Media Player Play To Error "Failed to retrieve media Information from media server"

This "fix" using Services and turning off/on WP network and UpnP  has been around a year or more. It does restore the "Play To" function but only until the next time I reboot my laptop then I have to do it all over.

I can't believe a permanent solution has not been made in all this time. Maybe Windows 7 development is no longer a priority although millions of users are still around.

I'd be most interested to hear of a lasting fix.

David

The content is on the same computer.  Streaming is enabled and the receiver is "allowed." 

I am not sure if this is solved or not...but I found the solution last night after I spent the most frustrating 5 hours of my life! This is surely a windows problem. I recently replaced my HP laptop with a Dell Vostro 3450 and I suddenly found that 'Play To' feature wasn't working with my Samsung LED TV UA55C8000 .To confirm that it wasn't a firewall or format related issue I even used Samsung PC Share software on my PC to act as the DLNA server...With PC share as the server WMP12 didnt find any problems 'Contacting the Media Server' ...but with its own library it just remained stuck there, with an eventual failure message. [Point to be noted was that even when it failed to contact the media server, I could control the TV volume using the same window!]

This is what did the trick for me:

1. Closed WMP12.
2. Go to Services [Control Panel->System and Security->Administrative Tools->Services]
3. Locate the service with name 'Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service'
4. Stop the Service manually.
5. Locate the service 'UpnP Device Host'. Stop the service and start it again.
6. Start 'Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service' now.
7. Close control panel and all associated windows. Open Windows Media Player...right click on a playlist and see if PlayTo option lists the TV. Try playing now...it started playing for me at this stage!

Thanks soooo much!!  This definitely fixed it!  I had been racking my brains out for HOURS with this one, because it worked GREAT from my wireless laptop, but not from my wired desktop...

CJM, from Riverview, Fl.

Thank you for this fix which also worked for me. However I have to repeat the process after each laptop reboot.

Two things puzzle me here:

1.  Firstly why it started happening after I had been streaming music to my stereo unit without problem for many months and made no changes?
2. Why hasn't Microsoft sorted this problem when it has obviously been an issue since 2011?

Anyway, at least I can play music again from laptop to stereo in great quality which is very good. So thanks again.

Omg.. it worked!!!!  Thank you so much!