How to automatically turn ON Windows Media Player Legacy on reboot?

Question

I use Windows Media Player Legacy (App) on Windows 11 so that I can access media from my TV and Roku (guess it streams from my PC).

Occasionally when a WIndows update or reboot the Player turns OFF the streaming option.....
How can I configure the Player to automatically Turn on Streaming?

Or should I be using another feature or software to access my media (mostly photos and movies on my PC)?

Answer 1

Welcome Dez,

Based on your description, Windows Media Player Legacy's media streaming feature (DLNA) is being turned off after certain updates or restarts.

Unfortunately, Windows does not provide a built-in setting to automatically re-enable media streaming if it has been disabled. However, you can check whether the related service is configured correctly:

• Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Locate Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service
• Double-click it and set Startup type to Automatic
• Click Apply and OK

You can also verify that your network profile remains set to “Private”, as media streaming is intended to work on trusted networks.

If the streaming feature continues to turn itself off after updates, please let me know whether it becomes completely disabled in “Media streaming options” or whether the service stops running. That will help narrow down which component is being reset.

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