Unable to start Windows Media Centre

M

mirtna

New Member
Hi,


I am running Window Vista Home Premium SP1 and have been unable to
start WMC using the remote control, shortcuts or by running the
ehshell.exe both normally and as administrator.


When I try to start WMC using any of the above it looks like the
programme trys to start (blue circle appears for a few seconds) then
nothing happens.



The last time I tried to open MCE I recieved the following error message: -
C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehshell.exe
"Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may
not have the appropriate permissions to access the item."


Every few days after restarting the PC an icon appears on the system
tray informing me that WMC is downloading guide information from the
net for the TV channel listing. When I right click on the icon and
select open WMC I get the following error message: -
"Unable to start Windows Media Centre"


I have tried setting up a new shortcut, uninstalled and reinstalled
SP1 and have installed the latest driver for my video card NVIDIA
GeForce 7650 GS driver 7.15.11.7490 and have still been unable to
resolve the problem.



I have searched the net and Microsoft support and have been unable to
find a solution so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Mirtna
 

My Computer

System One

Hi, mirtna, and welcome to the forums.

Have you run an "SFC /SCANNOW" to search for corrupted files?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
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    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
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    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
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    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
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    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Mirtna - I take it that you have been using WMC until fairly recently? Could you do a system restore? Or possibly temporarily fit a different graphics card?
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Q6600 o/c 3GHz
    Motherboard
    GA-P35-DS3P
    Memory
    4 GHz
    Hard Drives
    4 x 250GB Hitachi
Howya johngalt and AvatarOfTheShip,

Re your previous posts: -

Unfortunately I do not have a restore point prior to when the issue originated, I also do not have a different video card to test with.

When I try to start SFC/SCANNOW the command prompt flashes on screen for a second, disappears then nothing.
When running SFC as administrator I receive a prompt that asks me to confirm to run 'system integrity check and repair' when I confirm I receive no further prompts.
This seems like a similar issue I am experiencing with WMC.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated as I am running out of options.

Cheers,

Mirtna
 

My Computer

System One

I'd check out your system for possible malware, and / or an aggressively overactive antimalware program....
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Hi,

I checked for malware scanning with AVG free, Search & Destroy free and Ad-Adware free. I did not find any viruses and quarantined any spyware.

I then switched of AVG and Windows Defender and am experiencing the same problem.

Any further advice greatly appreciated.

Mirtna
 

My Computer

System One

Hmmm - this is getting interesting. Try http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html

Based upon http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html and the fact that you cannot finish SFC, you should follow http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/67612-check-disk-chkdsk.html also.

Finally, if you don't have the OEM version of Vista and still don't have a Vista disc for the repair installation, see http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/141820-create-recovery-disc.html

HTH
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Media Centre can be picky over drivers and codecs, as I know from bitter experience. "Make sure you have the latest graphics drivers" is the well-worn phrase, but this is not always the best advice; sometimes it can pay to step back a ways. Can you get hold of a different graphics card? Something quite humble would do, just for the test.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Q6600 o/c 3GHz
    Motherboard
    GA-P35-DS3P
    Memory
    4 GHz
    Hard Drives
    4 x 250GB Hitachi
Hi Avatar / JohnGalt.

Apologies for not getting back to you sooner I had been tring the solutions you recommended when I got a chance.
Unfortunately, I am still experiencing the problem when launching media centre. I have outlined the solutions I tried and the results below.

Again any help is greatly appreciated and JohnGalt I am delighted you are finding it interesting. I am just finding it annoying (smiley).


Repair install:
I have a Windows Vista Home Premium Express Upgrade disc that was sent by my PC manufacturer when Vista was launched. The disc upgraded the OS from XP to Vista.
When I try to run the disc I receive the following error message
“Install Windows
The file ‘autorun.dll’ could not be loaded or is corrupt. Setup cannot continue. Error code is [0x4D3]”

Create recovery disc:
I have Vista SP1 installed and followed the instructions at the filepath below to try and create a recovery disc: -
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/141820-create-recovery-disc.html
Successfully took ownership of the exe using the cmd prompt see below: -
C:\Windows\system32>takeown/f c:\windows\system32\recdisc.exe
SUCCESS: The file (or folder): "c:\windows\system32\recdisc.exe" now owned by us
er "STIG\Stig".
C:\Windows\system32>icacls c:\windows\system32\recdisc.exe /grant stig:f
processed file: c:\windows\system32\recdisc.exe
Successfully processed 1 files; Failed processing 0 files
Replaced the recdisc.exe with the downloaded recdisc.exe and created a shortcut on the desktop.
When launching the recdisc.exe from the desktop I receive a windows prompt asking for permission to launch recdisc.exe on clicking OK nothing happens. This is a similar issue as launching Media Centre.

Check Disc
I ran chkdsk at start up and repaired error and bad sectors and am still experiencing the same problem.

Graphics Card Driver
I am unable to get my hands on another graphics card for test but have rolled back the graphics card drive and am still experiencing the same problem.

Other solutions I tried outside of the ones you recommended was to make a recovery disc using vlite-1.1.6.installer.exe with no success and downloading a Vista_Recovery_Disc.iso but was unable to burn the image using Nero 7 or ImgBurn.
 

My Computer

System One

This is certainly very odd -you shouldn't have to take possession of any files to run an installation/program- usually this is if you want to do something fancy, like say changing your boot logo. It looks like a backup of your files and a complete re-install of Vista from scratch is indicated. I am very conscious of the fact that this seems very defeatist, but given the steps you've taken and the advice you've received, all to no avail, I think it's your best option at this point:o
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Q6600 o/c 3GHz
    Motherboard
    GA-P35-DS3P
    Memory
    4 GHz
    Hard Drives
    4 x 250GB Hitachi
That leads me to ask - how many other times have you "taken ownership" of files to make them work correctly?

Just to give you an idea, I have not take n ownership of a single file on my system manually and my system works absolutely perfectly.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Johngalt - As far as I can remember, there was only the one time, which was, as indicated, to allow for the overwriting of the file controlling the boot logo. There was another time I considered taking possession of UXTheme.dll for similar reasons - to allow the use of Vista 'themes'. In the end I didn't persue this, because although some of the themes were OK, the prospective problems I could foresee looming far outweighed the prospective gains of a couple of new themes. So yes, I can easily see how one would never need to do this. That's why I think mirtna's problem and proposed solution odd.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Q6600 o/c 3GHz
    Motherboard
    GA-P35-DS3P
    Memory
    4 GHz
    Hard Drives
    4 x 250GB Hitachi
Hi JohnGalt / AvatarOfTheShip,

Thanks for you advice. Unfortuantely, performing a clean install is a last resort as would need to buy another hard drive to back-up my media data.

Re taking ownership of files - the first time I was asked to take ownership of files was through troubleshooting the VMC issues I am experiencing.

I have been doing some further investigation on the VMC issue and have followed some of the advice on the following thread, my finding are outlined below any further advice is greatly appeciated: -

The Green Button - Vista Media Center (EHSHELL) will not launch

When I try running via command prompt I receive the following error: -

c:\users\stig>net start estart
System error 5 has occurred.

Access is denied.

This would point to the permissions on my profile, however, I am running as administrator. In addition to this ESHELL is not running as a service.

The event log contains the following VMC errors: -

Event 1

The description for Event ID 4 from source ehRecvr cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.
If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.
The following information was included with the event:
713x BDA Analog TV Tuner
80070057
the message resource is present but the message is not found in the string/message table

Event 2

The recording schedule has been corrupted and was automatically deleted on 08/27/2008 06:12:37. You may need to reschedule your recordings.
 

My Computer

System One

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