windows media player legacy app is not connecting to the internet to identify artist, album, track etc when burning a cd

Question

i have been using Windows media legacy app to burn cds onto my pc.When i connect an external cd player the player would automatically recognise the cd details, artist, album ,tracks etc .Now the app still burns cd's but only as unknown cd's. I am told that the app needs to be connected to the internet by my pc, however i cant find a way to do this on Windows 11 on my pc. I have tried in settings to enable windows media media legacy app but it only seems to give me the option to remove the app. I cant seem to find a way to connect Windows Media Player legacy app to the internet as it used to do for many years .Nor can i find another freely available app for my pc that will let me burn cd's from an external cd player. Any help anyone ,please

Answer 1

This is currently a widely reported problem, this seems to be either caused by a Windows update or a problem contacting the MusicMatch servers Microsoft use the get the album data, there is no reported fix for this yet, the best option is to open the Feedback Hub app and provide feedback to the Windows Developers there, if more people report the problem, they will provide a patch to resolve the problem.

Answer 2

Windows Media Player legacy does not have a separate “connect to the internet” switch in Windows 11. If it suddenly stopped identifying CDs (showing them only as “Unknown album/artist”), troubleshoot Windows Media Player itself and the system components it depends on.

Try the following steps on Windows 11:

1. Clear the Windows Media Player database
   1. Close Windows Media Player.
   2. Press Windows + R.
   3. Type:

            %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player\
      

      and press Enter.
   4. Delete all files in that folder (do not delete the folder itself).
   5. Open Windows Media Player again and test with a CD while connected to the internet.
2. Run the Windows Media Player troubleshooter
   1. Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
   2. Find Windows Media Player and select Run.
   3. Let it detect and fix any issues, then try again.
3. Repair or reset Windows Media Player
   1. Select Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
   2. Scroll to Windows Media Player.
   3. Select the three dots (…) > Advanced options.
   4. Select Repair first. If the issue persists, select Reset.
      • Reset will remove custom settings and preferences, but not media files or the library.
4. Reinstall Windows Media Player (Media Features)
   1. Open Control Panel.
   2. Go to Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
   3. Clear the check box for Media Features and select OK.
   4. Restart the PC.
   5. Go back to Turn Windows features on or off, re‑check Media Features, select OK, and restart again.
5. Check for system and driver issues
   • Install the latest graphics and audio drivers from the device manufacturer.
   • Check for system file corruption:
     1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
     2. Run:

                sfc /scannow
        

   • Ensure the internet connection is stable while inserting the CD so Windows Media Player can query online metadata.

If these steps do not restore CD metadata lookup, use the Windows Media Player support page or post in the Windows forum for additional, up‑to‑date guidance on legacy behavior.

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References:

• Troubleshoot Windows Media Player Errors