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

Anonymous

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!

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

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Anonymous

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!

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52 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-08-18T17:00:59+00:00

This should be included in one of the recent Windows updates for Vista. I don't have Vista myself; but remember reading that Vista users should have an update to fix this problem. You should go to Windows updates and look for recent updates.
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Anonymous

2015-08-18T17:27:02+00:00

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

Fix for Vista Users

I found the site below:

http://digiex.net/guides-reviews/guides-tutorials/media-guides/699-windows-media-center-tv-pack-2008-download-installation-guide.html

Following their directions I downloaded and installed TV Pack 2008. An update was applied during this process, it displayed the name as it installed but I didn’t note the number, KB9xxxx.

I installed the PC Play runtime as instructed.

The next two recommended updates failed to install on my PC as not applicable, probably because I was at Vista SP2 already, your mileage may vary. (32 bit)

I rebooted and went to TV setup. First attempt at downloading guides failed (may have tried too quickly), I proceeded to TV signal setup. I did the full learn my remote again, and went back to guide. Using 30078 (Metro Atlanta) zip code, I was presented 5 lineup options, selected mine and Vista WMC lives. The Rovi guide was downloaded.

It took several minutes to download and populate the various options. The Movies Guide section operates a bit differently but it does work. One plus, the poster art goes well beyond 2009 unlike before. I did lose my Record in the Future stuff but I’ll recreate that.

Thanks to all who have commented, I have a bit more time to plan my next DVR move, but haven’t found anything as good as WMC yet.
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Anonymous

2015-08-18T17:29:33+00:00

Sorry, I have only tried this fix on Windows 7 Professional and Windows 8.1 Media Center editions.

For Windows 7 and up users, I would like to add that if you have problems with the Windows Media Center setup download, the above fix works with this, as well as switching the EPG download from Zap2it to Rovi. My Windows 8.1 system was reporting a setup download error (due to failed attempts) until I tried the above fix.

The most important thing to consider is to follow the above instructions to the T! (no cutting corners). Double and triple check everything (especially the IP addresses). Use the DOS command prompt window which is run as administrator (right click the DOS command icon under All Programs/Accessories). This is the icon with the C:. and the black background.
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Anonymous

2015-08-22T20:22:38+00:00

Blessings--this approach does indeed restore the guide!!!
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