Guide Data Outage - 2018 Spring Edition

Global guide related discussion. All Windows versions.
SugarFree

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#161

Post by SugarFree » Fri Nov 23, 2018 1:38 pm

Tried to do a manual update this morning, which appeared to be working - but the PC suddenly rebooted midway through.

Now the guide says "12 days" if I click "search" - but I still show only to 6pm Sunday in my schedule, and the guide itself shows No Data Available after that time. Subsequent manual updates don't work. Just says DL Sucessful.

Anything I can do to somehow roll back/delete this latest file and try again? (I hope).

Thanks - SugarFree

JohnW248

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#162

Post by JohnW248 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 2:35 pm

Have you tried mcupdate.exe -uf which forces the download schedule AND runs Client Maintenance to clean the guide?

You might have to do it twice and the CM takes some time (at least for me at least an hour on most machines, longer on some).

Short of that, the last ditch is to reset Media Center from the Tasks Menu. That wipes everything and you have to re-do the scheduled recordings and re-run tv set-up.

Of course maybe the old changing zip codes and back and forth might force a new update easier.

I just ran the manual update on a Win7 Pro machine and it worked, then I ran it on an HP Win7 upgraded to Pro and it didn't and it's running client Maintenance right now. I've just started it on a Win 8.1 laptop and will see what the results are shortly. But I'm wondering if for some reason I hit a different server this AM with my second attempt and maybe that's what happened to you. I did check the second DNS on the HP machine was different than the Dell Win 7 Pro.

The Win 8.1 machine just worked so it's something on the download from whatever server I reached.

After the Client Maintenance completed on the HP machine which only had the data thru Sunday, I did a regular get latest guide from MC and watched the download was quick (not sure it really downloaded) but the processing of the data was long and when finished had the complete guide on the HP machine as well.

Your machine reboot might have corrupted the download originally although the -uf should force another download and replace it and then clean the old stuff up.
Last edited by JohnW248 on Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.

straphanger

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#163

Post by straphanger » Fri Nov 23, 2018 2:57 pm

Yup...guide data to 12/5 now in NY. It is a holiday miracle! Or they just woke up from their turkey coma.

AnotherDave

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#164

Post by AnotherDave » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:08 pm

Happened to be up past midnight (EST) last night, but found no update. Woke this morning to find OTA system auto updated into 4 Dec. However, Florida Comcast did not update, and will still not update manually. So, apparently somebody "pushed a button", but the process is incomplete. Not sure how entire system updates individual cable providers. Cautiously optimistic that situation will resolve as day progresses.

wifiwanderer

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#165

Post by wifiwanderer » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:16 pm

Bunk_Tuppins wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:52 amYes! They long ago deprecated the product. It has to be a huge money loser for them. But they keep supporting it. It's astonishing that they still make available to us a complete set of all the listings in every market in the United States! There is considerable complexity in providing so many different streams of data. Considering the magnitude of keeping abreast of this data anyone who bought a windows operating system (of which this is really only a tiny part) and got this thrown in received a heck of a deal, IMO.
Fortunately, looks like my EPG just got updated through 5 Dec, woo hoo!

When I buy a new TV, it is reasonable to expect it to show OTA TV programs, in addition to all the other cool Smart TV features. Likewise, when I bought my Windows Vista PC, it was promoted as a multimedia device that could be used to record and view OTA TV broadcasts using its included EPG. Can you imagine buying a new TV, then the TV manufacturer issues a TOS advising that your new TV will no longer receive OTA broadcasts unless you subscribe to a pay TV service to watch any programs? (Yes, I remember the USA switch to HD OTA broadcasts, requiring a one time purchase of an adapter for old analog tube TVs.)

AnotherDave

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#166

Post by AnotherDave » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:17 pm

Timing is everything! Comcast just updated into 4 Dec. So, based on earlier comment about alphabetical order, those receiving service from Zzyxnyx Cable (you get the idea) may receive updates by this afternoon.

JohnW248

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#167

Post by JohnW248 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:38 pm

AnotherDave wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:08 pm Happened to be up past midnight (EST) last night, but found no update. Woke this morning to find OTA system auto updated into 4 Dec. However, Florida Comcast did not update, and will still not update manually. So, apparently somebody "pushed a button", but the process is incomplete. Not sure how entire system updates individual cable providers. Cautiously optimistic that situation will resolve as day progresses.
The guide comes in two pieces (check your about guide and you'll see two numbers, one for your local OTA and the other for Cable Service). Whatever server you connected to didn't have the cable guide yet. You can let it try automatically again or run the forced update from elevated command line of ehome\mcupdate.exe -uf which will run a forced guide download and a client maintenance clean up of the old data from the guide. If might work if you just wait, but if you're in a hurry, run the forced download.

SugarFree

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#168

Post by SugarFree » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:42 pm

> mcupdate.exe -uf

John, did this many times last year, but must be in the wrong directory. Where should I be at the command prompt to type this?

Octavean

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#169

Post by Octavean » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:52 pm

SugarFree wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:42 pm > mcupdate.exe -uf

John, did this many times last year, but must be in the wrong directory. Where should I be at the command prompt to type this?
You have to change the directory to:

C:\windows\ehome

So the syntex would be

cd c:\windows\ehome

Then enter:

mcupdate.exe -uf

Good luck,.....

I did this last night and just noticed that my guide data will end in 3 days. I guess I have to give it another try.

SugarFree

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#170

Post by SugarFree » Fri Nov 23, 2018 4:35 pm

Got it, thank you! However, it didn't work at first, and then I remembered you must run mcupdate.exe AS AN ADMINISTRATOR. Just right-click Run, then click Run As Administrator, and the command line will open and typing the command will then actually run.

My guide is now updated, but only for 12 days, which has been the norm for a while now.

mainertodd

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#171

Post by mainertodd » Fri Nov 23, 2018 5:19 pm

I'm on Verizon in Washington, DC, and a manual update just gave me data through 7 PM on the 4th. Thanks to everyone who helps to get this fixed every time this happens!

Bunk_Tuppins

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#172

Post by Bunk_Tuppins » Fri Nov 23, 2018 5:29 pm

Updated! Yay! (OTA, Medford OR)

JohnW248

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#173

Post by JohnW248 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:10 pm

SugarFree wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:42 pm > mcupdate.exe -uf

John, did this many times last year, but must be in the wrong directory. Where should I be at the command prompt to type this?
I see you got your answer before I saw your question. I just routinely run the forced update from the elevated prompt whenever the guide stops updating on one machine. Nothing consistent with that problem but the solution works. Glad that solved your problem, the added Client Maintenance function helps clean up the garbage in the database.

Arkar0000

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#174

Post by Arkar0000 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:26 pm

Spectrum Anaheim updated after 3 AM this morning to December 2. One less thing to deal with. Phew!!!

adam1991

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#175

Post by adam1991 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:20 pm

Arkar0000 wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:26 pm Spectrum Anaheim updated after 3 AM this morning to December 2. One less thing to deal with. Phew!!!
The question is, was the updating done alphabetically by city or alphabetically by vendor?

:D

JohnW248

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#176

Post by JohnW248 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:59 pm

adam1991 wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:20 pm
Arkar0000 wrote: Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:26 pm Spectrum Anaheim updated after 3 AM this morning to December 2. One less thing to deal with. Phew!!!
The question is, was the updating done alphabetically by city or alphabetically by vendor?

:D
I don't think we know. I don't think it works that way--at least not anymore. When you run set-up you get to choose a provider and are assigned a guide number which lines up with your channel map from the cablecard. You get a local OTA guide from that TV setup number and I have a feeling that the basic programming is processed from the master file by your machine. It seems to take a long time to process each of the guide files during the download.

But it might not work that way either, whatever they're doing they're not talking.

Hillisro

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#177

Post by Hillisro » Fri Nov 23, 2018 11:46 pm

In Schenectady NY- the OTA updated finally overnight. The Spectrum channels still end 7PM Sunday. Hopefully it will hit tonight.

windham9

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#178

Post by windham9 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 11:54 pm

Thank you Microsoft! Lots of us still depend on you for this.

Arkar0000

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#179

Post by Arkar0000 » Sat Nov 24, 2018 4:18 am

Yes Thank you.

Roginator

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#180

Post by Roginator » Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:38 am

What the heck? We passed daylight savings switchover and I still seem to have a full program guide! Yay!

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