Media Center Stuff
Home - Hardware - Software - Troubleshooting - FAQs - Downloads - Links - Vista
Q: Why don't you update this web site more often?
A: You caught me! There's not enough hours in the day for me to give this site the attention it needs. I have a wife and family, numerous PCs to maintain, the occasional new toy to learn about, and several other blogs and web sites. I do what I can...
Q: How can I configure Zone Alarm so my Extender can reach my Media Center?
A: Microsoft has the answer to this right here!
Q: Where does Media Center store my recorded TV shows?
A: The default location is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Recorded TV but if you have changed it to another drive, it will be in the \Recorded TV directory.
Vista Q: Can I run DVD movies from my hard drive?
Vista A: Yes! You'll need to run RegEdit and add the following key:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media
Center\Settings\DvdSettings] "ShowGallery"="Gallery"
Your Vista Media Center should now have an entry for DVD Library on the main screen. Right-click on it to add DVD movies from your hard drive.
Q: How can I concatenate two tv programs together?
A: MSDN has a sample program, called DvrmsEditor, that comes with the "Fun with DVR-MS tool", which can be downloaded here.
Load the first file, select start and end times, then press Add to move those cut points to the list. Load the second file and repeat, then select Output / Concatenate to create the joined file.
Q: Will all XP programs run on Media Center?
A: Ordinarily that answer is Yes, because Media Center is based on XP Pro. However, I have found some disk partition management and backup programs that did not work. In addition, there are apparently many audio and music programs that may not work - there's a detailed list here.
Q: I installed Rollup 2 and now my purchased music won't play. How can I fix this?
A: Follow the instructions in this Microsoft Knowledge Base article. There is one step that should be added to that article that is not there currently - before deleting the Windows Media DRM folder, you need to close any programs that might be holding files in that folder in use. Specifically, make sure to close Media Player and Media Center, and run the command net stop ehRecvr to stop the Media Center Recording service immediately prior to trying to delete that folder.
Q: I installed Windows OneCare and now my extenders don't work. What's up with that?
A: You might need to tweak your firewall settings. Microsoft has information here and here.
Q: How can I get MCE to join a domain?
A: MCE lost the ability to join a network domain in the 2005 version, as the Extenders need to use that capability. However, all is not lost, as there are at least two ways to join a domain. You can join a domain at the time you install Media Center 2005. Or, if it is already installed, you can follow these directions to make the necessary tweaks. Note: if you do join a domain, you may lose the ability to use Extenders.
Q: My JPG images will not display. How do I fix that?
A: This seems to be a common problem with systems that have Office and/or PhotoShop. You can fix it easily...
Run REGEDIT from the Start/Run dialog.
Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, scroll down to JPG and JPEG entries.
Click on JPG or JPEG entry - on the right should be an entry for PerceivedType.
That entry should say "image".
If it's not there, add it by right-clicking on JPG or JPEG and selecting New/String Value.
Enter "PerceivedType", then press Enter.
Double-click on PerceivedType, then in the dialog enter "image".
Make sure you check both JPG and JPEG - you may need to fix both.
Q: How can I use more than two analog tuners?
A: Make sure all tuners have proper drivers installed.
Follow this thread at The Green Button to setup multiple tuners.
To change their names to something more meaningful:
Run REGEDIT from the Start/Run dialog.
Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Video\Tuners\
Each tuner has a key named UserDefName, with default values of Cable A, B, etc.
Change this value to indicate which tuner you have.
This helps you identify the physical tuner if you have to troubleshoot a bad recording.
Q: Where do I find the latest video and tuner drivers?
A: For the most part, at the manufacturers web sites:
For nVidia video boards, tuners, and DVD decoder, go here.
For ATI video boards and tuners, go here.
Make sure you select Media Center as your operating system.
For Hauppauge tuner drivers, go here.
For more FAQs, take a look at the AVSForum FAQ.
Copyright © 2007 by Dana Cline
Last Updated On 5/11/2008
Website hosted by 1and1