Media Player web address for album info changed in recent Windows 10 upgrade

Anonymous
2018-05-06T16:38:03+00:00

After a recent major upgrade for Windows 10, my Windows Media Player is trying to find Album information from a new website that does not work.  The old web address was (fai.music.metaservices.microsoft.com) and new web address it is using is (musicmatch-ssl.xboxlive.com) which is not a valid address.  How do I change the web address used for album metadata back to correct address?  Searched old message boards with no luck.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Settings

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Anonymous
2018-07-07T13:27:41+00:00

Found a solution that worked for me:

  1. Start regedit.exe
  2. Navigate to "Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\TunerConfig"
  3. Look for setting PREFERREDMETADATAPROVIDER -- it should have a value "pmpMusicMatch"
  4. Edit the setting PREFERREDMETADATAPROVIDER, and clear the value so you have a blank value
  5. Save / exit regedit.exe
  6. Restart Windows Media Player, you should be restored back to fai.music.metaservices.microsoft.com

What an unnecessary pain in the proverbial.

Update: this DOES NOT WORK any more.

Microsoft appear to have strangled this option off entirely. We are now stuck with the much lesser offering that is "musicmatch-ssl.xboxlive.com".

Microsoft: thanks for nothing.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-05-14T00:55:17+00:00

    Same problem here.

    And this is new from 1803, not the same issue that can be addressed by modifying C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc.

    Before it can't be fixed shortly, can MS provide any workaround?

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-05-12T12:07:50+00:00

    Hi Charlie,

    I have been having exactly the same problem as Mike for the last couple of days, again following a recent Windows 10 update: my album info connection tries to reach http://musicmatch-ssl.xboxlive.com instead of the URLs it used to attempt such as http://fai.music.metaservices.microsoft.com.  I have looked at my hosts file and all I have is this:

    Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.

    This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.

    This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each

    entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should

    be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.

    The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one

    space.

    Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual

    lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.

    For example:

    #      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server

    #       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

    localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.

    127.0.0.1       localhost

    ::1             localhost

    In other words, the default file content with all lines commented out and no sign of the WMP search address.  As Mike says, it seems that all that's needed is the ability to change the search address in WMP somehow - the fai.music... address returns a valid webpage if you type it into a browser, whereas the musicmatch-ssl... one doesn't.  I cannot find where this address is configured though and have even searched the registry to try and find that string, with no success.

    Any further suggestions would be gratefully received, as it seems that this is a different issue to the one already on many forums that is fixed by editing the hosts file.

    Rich.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-05-06T17:43:48+00:00

    You’re very welcome!

    I think they may have mistyped in that post. Instead of Devices, go to Drivers.

    C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc

    Did some digging and found that here - https://www.windows10forums.com/threads/cant-up...

    Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

    In case you wanted to take a look.

    Let me know!

    • C

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-05-06T17:34:11+00:00

    Charlie - Thanks for the information!  That sounds like my issue for sure.

    I tried to follow the steps to the "host" files but I can't find the folder they mention named "devices" in system32.  I am not the sharpest computer guy and  need step-by-step instructions from the very beginning.  That post started farther into the steps than I knew how to do and I think I was lost from the start.   I try not to do anything I can't back out and un-do just in case it does more harm than good.

    Seems like there should be an easy way to change the web address that WMP uses to search for the album information but I just haven't been able to find any.

    This is the list of folders starting with "D" I have in system32 - no "devices" folder...  ugh.

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