Windows Media Center can't find TV signal HELP!

I have two computers. One a year old and one brand new. Both are running Windows 7 64 bit and both are running the exact same version of Windows Media Center. On my old computer I have my Windows Media Center TV configured for channel 3 and the cable attached to my internal TV Tuner card. Then, to access different channels I simply use the remote controller that came with my cable company set top box. Never any problems.
Now, I am trying for three days to have Windows Media Center set up the TV stations on my new computer. The device manager is finding the TV Tuner Card that I installed. All the drivers are up to date. I can use WinTV to find and play channels so I know there is signal coming from the cable...the same cable that feeds my old computer...I simply unhooked it and attached it to my new computer. So, it's driving me crazy that each time I try to scan for channels I wait for 10 minutes each time only to get a message at the end saying "no tv stations found" or something like that.
What could I possible be doing wrong since everything is the same between the old and the new computer?

Are they both in the same location of your house, possibly if they are not you are in a place where you are getting very poor signal reception when you hook it up to your new computer. If that's not the case then it sounds like you are doing everything right.

Yes, same room and all I do is unhook the cable from the old computer and hook it to the new one...run the scan for channels in Media Center and after 15 different tries over three days...it can't find a signal. Yet, WinTV program finds the channels just fine. I don't want to use that program though.

I'm assuming you tried tweaking the settings in windows media center to match the ones in wintv as best as possible.. I would just go back and look at ALL of the settings from the wmcenter and compare them to the current computer, I'm sure there is something small that has to be missing but don't waste your time trying to rescan, rescan, rescan, sometimes I do that with stuff but you just end up getting frustrated when you could be using trial and error to resolve an issue if it doesn't pick up channels change something; I don't own a tv tuner so I couldn't really help you that much I thought about getting one and streaming it to my xbox but I never followed up.. Good luck!

Thanks...I've been trying to do just that. Perhaps someone else will have another idea.

Hi,
There is another way to add channels manually. Go to set up, Guide and add channels. If you are using your cable box remote to change channels on the cable box you only need to tune in Ch3 in analogue. The cable box is supplying the channels. If you want Windows to tune the channels then you don't need a cable box. Run a search for whatever cable you have, analogue basic (2 to about 115) or digital cable (channels have many numbers like 114.3)

Not exactly sure what you mean. What do you mean Ch3 in "analogue". If I hook my cable directly to my new computer and do the normal Media Player setup scan it does not find any channels even thought WinTV does. I've tried also taking my cable "out" from my set top box and hooking that up to my new computer (which is how it works perfectly on my old computer). Before I do that, and while it's still hooked to my old comouter I turn TV on in Media and changed channel to "3" will remote. Then, I unhook the "out" cable and connect it to new computer. Still, no channels found on scanning. So, I'm not sure what you mean or WHERE you mean to change channel to 3 in "analogue". Thanks for any help.

I keep thinking that there is some "buried" code or something that came with my new computer that is blocking Media Center from finding channels. It's baffling since I've never had problems setting Media Center with other computers using the exact same cable, etc. Maybe something that got switched or changed when I installed the Hauppague drivers for my internal TV Tuner card I installed from them?

bobby18301 said:

I have two computers. One a year old and one brand new. Both are running Windows 7 64 bit and both are running the exact same version of Windows Media Center. On my old computer I have my Windows Media Center TV configured for channel 3 and the cable attached to my internal TV Tuner card. Then, to access different channels I simply use the remote controller that came with my cable company set top box. Never any problems.
Now, I am trying for three days to have Windows Media Center set up the TV stations on my new computer. The device manager is finding the TV Tuner Card that I installed. All the drivers are up to date. I can use WinTV to find and play channels so I know there is signal coming from the cable...the same cable that feeds my old computer...I simply unhooked it and attached it to my new computer. So, it's driving me crazy that each time I try to scan for channels I wait for 10 minutes each time only to get a message at the end saying "no tv stations found" or something like that.
What could I possible be doing wrong since everything is the same between the old and the new computer?

Click to expand...

According to this you have Ch3 selected on your media center old PC to recieve cable channels from a cable box???? Therefore running a search on media center in windows is NOT going to find any channels as the cable set top box box is receiving them???
Go to setup Guide add channels and add CH3 or just pick up the media center remote or use the = - buttons on screen and select CH3 on the Media center then it will be as your other PC.

I have channel 3 selected on my old computer from my keyboard and that's the way I am able to use my cable box on that computer. Sorry, that was confusing.
The problem is in the initial setup of Media Center on my new computer. Windows Media Center can't find ANY channels from my cable directly out of the wall. Any other program I use like WinTV finds the channels with no problem. Forget the set top box. That's a whole other configuration. I simply can't get the Media Center to find any channels! That's why I think there is something that got screwed up with the program itself. I'm clueless at this point. Never had any problems with any other Windows Media Center. The exact same versions on both old and new computer.

I don't understand your setup? I have a Duel TV Tuner myself but it is digital only. I use over the air but i know it works for digital cable also, So here are a few questions that would be helpful, Is the tuner the same as in the other computer? same features? Is your cable analog or digital? and what model tv tuner do you have?

The one thing i know is if you have analog cable then you need an analog tuner. Vice verse for digital cable. You will only get channels your provider broadcast in the clear aka clearqam for the others you need a cable card. The right way is to bypass the cable box. Make sure you not splitting the signal to many times as wmc may not detect anything if the signal has been degraded to much,

And are you connecting the cable box before the cable running into your computer? That wouldn't work out and you would then have to turn your cable box channel all the time, That kind of defeats the purpose of media center being able to select a channel to record when you want it to, I remember it was either windows 7 or vista where you couldn't ad an analog card without a digital card first? maybe im wrong? It has been a long time.


Edit* If your cable out of the wall is digital you need a atsc digital clearqam tuner, If it is analog then you need analog tuner to tune from the wall,

My guess is you have an analog tuner? and your cable is digital? But when it goes through the box it converts it down to analog like you would hook it to a tv? If you plug your cable direct in an old analog tv and it works it analog if its digital you wont get anything. end edit*

It's a WinTV-HVR 2250. The one in my old computer is the same brand different model. Signal is Digital Cable. I know it's not the tuner card or the drivers because, as I stated, I can pick up TV channels and stations using Hauppauge's WinTV which came with the TV Tuner card. I've done this many times before so it's not like I don't know what or how to do it. For some reason, Windows Media Center setting up process is not finding a signal when any other program does.
I think I am beating a dead horse here.
If I could, I would send the new computer back and start all over. I wish there was a way to uninstall Media Center and re-install it.

I think if i remember right i read somewhere sometimes you have to go through and add everything manually. Have you checked the Manuals here specifically the wmc manual Hauppauge Computer Works : WinTV-HVR-2250 one more thing. There used to be a good forum for help one this but Microsoft bought it out go figure. For some reason the pdf files on there wont download for me.

I found this
Remapping clear QAM channels in Windows 7 Media Center


Here are some instructions from HDTVTUNERINFO.COM on remapping clear QAM TV channels in Windows Media Center.

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/support/support_hvr2250.html

Direct Link to Guide

http://www.hdtvtunerinfo.com/win7mcqamsetup.html

I think this should fix you up!

bobby18301 said:

I have channel 3 selected on my old computer from my keyboard and that's the way I am able to use my cable box on that computer. Sorry, that was confusing.
The problem is in the initial setup of Media Center on my new computer. Windows Media Center can't find ANY channels from my cable directly out of the wall. Any other program I use like WinTV finds the channels with no problem. Forget the set top box. That's a whole other configuration. I simply can't get the Media Center to find any channels! That's why I think there is something that got screwed up with the program itself. I'm clueless at this point. Never had any problems with any other Windows Media Center. The exact same versions on both old and new computer.

Click to expand...

OK then so you are not using a cable box. Thanks for clarifying that much. OK so when you go into media center set up It should ask you for your Zip code? Then it should look up providers in your area? Then you should be able to search? Does this happen. Searching may take some time, some TV's can take an hour.You are not giving us any help by not telling us what happens. Run TV set up and step through it carefully. Also look at the F connector and check you are in the correct input if there is more than one.

Indianatone said:

bobby18301 said:

I have channel 3 selected on my old computer from my keyboard and that's the way I am able to use my cable box on that computer. Sorry, that was confusing.
The problem is in the initial setup of Media Center on my new computer. Windows Media Center can't find ANY channels from my cable directly out of the wall. Any other program I use like WinTV finds the channels with no problem. Forget the set top box. That's a whole other configuration. I simply can't get the Media Center to find any channels! That's why I think there is something that got screwed up with the program itself. I'm clueless at this point. Never had any problems with any other Windows Media Center. The exact same versions on both old and new computer.

Click to expand...

OK then so you are not using a cable box. Thanks for clarifying that much. OK so when you go into media center set up It should ask you for your Zip code? Then it should look up providers in your area? Then you should be able to search? Does this happen. Searching may take some time, some TV's can take an hour.You are not giving us any help by not telling us what happens. Run TV set up and step through it carefully. Also look at the F connector and check you are in the correct input if there is more than one.

Click to expand...

Media center will say it found no channels, This is normal read the guide i posted and it explains how to add them manually.