect Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player. Click OK. Let Windows reboot.

2. You need to delete 2 directories that hold Media Center databases and other info. These directories remain after uninstalling WMC and need to be removed so that WMC does not pick up old settings when reinstalled. First, verify that you can view hidden files and folders. You will not be able to find the folders listed below if Windows is using hidden folders. To do this, open Control Panel and select Folder Options. Click the View tab. Under the Hidden files and Folders section, select "Show hidden files,folders, or drives" Click OK. Open File Explorer and select your C: drive (or whatever drive Windows is installed on). Open this directory: Users->(Name of current user)->AppData->Local->Microsoft. Delete the eHome directory. Next, Go back to your C: drive. Open ProgramData->Microsoft. Delete the eHome directory.

3. Reinstall Windows Media center from the Programs and Features section of Control Panel. Under the Media Features section, select Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player. Click OK. Let Windows reboot.

4. Open Media Center and choose Custom Setup. Run through the setup process. In the TV section of the setup, the guide data should come down properly and the channels will be scanned and listed like they should.

Hope this helps!

Brian from Baltimore

It helped all the way. Thanks very much. I'm back in business.

Tyzing

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#1536

Post by Tyzing » Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:51 am

lucky_dog_33 wrote:
DOS4EVER wrote:I don't think any of these suggestions are true workarounds. It doesn't make any sense that some suggestions work for some people and not for others. I believe it's just pure random chance when it works. Something is obviously still very wrong on Microsoft's end and they seem to not care about fixing it.
It does actually make sense if my theory is correct. I believe they are using DNS round robin which allows for multiple IP destinations for the same hostname. It's kinda like playing the lottery. If they have 5 servers that host EPG data, and the main one is having issues, that is a problem. Very few times will your computer start connecting to another one of those IP addresses once it has started with one. By people suggesting the DNS flushes, they are increasing their chances of getting to one of the working servers.

My resolution posted previously has been tested on 2 different machines. There still could have been some luck with it, but it wasn't until I entered both steps in 2 different computers that I felt I had gotten it figured out. I did a lot of DNS testing to see the IPs of all the servers they were using, before settling on the ones I recommend.
I'm convinced this theory is correct. I've switched to Rovi before but just did a fresh install of 8.1 and could not get it to make the switch again to save my life. Kept doing everything the same way then I flushed again and finally...bam. I'm back on Rovi. This makes no sense to me. I'm thankful for all of the support on this forum. You make me not want to go postal on the M$ developers.

bmcpeak

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#1537

Post by bmcpeak » Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:18 pm

ewtaylo wrote:
bmcpeak wrote:Hello All,
Well I am at my wits end! I have tried everything! On this forum and elsewhere. I have spent many hours on this.
Still no luck, I am getting the TV data download failure message. Media Center works fine except for the all important GUIDE. I started with a formatted hard drive and clean Windows 7 install. Live TV is fine.
If someone has something else to try I would give it a shot.
Thanks
Verify correct 2 lines are in the hosts file.
mcupdate -uf -pscn 0
let it finish
mcupdate -uf -pscn 0
let it finish
run tv setup. use zipcode 11111, force it to go all the way through
reboot
run tv setup use your zip code.

ewtaylo, Thanks for the reply. My Hosts file is as recommended, did the steps you mention, but I still get the download failure?

Does anybody know anything about the Channel Master DVR? I am about ready to buy one!

butlermog

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#1538

Post by butlermog » Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:56 pm

has there been any resolution for getting guide data from two cities? i live directly in between Dayton, OH and Cincinnati, OH. i can get data from either but not both.

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Scallica

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#1539

Post by Scallica » Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:37 pm

HDTV-WMC-fan wrote:For the conspiracy theory readers.... One has got to wonder why Microsoft in it's vast wisdom and teams of software engineers would allow the EPG tragedy to occur and fail to provide any feedback on the issue.
They have provided some feedback.

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... =30&t=8983
HTPC Enthusiast / Forum Moderator - TGB.tv Code of Conduct

dmagerl

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#1540

Post by dmagerl » Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:41 pm

butlermog wrote:has there been any resolution for getting guide data from two cities? i live directly in between Dayton, OH and Cincinnati, OH. i can get data from either but not both.
There's a kluge if you have more than one tuner.

When you run TV Setup, just select a subset of your tuners. Pick the city you want those tuners to tune to from the list of cities when presented to you. Then when it asks if you want to set up the other tuners, pick "yes" and then select the other city from the guide listings.

You've now divided your tuners into two groups: tuners that will be used for city A, and tuners that will be used for city B. The guide will be presented as a unified guide and show both cities. No longer will your entire pool of tuners be used for both cities so you have to get creative when scheduling simultaneous recordings, like make sure there are enough tuners available from the city that you want to record.

Or, whats even more work, is to set your tuners up as one group, scan for all channels, then use Guidetool to assign listings to those stations that dont have guide data. This can be quite a chore though.

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