Media Player not looking up missing album art and artist online

Question

Windows Media Player on Windows 11 no longer looks up the missing album art or album information when I insert an audio CD onto my external CD player/burner. When I click on the Edit Info button, I can manually add all of that information (and I have downloaded the album art already), but I would highly prefer to have it done automatically when I click on the "Update album info online" link near the top of the "Edit album info" window. When I click on that link, I get the message that "We couldn't connect to the service. Check your internet connection, then try again." I know that my internet service is working fine - as evidenced by my ability to type this question online!

Answer 1

It seems that you are experiencing issues with Windows Media Player not retrieving album art and information for your audio CDs. This could be related to the settings within Windows Media Player or a connectivity issue with the service that provides this information.

Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the issue:

1. Check Windows Media Player Settings: Ensure that the option to retrieve media information from the Internet is enabled. You can find this in the Privacy settings of Windows Media Player.
2. Update Windows Media Player: Make sure that your Windows Media Player is up to date, as updates can fix bugs and improve functionality.
3. Check Internet Connection: Although you mentioned that your internet is working fine, it might be worth checking if there are any firewall or antivirus settings that could be blocking Windows Media Player from accessing the internet.
4. Try a Different Network: If possible, try connecting to a different network to see if the issue persists. This can help determine if the problem is network-related.
5. Reinstall Windows Media Player: If none of the above steps work, consider reinstalling Windows Media Player to reset its settings and functionality.

If the problem continues after trying these steps, it may be worth looking into any known issues with Windows Media Player on Windows 11 or checking for updates from Microsoft regarding this feature.

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References:

• Prevent Music File Metadata Retrieval
• Prevent CD and DVD Media Information Retrieval
• When to Check the Driver's I/O Stack Location
• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-078 - Critical
• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-054 - Critical

Answer 2

Hi,

This is a widely reported issue affecting both new and the legacy Windows media player. You can check this thread to see other user's experience. One workaround shared by a user is to use another app for CD ripping such as this one. That said, a future Windows update might address the issue, so I suggest reporting it through the Feedback Hub by pressing Windows + F.

Disclaimer: This app's website is a non-Microsoft site. The information seems reliable, but be careful with ads. Research any product before downloading.