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Installing .NET Framework 2.0 breaks Windows Media Center

I got some feedback from Paul Ballard based on my blog post yesterday about why we block users from installing the .NET Framework 1.0 SDK on Windows Media Center and Tablet PC. In it, he noted that he tried to install beta versions of the .NET Framework 2.0 on his Media Center computer and it caused all sorts of problems and asked when this issue would be fixed. I posted a reply in the comments of the other post, but I wanted to post a standalone blog item to make this issue more visible.

The version of Media Center we're currently working on will have this fix so that you can install .NET Framework 2.0 and not have it interfere with Media Center functionality. In the meantime, you can use the following steps to manually fix your machine to work around this issue:

  1. Go to %windir%\ehome on your Media Center machine
  2. Create files named ehrec.exe.config, ehrecvr.exe.config, ehsched.exe.config, ehshell.exe.config and medctrro.exe.config
  3. Open each of these files in notepad and add the following information to them:
    <configuration>
    <startup>
    <supportedRuntime version="v1.0.3705" />
    </startup>
    </configuration>
  4. Restart your machine so that the config file changes will take effect for processes that might have already been running when you created the files

Also, as a convenience, I created copies of these config files with the correct contents. So if you prefer, you can skip steps 1-3 above and instead simply download the config files from this location and extract the contents to %windir%\ehome on your machine and reboot and you should be good to go.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    July 06, 2005
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    July 07, 2005
    You sir are a Godsend! While it is probably too late to name my first born after you (he would never be able to spell Aaron correctly anyway), I owe you a debt of gratitude and a big frosty beer at the next PDC or Tech-Ed that we both attend!

  • Anonymous
    July 07, 2005
    Good to know. I recently installed beta 2 on my desktop at home quite a bit after installing them in my VPCs (where VS Whidbey is). Since then nothing has been scheduled to record except my wife's soap operas, though she hasn't complained about problems. I definitely don't want to me missing "Family Guy" like Paul was, or the up-coming season premiers of Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, or Battlestar Galactica. That would be bad.

  • Anonymous
    July 07, 2005
    Thanks for the additional data Mabster and Heath. I also tried it on a MCE 2005 machine I have in my office with .NET Framework 2.0 beta 1 and beta 2 and didn't see any problems. But based on Paul's experience and others I have heard of, there are definitely some policy binding issues that affect interactions between .NET Framework 2.0 and MCE. I think that it may depend on the exact builds of the .NET Framework 2.0 that are installed and the exact MCE functionality being used.

    At any rate, any problems that might exist can be resolved now by copying the config files from http://astebner.sts.winisp.net/Tools/mce_config_files.zip to %windir%ehome, and the next release of MCE will ship with policy files to prevent any future issues as well.

  • Anonymous
    July 07, 2005
    It dawned on me that there shouldn't be a problem (it's been a long short week). Mscoree.dll will load the runtime corresponding to the assembly versions specified in the manifest. If that runtime isn't installed and the .config file allows it another version of the runtime is loaded according to the registry policy. I have documented this at http://blogs.msdn.com/heaths/archive/2005/06/30/434252.aspx, but it's also in the framework in a less concise manner.

  • Anonymous
    July 09, 2005
    Now that you're on the MCE team, how about a way to upgrade MCE 5 to full XP Pro?

  • Anonymous
    July 10, 2005
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    August 25, 2005
    Did what you said, but the service "Media center receiver service" do not want to start and give a "1067: the process terminated unexpectedly". I made sur the config file for ehrecvr is existing and correct. I also tried to specify the version 1.1.4322 of the framework in it instead. My dvd software (powerDVD) is working and I can watch video from media center, only live tv don't work. My tv card is an hauppauge TV-PVR-250 and i cleared and reinstalled his driver. Anyone have an idea? By the way, it is a fresh windows install from yesterday.

  • Anonymous
    February 19, 2006
    I have a Hauppague PVR-150 MCE that has been nothing but problems since I first installed it. I almost always get a "critical windows media center process has failed" when I try to access Live TV.  No error message number accompanies this.  Although I have tried your fix, it only works for a short while.  Yesterday, I installed a new XFX 6600LE video card in the PC and now even the recorded TV shows won't play.  Can anyone help??  I am at the end of my rope.  thanks.

  • Anonymous
    February 21, 2006
    Hi Osu78 - Can you please take a look at the suggested workaround listed at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2006/02/17/534559.aspx and see if that helps?  If not, can you contact me using http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/contact.aspx and send me the contents of %windir%medctroc.log so I can try to take a look?

  • Anonymous
    March 10, 2006
    Hi, I have not tried your fix yet but not certain it pertains to the problem I am having. I did a fresh install of Media center with all the updated drivers I could find for every piece of hardware i have. Originally when I tried playing My TV I would get the no codec error. SO I installed Power DVD6. Then I tried launching My TV again and things went belly up from there. I'm getting "Media Center Recver failed blah blah" constantly. Like the error pops up every 10-15 sec and the conputer is running at 100% CPU and this is with or without Media Center running. I traced it to erRec and my Hauppauge 500 card. SO uninstalled all the drives and the error goes away. I tried installing older drivers that worked before the reinstall but now it's asking for a file that is not on the disk. I can only assume it's a remainder form the newer drivers. Something MacoB or MacoC.rom. I'm pulling my hair out over this.

  • Anonymous
    March 12, 2006
    Hi David - You might want to use the steps listed at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2006/02/17/534559.aspx to try to fix this ehRecvr issue that you are encountering?  If that does not help, I would suggest installing the latest Media Center hotfix (located at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=72a3a3e7-ebba-4aa8-8f98-6d89ed5a42a8&DisplayLang=en).  Hopefully one of these will help.

  • Anonymous
    April 19, 2006
    Installing .NET Framework 2.0 breaks Windows Media Center

    Thank you !!!! This fixed CPU 100% utilization when watching live TV with Media Center 2005 on P4 3.6 GHz. I looked everywhere for the solution and your simple guide did it for me.

  • Anonymous
    August 11, 2006
    Hi there, i recenrlty went and got MC 04, installed, i get random issues with it, everything is fine, but when i go to tv settings it crashes, and also if i go to genral ssettings, i can start the media center, it basicly goes setup has been cancled, please (here u can only select finish or back, and back does nothing, next jsut goes back to the menu of mc,) how ever, i install MC 04, installed all my driver etc etc, done all updates, got this issue, system restored back to before updates, i found a progmra that i thougth might help basicly xp to mc05, so i tried that, and did the pre updates for roll up 2 mc05 and then the update to roll up 2, then i get stuck at the guied on this one, ive been up for agiz,,, till 3 last night. trying to go through the setup adn try a few things that yourve listed, and nothign seems to go throuhg propperly, ill past somthing i found in
    C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataMicrosofteHomeEPGtracehelperehshell.exe-soul and tea.xml
    - <trace>
     <event level="Error" source="Media Center Guide" time="2006:08:12 10:14:49:281250" eventid="0" category="0">Error: Failed to reprocess guide!</event>
     <event level="Error" source="Media Center Guide" time="2006:08:12 10:14:49:171875" eventid="0" category="0">Error reprocessing guide: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x800706BE): The remote procedure call failed. at ehiProxy.IEhepgdat.ReprocessGuide() at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Guide.ReprocessGuideImp()</event>
     <event level="Warning" source="Media Center Guide" time="2006:08:12 10:14:48:000000" eventid="0" category="0">Warning: the best EPG file found doesn't even exist! C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataMicrosofteHomeEPGepg.sdf</event>
     <event level="Info" source="Media Center Guide" time="2006:08:12 10:14:48:000000" eventid="0" category="0">Event fire preferences set Thread: Application Stack: at System.Environment.GetStackTrace(Exception e) at System.Environment.GetStackTrace(Exception e) at System.Environment.get_StackTrace() at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Helper.ApartmentEventHelper.SetEventFirePreferences(Boolean fireOnUIThread) at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Guide.Initialize(Boolean fireEventsOnUIThread) at ServiceBus.UIFramework.UserControlPoint.InitializeGuide() at ServiceBus.UIFramework.UserControlPoint.Main(String[] args) Prefs: True</event>
    hope you can help, its startgint to get to my nerves!!

    thanks.

  • Anonymous
    August 18, 2006
    Hi Wounds - I would suggest trying out the suggestions listed in the "Guide download errors" section of my blog post at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/articles/487537.aspx and see if any of the workarounds listed there help in this scenario.  I'm very sorry for the hassles you've run into.

  • Anonymous
    October 09, 2006
    Can't resolve MCE guide issue with the following log:- Error: Failed to reprocess guide! Warning: the best EPG file found doesn't even exist! C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataMicrosofteHomeEPGepg.sdf Error getting files in Directory: System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Could not find a part of the path "C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataMicrosofteHomeEPG". at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String str) at System.IO.Directory.InternalGetFileDirectoryNames(String fullPath, String userPath, Boolean file) at System.IO.Directory.InternalGetFiles(String path, String userPath, String searchPattern) at System.IO.Directory.GetFiles(String path, String searchPattern) at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Helper.EpgFileHelper.GetFiles(String path, String searchPattern) Event fire preferences set Thread: Application Stack: at System.Environment.GetStackTrace(Exception e) at System.Environment.GetStackTrace(Exception e) at System.Environment.get_StackTrace() at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Helper.ApartmentEventHelper.SetEventFirePreferences(Boolean fireOnUIThread) at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Guide.Initialize(Boolean fireEventsOnUIThread) at ServiceBus.UIFramework.UserControlPoint.InitializeGuide() at ServiceBus.UIFramework.UserControlPoint.Main(String[] args) Prefs: True Apartment Event Helper Constructed Thread: Application Stack: at System.Environment.GetStackTrace(Exception e) at System.Environment.GetStackTrace(Exception e) at System.Environment.get_StackTrace() at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Helper.ApartmentEventHelper..ctor() at Microsoft.Ehome.Epg.Guide..cctor() at ServiceBus.UIFramework.UserControlPoint.InitializeGuide() at ServiceBus.UIFramework.UserControlPoint.Main(String[] args) If anyone can help I would be greatful.

  • Anonymous
    October 10, 2006
    Hi Ehynum - I suggest trying out the workarounds that are listed in the Guide Download Errors section of the article at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/articles/487537.aspx.  Hopefully one of those suggestions will help.

  • Anonymous
    June 19, 2009
    PingBack from http://debtsolutionsnow.info/story.php?id=4103

  • Anonymous
    August 30, 2011
    net framework 4 causes lockups whith the guide etc.. ehrec uses 50% processor until net 4 is uninstalled