Moving from V13 to 8.8.5 with 20H2

[rogoued]

Hello please help!

I was working fine with V13, but then Microsoft came out with dire ZeroDay warnings so I stopped the update block and I ran Windows update. Now V13 is broken. I read enough to know that I need to move to V8.8.5.

Well, how do I do that??

1) How do I backup the old V13 set up so that I keep my recurring recordings and such??? Do I just backup home? I coped that from program data
2) What do I do next, remove V13? Do I run the Uninstaller cmd?
3) Then run Installed Blue from V8.8.5? What about BackupRestoreSettings??

Also, I am using the quad HDHomeRun and I hear there are issues??

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[technodevotee]

V13 does work on 20H2 and 21H1 - you just need to run the addons to replace the required system DLLs and restore the functionality of ENCDec and MSSQLLite. However, V13 was only ever intended as a temporary solution and I stopped making the software available because of the possibility of introducing vulnerabilities by rolling back system DLLs.

There is very little chance that the database from V13 will work with V8.8.5 but as long you make a backup of the programdata\ehome folder before uninstalling (with uninstaller.cmd), you can install V8.8.5 and import your scheduled recordings using the transfer tool in EPG123.

Unfortunately, you will have to start from scratch and retune all the channels and you will lose your recording history.

[rogoued]

So, I did as you stated and then I reloaded the EPG data and I can now see and use WMC but I cannot record anything - it says it cannot see the tuners. My guess is, based upon what I saw from others, is that when I installed WMC and then restored the EPG to it - the tuner GUID or whatever is not correct and the registry is messed up or something, so it cannot see the tuners? I am not sure.

What I know is that I am using 8.5.5 and I have an up to date EPG and I have the schedules and recordings but when I restore to the brand new 8.5.5 the tuners disappear. Any ideas??? TIA

Is there a better way to set this up? I want 8.5.5 and I want my old schedules and recordings. This is on the same machine and the same tuners, had homerun 4x tuner box, but for some reason, I get the dreaded "viewing or listening conflict" error - any help would be appreciated!!!

[technodevotee]

Does WMC find and configure the tuners when you run through the setup of 8.8.5?

Can you watch and record programmes before the next step?

How are you restoring the EPG - are you using EPG123?

Are you using the transfer tool to load the scheduled recordings from the backup of the programdata\ehome folder?

[rogoued]

Does WMC find and configure the tuners when you run through the setup of 8.8.5?

Can you watch and record programmes before the next step?

How are you restoring the EPG - are you using EPG123?

Are you using the transfer tool to load the scheduled recordings from the backup of the programdata\ehome folder?

So, to be able to use WMC I uninstalled and reinstalled. I went through the entire blue install and setup the tuners. Now, it works 100% fine, all the tuners are good, the EPG123 has all the data and the guide on V8.5.5 is fully loaded. What I am missing is my old shows and such. Before I moved from V13 I did a EPG123 Client (V1.6.6.) Database Utilities Backup and I backed up the eHome directory as well.

1) Yes, before the EPG123 restore I can use all 4 tuners and I have all the guide data, what I am missing is all my shows and saved searches (future recording based upon terms) and such
2) Yes, I can record - I recorded the all star game, flash, and AGT all at the same time, all was good.
3) The EPG123 is on the machine and I used the EPG123 server to load the previous backed up. Before I moved from V13 to V8.5.5 I did a backup using EPG123 and I also have the saved eHome directory as well. What I did when the whole thing went pear-shaped (on the previous V8.5.5 install) was I used EPG123 Client (V1.6.6.) Database Utilities restore. I did not do Transfer tool!
4) No I did not use the Transfer tool I used EPG123 Client (V1.6.6.) Database Utilities restore

So, from your idea - it sounds like I need to do the Transfer tool instead of the database Util restore??? Why? Can I use Transfer tool on a backedup eHome directory?? Will that work??

TIA!!

[technodevotee]

There is something in the database created by old versions that newer versions don't like so you can't normally just restore the database.

Once you get the system working and have the guide functional, use the EPG123 Transfer Tool and load the latest file - either from your backup (they are normally in programdata\microsoft\ehome\mcepg3-0\backup\recordings) or the backup zip file EPG123 made.

You can then select recordings from the left column and put them in the right column.

Once the system has done an index, they should appear in the schedule.

Where are your recordings stored? Is it somewhere other than C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV? If so, did you change the recording folder location setting after reinstalling WMC?

[rogoued]

There is something in the database created by old versions that newer versions don't like so you can't normally just restore the database.

Once you get the system working and have the guide functional, use the EPG123 Transfer Tool and load the latest file - either from your backup (they are normally in programdata\microsoft\ehome\mcepg3-0\backup\recordings) or the backup zip file EPG123 made.

You can then select recordings from the left column and put them in the right column.

Once the system has done an index, it should appear in the schedule.

Where are your recordings stored? Is it somewhere other than C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV? If so, did you change the recording folder location setting after reinstalling WMC?

My recordings (the actual tv shows) - no they did not change. What I was saying was - that the restore function, fully restores, the metadata of my previous recordings, subscriptions, and lineup. With the Transfer tool I think I lose the history, is that correct? I have never used this function before, sorry to sound off there. So it is not as good as the plain old restore - but I guess that is life.

[garyan2]

Do not use EPG123 database [Restore]. This will copy over your tuners configurations as well. Once you run through TV Setup and tuners are working, use the Transfer Tool to transfer only you recording requests.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[rogoued]

Do not use EPG123 database [Restore]. This will copy over your tuners configurations as well. Once you run through TV Setup and tuners are working, use the Transfer Tool to transfer only you recording requests.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Thanks - so I guess my main issue was the EPG123 restore. Is there a way to transfer history? Back and Restore - backup three things:
Subscriptions, recordings, and lineup. I am not sure how lineup and subscriptions differ, but my guess is that transfer will manage those well. Is there a way to transfer over recordings (AKA History)?

Thanks!

[technodevotee]

You are right. It is not as good as restoring the database but restoring the database on the same version of WMC doesn't always work after an upgrade because the GUIDs of the tuners sometimes change.

<rant>
It happened to me for the umpteenth time last month and caused me no end of issues. When my database gets trashed, because I get signals from three satellites and the initial setup data for satellites is at least seven years old, I have to manually tune every transponder on the three satellites and sort through 3000+ channels to find the ones I want to link EPG data to. It takes me around two and a half days every time.
</rant>

It is frustrating losing the history because some of the TV stations don't flag repeats and you end up recording shows you already have.

However, the metadata in the recorded TV shows should be intact but it might take a while for Windows and WMC to get its act together re-indexing everything.

[garyan2]

The history is stored in the WMC database only, so if you do a new setup, or there is a database restore, the history is lost.

You could do things out of sequence and use your old database which won't work with the tuners and run though TV Setup again for the "new" tuners. The guide listings will need to be mapped to the new channels, but you should still have your history after that.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[technodevotee]

The history is stored in the WMC database only, so if you do a new setup, or there is a database restore, the history is lost.

You could do things out of sequence and use your old database which won't work with the tuners and run though TV Setup again for the "new" tuners. The guide listings will need to be mapped to the new channels, but you should still have your history after that.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I tried something similar to this and it isn't going too well for me (viewtopic.php?f=97&t=13613) although YMMV.

[garyan2]

Yah, it's something I don't recommend but I have had success on a much simpler setup. It could tend to clutter up the database as well. But if history is important, then it is a possible route.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[technodevotee]

Yah, it's something I don't recommend but I have had success on a much simpler setup. It could tend to clutter up the database as well. But if history is important, then it is a possible route.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I'm beginning to think it would be simpler to just blat WMC and start from scratch but it is such a pain in the backside for me.

[rogoued]

Well, thanks all, and I did not mean to create unhappiness, I was just trying to understand the etch, and as a software arch myself, I always appreciate tech. Thanks all, I used Transfer and I will slowly rebuild history, going forward.

Separately, each time I upgrade V8.5.5 to V8.5.6 or whatever, this will all happen again, meaning I will lose history again, that is what it feels like, or if I stay within V8.X.X will the restore function work now, going forward??? TIA!

[technodevotee]

Generally speaking, I have been able to do upgrades within the 8.8.1 - 8.8.5 range on my testbeds, restoring the database and registry settings using backuprestoresettings and not lost the history, line up or schedule.

However, Microsoft do like to keep us on our toes and there have been a few occasions when the database has been corrupted or tuner GUIDS have changed and I've lost everything and had to start from scratch.

As an aside, as you may have read, V13 actually predates V8 because it uses the original patched files from the last DISM version with an enhanced and modified V8 style installer and scripts to apply all the later workarounds.

I still use it on my live PCs because I like being able to run it full screen in an RDP session.

ATB

[rogoued]

Generally speaking, I have been able to do upgrades within the 8.8.1 - 8.8.5 range on my testbeds, restoring the database and registry settings using backuprestoresettings and not lost the history, line up or schedule.

However, Microsoft do like to keep us on our toes and there have been a few occasions when the database has been corrupted or tuner GUIDS have changed and I've lost everything and had to start from scratch.

As an aside, as you may have read, V13 actually predates V8 because it uses the original patched files from the last DISM version with an enhanced and modified V8 style installer and scripts to apply all the later workarounds.

I still use it on my live PCs because I like being able to run it full screen in an RDP session.

ATB

Thanks for all the help and kindness, I am all good now and I look forward to the Olympics!