WMP11 and Service Pack 2

[KieranMurphy]

Aaaargh!

I just want to install WMP11 so I can stream video and audio from my PC to my Xbox 360.

So I go to Microsoft's website and download the installer EXE for WMP11. I run it and it tells me I don't have Service Pack 2 so it can't install.

But I do have Service Pack 2. It says so on my Windows XP disc - "includes Service Pack 2". But when I put "ver" into a commmand line it says "Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]". No mention of Service Pack 2 or any other service packs installed. Something has gone wrong on my PC.

So I decide to go to the Windows website and try to install SP2 or any other updates I need to get WMP11 working. I have to jump through hoops just to get their ****ing update website working - installing ActiveX updates and that kind of ****.

I'm now ready to check my PC for any updates, including Service Pack 2, that I may need.

No I'm not. I get an error message on the Microsoft XP update site about some error 0x347534097 or something like that. I do a Google search for that error code and it turns out that I have to temporarilly disable my NOD32 antivirus otherwise Microsoft's website won't work.

So I disable it. And I go through all the necessary hoops again. At this stage I've verified my copy of Windows about 4 times. I just want to see if I've got Service PAck 2 installed and download it if I need to.

But instead I get another error from the Microsoft website - Error 0x39876489 or some other gibberish. Another Google search reveals that I have to go to my Control Panel and uninstall something called Windows Installer 3.1 So I tell it to uninstall and it brings up a warning with list of every single piece of software installed on my PC and warns me that if I uninstall Windows Installer, every single one of these programmes MAY stop working - i.e. uninstaling Windows Installer may make EVERYTHING on my PC stop working.

I uninstall it anyway and reboot the PC.

And I go back to the Microsoft update website, disable NOD32 again, and tell it to search for any critical updates. And I eventually get to a website where it tells me that Windows is searching for critical updates or installed updates or some **** like that. And there's a green bar repeatedly scrolling across the website as if it's doing something. And for 3 hours in a row it does that, constantly telling me it's searching for installed updates or whatever.

Is there any sort of a shortcut around this bull****? I just want to fix Service Pack 2 which is obviously broken on my PC so I can download and install WMP11 and play videos through my Xbox 360.

I'm starting to get bored and frustrated with this crap.


KM.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I guess you could download SP2 and see if it wants to install.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en

 

[KieranMurphy]

I guess you could download SP2 and see if it wants to install.

Ah. Thank you. I'm downloading it now. I'm curious to see if it installs, refuses to install or throws a temper tantrum and breaks my PC.


KM.

 

[wfooshee]

Right-Click on My Computer and pick Properties, or go to the Control Panel, pick System. It lists your Windows version, including Service Packs, as in my slightly disguised example below:

 

[KieranMurphy]

Thanks, I've got SP2 and WMP11 now installed, but the Xbox still won't connect to the PC. It insists that it can't find any computers running media sharing software. I've enabled media sharing in WMP11 and I've signed into Xbox Live on the 360, so its network connection is ok. It's hooked up to the same router as the PC.

Apparently you can also use the Zune software for sharing media. But it's another disaster. I downloaded the Zune setup program and this is the screen that greets me when I run it:

"To get going, install the latest Zune software." I thought this was installing the latest Zune software? And the only option is to close the setup program? There's no sign of it in my Start menu or in the add/remove programs control panel so it's not already installed on the PC.

Up yours Microsoft!

eta: "Welcome to the social". What the hell does that mean?

eta2: There's no devices listed under the "share my media to:" option in the sharing option in WMP11. Does that mean that my PC and Xbox 360 are blissfully unaware of each other's existence?


KM.

 

[Evolution.]

You bought a Zune...

You really should look at some of the review videos on how buggy the software is. Also, it says "No Zune Update Software Found" in your screenshot. Way to be observant.

 

[KieranMurphy]

You bought a Zune...

No, I just want the software so I can try and get my PC and Xbox360 talking to each other.

You really should look at some of the review videos on how buggy the software is.

Yup, a quick Google search reveals a ****load of problems with the software.

Also, it says "No Zune Update Software Found" in your screenshot. Way to be observant.

But what does that mean? I can see no evidence that the Zune software is anywhere on my PC, so what's it telling me exactly? If it was already on the PC, shouldn't they just say so with a message saying something simple "This software is already installed on your PC".


KM.

 

[standard235]

I heard you need Media Center to connect with a 360...

 

[daan]

I heard you need Media Center to connect with a 360...

No, windows media connect is probably what he needs.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices/wmconnect/

edit: which seems to be included in WMP11

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

eta2: There's no devices listed under the "share my media to:" option in the sharing option in WMP11. Does that mean that my PC and Xbox 360 are blissfully unaware of each other's existence?


KM.

This may or may not be obvious, but is your Xbox on?

 

[G.T]

When I used the Zune software to connect to my 360, the device didn't appear in the sharing section at first. I figured it was down to Zone Alarm, so I disabled the firewall and enabled the Window's firewall for the time being. It worked - the 360 appeared in the devices box and it streamed effortlessly.

If you go into the help section and search for "media sharing" (I'm presuming WMP's is similar to Zune's), it'll tell you which settings to change to get it to appear.

I'm not sure what is happening with your Zune installation though. All I did was download the file, and that message would pop up, and I'm sure a "next " button to continue. It downloaded the full software, installed, then downloaded the Zune update.

By the way, I only have SP2 installed, none of this Media Centre stuff.

 

[Vasco]

I have a WMP 11 -> Xbox 360 problem too! I have my 360 connected to my modem through ethernet, and that modem in turn is connected to my computer via USB. I installed WMP 11, enabled media sharing and in that 'enable media sharing' screen my Xbox 360 doesn't show up (as an option to share to). My 360 also can't detect any computers.

Do I need a router to get it to work or is there something else I can do?

 

[G.T]

I have fiddled around in WMP for the first time myself just now, and I can get it to stream fine if I disable Zone Alarm. The only difference between this and the Zune software is the 360 doesn't actually appear as in the "Share your media to:" box at all, whereas in Zune it does. Weird...

DODGE the VIPER: I wouldn't think that you need a router for this to work... But I'm not 100% sure. Just fiddle around with the Firewalls like I have and see what happens.

 

[wfooshee]

I have a WMP 11 -> Xbox 360 problem too! I have my 360 connected to my modem through ethernet, and that modem in turn is connected to my computer via USB. I installed WMP 11, enabled media sharing and in that 'enable media sharing' screen my Xbox 360 doesn't show up (as an option to share to). My 360 also can't detect any computers.

Do I need a router to get it to work or is there something else I can do?

By "modem" do you mean cable modem? If your 360 is on Ethernet and your PC is on USB, then they're probably on different networks. You will need a basic router to get them onto the same network. Use Ethernet for both devices, and they should then be available to each other.

If the "modem" is a DSL modem, then it's actually already a router (even though NONE of the phone companies will call it that), all you need is a basic 4- or 5-port switch, like those from Netgear or Linksys, so you can get both devices onto Ethernet.

But like G.T said, you'll have to unblock whatever traffic these processes use if you've got firewall software enabled, which may be difficult to figure out.

 

[Pako]

I wish I could give you some answers but do share in your M$ frustrations. For what it's worth, with SP2 already installed, I downloaded and installed the Zune software and had the content streaming on my 360 in about 5 minutes. Even sweeter, I have multiple PC's on my network with multiple media folders that I have shared out and mapped through Zune, so with the software running on one PC, I now have access to ALL my media on all computers with one computer acting as my 'Zune' server if you will. Did you ever get the Zune software installed?

There is hope.

 

[Vasco]

I have fiddled around in WMP for the first time myself just now, and I can get it to stream fine if I disable Zone Alarm. The only difference between this and the Zune software is the 360 doesn't actually appear as in the "Share your media to:" box at all, whereas in Zune it does. Weird...

DODGE the VIPER: I wouldn't think that you need a router for this to work... But I'm not 100% sure. Just fiddle around with the Firewalls like I have and see what happens.

By "modem" do you mean cable modem? If your 360 is on Ethernet and your PC is on USB, then they're probably on different networks. You will need a basic router to get them onto the same network. Use Ethernet for both devices, and they should then be available to each other.

If the "modem" is a DSL modem, then it's actually already a router (even though NONE of the phone companies will call it that), all you need is a basic 4- or 5-port switch, like those from Netgear or Linksys, so you can get both devices onto Ethernet.

But like G.T said, you'll have to unblock whatever traffic these processes use if you've got firewall software enabled, which may be difficult to figure out.

Yeah it's a DSL modem. Thanks for the advice, I'll try seeing if disabling Zonealarm works, if not then I guess I'll have to wait until I get my wireless network up and running.

 

[wfooshee]

I hope the ZoneAlarm bypass helps you. I'm not sure about my separate networks answer, it was a quasi-educated guess, based on one of those I saw about a year ago. It's possible <gasp> I'm mistaken about the two connections being different subnets. I would hope I'm mistaken, it just seems pointless.

Now the problem for the future (nothing to do with the 360 music connection): If you add a router behind the DSL modem, which is actually a router, make sure you set the new one to a different LAN network address. In other words, if your PC is now 192.168.1.{something}, you want the new router to be something else in that third number. If it tries to default to a 192.168.1.0 network on its LAN side, and that's what the DSL modem provides on ITS LAN side, the new router won't work. The ports have the same network address, so it doesn't route packets across.