Windows Media Center Guide not Updating TV Listings from Zap2It past tuesday.21.07.15

Anonymous
2015-07-19T09:23:20+00:00

Overview:  Windows Media Center (WMC) is provided TV Listings, via the WMC Guide, from Zap2It.  If you go to the Zap2It TV Listings website*, there are approx 2 weeks of upcoming TV Listings.  When the WMC Guide is Updated, & functions correctly, those same 2 weeks of TV Listings are downloaded to WMC.  If we could use the Zap2It website to program the recording of TV programs, then we wouldn't need the WMC Guide to be downloaded. 

It's very early sunday asof this posting; the WMC Guide hasn't actually Updated for ~9 days... there are only TV Listings through this tuesday, in ~3 days.  The WMC Guide Update seems to run just fine, it's connecting with the site or source or whatever/wherever it gets the Guide from... but it say, "The Eps Listing Is Already Up To Date", even though, clearly, it is NOT 'up-to-date'.  I'm now getting, 'You've only got 3 days of listings!, you need to update the Guide !' scare-messages every time I go to WMC, & I click to Update the Guide, but just as when I manually run it, just as when WMC automatically runs the Guide Update, it ain't actually Updating! 

To be clear:  I'm using Win7Pro64bit; all--ALL--updates, for all software, Windows & otherwise, are daily checked & constantly kept up-to-date; there have been no changes to the computer, & it runs like a dream; WMC works the same, the WMC Guide Update works exactly the same, the only exception being this, "The EPG Listings Package is already up to date" thing, when it hasn't actually Updated the WMC Guide. 

So PLEASE don't post those standard, boilerplate replies about updating Windows &or clearing caches &or other such sophomoric hooey...  The problem is almost certainly with the Microsoft/Windows/WMC/Zap2It interface. 

You can go to the Zap2It website* yourself!, go there!, see for yourself!, the next 2 weeks of TV Listings are right there!... 

 ... so, why aren't those TV-Listings--already & always present--being actually downloaded to WMC?, why isn't the WMC Guide being Updated? 

 ... thank you! 

w 

[* http://zap2it.com/ | http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ ]

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Apps

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Anonymous
2015-07-21T03:48:22+00:00

Hello hank1111, 

You might check out this thread, especially the most recent replies, bottom of page 3 I think: 

Windows Media Center Guide Not Updating

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows\_xp-pictures/windows-media-center-guide-not-updating/8721f207-a694-43ce-bf38-6105968af080

I am NO expert on any of this stuff, but if ya' twisted my arm, I'd suggest the same possibility to you as I did to RW: 

"If you've still got your Windows OS CD maybe you could try removing & then reinstalling Windows Media Center entirely?... I'm sure there's a way to do this, but you'd want to get explicit instructions from someplace/someone who knows what they're about.  Also, if it's possible to do a total removal/uninstall & reinstall, -vs- some sort of 'repair', I would do the full thing, as the mere 'repair' might leave old, outdated WMC Guide EPG files that might bring you right back to this same sorry state-of-affairs!" 

 ... good luck hank! 

w

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-07-26T20:19:33+00:00

    FYI:

    Workaround for no television guide available in Windows Media Center after July 20th 2015

    http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/cfuller/archive/2015/07/22/workaround-for-no-television-guide-available-in-windows-media-center-after-july-20th-2015/

    Media Center EPG Update [posted by JonFincherMSFT & locked on Friday, 24 July 2015]

    http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=8983

    Media Center EPG Cutover (ongoing discussion; 07 July 2015 thru today - 51 pages & counting)

    http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=8903

    Related Connect Feedback topic: https://connect.microsoft.com/site1145/Feedback/Details/1573972

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-07-22T21:25:47+00:00

    Thank you so much!  This worked for me.  It's not very polite of Microsoft to leave users to their own devices on this.  I would have preferred an update to be released but am thankful for the help provided here.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-07-21T03:19:08+00:00

    Thank you for your quick response. I followed all the steps you listed but it is still not updating and when I go to about guide listings it still shows Zap2IT with the expiration date of 7/22/2015.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-07-21T02:12:08+00:00

    So, here's what worked for me; I hope it will work for you!:  

    In Windows Media Center (WMC) go to:  

    Settings | TV | TV Signal | Set Up TV Signal | @ the warning you'll need to click "Yes"  

     ... from there I just followed the prompts.  

    After "Set Up TV Signal" runs, which can take some time, you'll need to go to:  

    Settings | TV | Guide | Edit Channels (&, I would assume, "Edit Favorite Lineups" if you use 'em) & you'll have to RE-deselect all the **** channels you don't want, & RE-"Rename" channels, etc.  

    You'll also want to go to your "Series" & double-check 'em... there was one Series I had long-long-ago Canceled that was magically back, a couple others that were doubled (I canceled whichever twin didn't show any upcoming programs to be recorded), & at least one Series (that I've noticed so far) that had completely disappeared, no longer scheduled to be recorded at all.  

    However!:  Although after RE-running "Set Up TV Signal" the WMC Guide did actually Update (for ~2 weeks as it used to), still, for a while WMC kept sending the, 'You've only got 3 days of listings!, you need to update the Guide!' scare-messages; I don't know if it was the standard WMC 'Client Maintenance' (mine runs @ 6am) or rebooting (after an unrelated Windows Update), but for whatever reason, eventually it stopped doing that, & everything WMC-Guide-Update seems to be back working correctly how it used to (knock on wood!).  

    After all that happened, responses started getting posted saying Microsoft Windows Media Center had switched from Zap2It to Rovi, (thanx So-CalMountainMan, etal), & sure enough, now when I go to:  Settings | TV | Guide | About Guide Listings, where they used to be from Zap2It, they're now from Rovi.  

    So, WHY didn't Microsoft deal with this Zap2It -to- Rovi transfer in a caring & respectful manner toward its millions of Windows Media Center users!; WHY is up to us to figure out what would be such a simple matter for 'em ...if they gave a damn ...maybe 'cuz Microsoft is ditching WMC in Windows 10?, so to hell with all us WMC users...  

     ... thanx very much all who responded!  

    w

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