Stop media updating

[Cyborg31]

How can I make Windows Media Player stop updating media every freaking time I start it up? It always hogs up massive amount of CPU power and goes into (Not Responding) for a min while updating.

I only add media files to the Windows Explorer Library so I can get indexed searches. I don't even use WMP to view files or anything. Just to burn some music CDs sometimes.

I've tried deleting the files from the WMP library but the next time I open it up, it scans and updates all my files again! Is there a way to completely purge the WMP library and make it not update ever? I've unchecked every option that seems to make it scan and update but it still does it.

Basically I want to UNLINK the Windows Explorer Library from the WMP Library. I want to keep the former.

Thanks.

 

[mitchell65]

If you don't use WMP why no just disable it and use another Burner for making your music CD's. There are plenty of freebie applications out there!

 

[SledgeDG]

Here's what I found about that:

Try disabling the “Retrieve additional information from the internet” option.
Open Windows Media Player, right click on the navigation arrows at the top, select Tools, Options, go to the Library tab and uncheck the “Retrieve additional information from the internet” option.

Hope it helps
-DG

 

[lehnerus2000]

"... And it absolutely WILL NOT stop, EVER, ..."

I had this same problem when I installed Windows 7 last year (7048,7077, 7100 & 7600).
I tried unchecking all the options I could find, but that had no effect.

According to some info I found on the Internet, you can edit a file to fix this problem.
Windows Media Player constantly updating media library

• Location: C:\Users\[your name]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player
• File Name: wmpfolders.wmdb

"To do so edit this file with any text editor (it just a plain XML) and replace Exclude="0" with Exclude="-1" to mark folder as excluded."

I tried this solution (and others mentioned, apart from deleting all the "system file" album covers) but it didn't work for me.
WMP kept overwriting it (even when I made the file "Read-Only")!

I couldn't find a way to stop it.
Well actually I did, sort of, I swapped to Winamp.

IMO, Windows Media Player 12 is awful.
I actually use the equally awful (for different reasons) Real Player for ripping music, because it seems to have a good CD database for automatically finding the related info.

You could try CDex.

I use Winamp when I want to play music (during my Windows 7 sessions).

 

[Cyborg31]

So there's not solution to this problem hmm.

That's disappointing.

 

[DustSailor]

Go into media CENTER and scroll left once to "Everything in One Place" and click continue, and then custom. Click "Next", then click no thank you, and then next. Click no again and then next. Then Click I have finished and next, and then finish. Exit out.​

Go into media PLAYER and in the upper left hand corner click organize and go down and click options. In that first library tab, uncheck everything and click apply. Just for a little extra, click the privacy tab and uncheck everything except "set clock on devices automatically".​

As well in that same menu in Media Player, if you don't use it for media, go to the Player tab and uncheck everything except "Allow autohide of playback controls". Also in that tab, even if you do use the media player, under automatic updates and check for updates, click "Once a month".​

If that doesn't do it, and you have some extra money laying around, invest in a new computer. Otherwise, Hope it works cat ​

 

[lehnerus2000]

Where?

Go into media CENTER and scroll left once to "Everything in One Place" and click continue, and then custom. Click "Next", then click no thank you, and then next. Click no again and then next. Then Click I have finished and next, and then finish. Exit out.​

I can't find an option called, "Everything in One Place".
Where is that option supposed to be located?

I only have these location on the start page - Tasks, TV, Movies, Music, Pictures + Videos & Extras.
None of the starting locations scroll left (except Tasks >Shut down option).

 

[DustSailor]

Ah right, I go back into it and it appears as you describe now. Wonder why it was different when I first started it... anyway:

In Media CENTER, Go to tasks > Settings > General > Startup and Window Behavior and make sure "Start Windows Media Center when Windows starts" is disabled, and then save. Then go back to the general screen and click on Automatic Download Options. Uncheck both of those options and save. Then from the General Screen again go to Optimization, and uncheck "perform optimization" and save. Then Go into privacy from the general screen and into privacy settings and uncheck both and save. then from the privacy screen, go into the customer experience settings and uncheck "Send usage and reliability information to Microsoft" and save.

Don't forget to do what I told you for the Media PLAYER, as that is the more important one (at least the one you listed as having trouble with).

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks DustSailor

Thanks for that clarification.

I've just started WMP and it is trying to load everything into its library.

I am loathe to try it out, because of the other problem I experienced.
When I first tried Windows 7 (7048), WMP damaged about 25% of my collection (~1000/4000 mp3s)!
It helpfully truncated the file names and titles of my mp3s.
It took days to repair the damage.

I am expecting to discover that once it has "finished" loading the library, it will have damaged my mp3 data tags.
However I backed up my music collection last night, so it should be easy enough to recover from any new disasters caused by WMP (If and when they occur).

It's just finished and it's screwed up the Music library in Windows!
It duplicated all of the folders in the Music library and then loaded the tracks in twice.
It has also adjusted some data on some mp3s (even though they are all set to "Read-Only").

My original opinion stands, WMP 12 is garbage.
To be fair though, every media player I've tried, has been designed by people who obviously never use them to play media.

Thanks for trying to help though, DustSailor.

Oh well, time to fix my libraries and mp3s.

 

[DustSailor]

oh that is strange. have you tried going into default programs > Change autoplay settings and made everything that deals with your situation to "ask you every time"? I think it shouldn't just force things, at least I've not heard it doing so. Any time I've had music in my music folder, I haven't noticed any changes. Guess I'm not real sure whats going on in your system

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks again DustSailor

oh that is strange. have you tried going into default programs > Change autoplay settings and made everything that deals with your situation to "ask you every time"? I think it shouldn't just force things, at least I've not heard it doing so. Any time I've had music in my music folder, I haven't noticed any changes. Guess I'm not real sure whats going on in your system

One of the first things I did (after installing Windows 7) was to disable ALL of the Auto-play options I could find.

All of the WMP12 players I have tried on Windows 7 (7048, 7077, 7100 and 7600) have behaved the same way.
I changed hardware (in July) but there hasn't been any change in WMP.
Maybe it doesn't like AMD CPUs. :sarc:

I suppose I could just be unlucky and happened to have had glitches during ALL of my installs.

I find it strange that Windows 7 is so good and WMP 12 is so bad.

 

[DustSailor]

try this, don't know if it will work though, worth a shot (Found it here: Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service - Process and Service wiki):
Go into services and scroll down to Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service and disable it by right clicking, going to properties, and under startup type, clicking the scroll-down menu to click disabled. Lets see if this helps at all

 

[lehnerus2000]

Actually ...

try this, don't know if it will work though, worth a shot (Found it here: Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service - Process and Service wiki):
Go into services and scroll down to Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service and disable it by right clicking, going to properties, and under startup type, clicking the scroll-down menu to click disabled. Lets see if this helps at all

One of the other things I did (after installing Windows 7) was to disable ALL of the Services that I don't use (including Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service).
Excess/Unused Services are a nuisance and a security risk.

Thanks for your suggestions though.

 

[johnsholmes]

Any known problems running WMP 11 in W7Pro64 in XP Virtual Machine?

Any known problems running WMP 11 in W7Pro64 in XP Virtual Machine Mode?

Hate WMP 12 for the changed UI, no advance tag editor and especially for the virussy/malware type of handling of the album art by changing/destroying my high res images stored as Folder.jpgs.

Convinced there was no other solution for me, I installed XP virtual machine on my W7 Pro 64 base and, after some fooling around and mystery getting WMP 11 installed within, it seems to be working fine.
Not ready to go live yet because with over 18,000 songs any missteps are at least time consuming and could become disastrous as I only keep 3 full backups...LOL
Any comments about your similar experience would be appreciated. Thanks. john.

 

[J3J4iiilso]

Similar problem

I've got a similar problem. My Media Player keeps grabbing sound files from every program I have and putting them into my Library. No way of stopping it short of removing Media Player 12.

 

[DustSailor]

I've got a similar problem. My Media Player keeps grabbing sound files from every program I have and putting them into my Library. No way of stopping it short of removing Media Player 12.

This thread is a bit older, but there should have been an option when you set up your windows media player (when you first entered the program after an install/after you bought the computer) that asked if you want to custom-setup your media or if you just want standard. you might have just clicked standard, so that you weren't able to deselect all media content that you did not want to pull from other areas of your computer

 

[J3J4iiilso]

Well, I spent all day Sunday working on the problem to no avail. The only option I have is to leave it turned off using the "Turn Windows Features On or Off".

I've downloaded another program to use instead.

 

[Cyborg31]

Yea I never actually managed to fix this so I just stopped caring. I tried the suggestions but it just keeps adding all media files it finds and adds it to the library.

Hopefully the next version of Windows can stop shoving windows media player down our throats.