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[thosj]

I installed MC12, latest from top of forum, on an old XP Home pc, Athlon MP 2800, 1 gig of ram. It installed, activated. When I run it I get a dialog box saying something like:

This version of Media Center must be activated by running it once with at least Power User privelages.
After this activation, Media Center can be run with only guest privelages
(Unactivated Component: C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 12\something player.dll (can't remember and not at that computer now)

I uninstalled, reinstalled, same thing. When I click OK on the box and try to do anything in MC, it crashes, apologizing for doing so!!

I have one account on this computer, an administrator account as Windows XP is so famous for.

I did a search here and found a ref to Vista and CDWriter.ocx but nothing readily apparent for XP. My main install on my Vista machine works normally!!!

What am I doing wrong, or what is wrong with this computer that it's doing this?

[JimH]

If you have MC11.1 installed, uninstall it and reboot.  Then re-install. 

[thosj]

No other version of MC on this computer. There might have been at one time, but it would have been long ago, maybe MC9. Nothing in Add/Remove Programs, nothing in C:\Program Files. This IS an old, old, install of XP Home on a computer I only use on my bicycle trainer in my basememt. If it can mean anything, Windows Media Player stopped working, too, a few weeks ago. I uninstalled 11, 10, removed it from Add\Remove Windows Components. I haven't tried to get it installed again. I installed a free MP3 player called db Poweramp, and it works, but not much functionality!! I just wanted to install MC so I could have some playlists and stuff for riding my bike indoors!! I guess I could try 11 down there if you can't come up with why 12 won't work for me. I just thought as long as I just bought 12, might as well use that!!

[Matt]

Let us know what the exact component it's complaining about is.

Otherwise, uninstall, reboot, and reinstall.

Thanks.

[thosj]

Let us know what the exact component it's complaining about is.

Otherwise, uninstall, reboot, and reinstall.

Thanks.

OK, it's PlaybackEng.dll that won't activate, so I can't do ANYTHING, I get the error, click it away, try to do something, crash.

I have a screen shot but I don't know how to put it in here.

I've uninstalled, rebooted, reinstalled a couple times, but I can try again.

Edit: I installed 11 and got the same message even without trying to activate or anything!

[thosj]

OK, update. I had 12 and 11 uninstalled, installed 10, restored a license, same error exactly!!

Installed Winamp, works like a charm. I guess it's not to be with Media Center on this particular computer.

[JimH]

What version of MC12 are you using?

Did you reboot after uninstalling?

Is your Install Key new (less than 14 days) and does it match the version of MC?

Did you try a search for PlaybackEng.dll to make sure there wasn't another?

[thosj]

What version of MC12 are you using?

Did you reboot after uninstalling?

Is your Install Key new (less than 14 days) and does it match the version of MC?

Did you try a search for PlaybackEng.dll to make sure there wasn't another?

12.0.179 from top of forum, same one I have on my Vista computer where it works fine

Yes, I rebooted several times after installing and reinstalling.

I restored each time, using a restore from each, 12, then 11, then 10, so the Install Key should have been minutes old as I did in interactively by going to the web site, pasting my reg code, and letting it activate.

I currently have all versions uninstalled, and there is NO playbackeng.dll on that computer. On my Vista PC, where I have 11 and 12, I have two playbackeng.dll's, one in each place like there should be, I guess, both work fine. I have both because I had to install 11 to get the upgrade price for 12 last week!!

I am going down there right now and trying it again. I'll download again so I have a known good download, I'll install, reboot, try to restore a license if that's what I have to do. I'm uncertain if the license is in the registry some place where it'll know about it or what. I'll use the mjr file send 2/22.

[thosj]

Nope, same thing.

New download of 12.0.179, install, don't start program, reboot computer, start program, same error, playbackeng.dll. If I try to do anything it simply crashes. There is only one playbackeng.dll, in C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 12.

I did NOT have to restore or anything, so I guess the reg info is in the registry or someplace.

Anyway, it still doesn't work.

**Edited file path to playbackeng.dll!!

[KingSparta]

C:\JRiver\Media Center 12

I think the default is

C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 12\

is that not how it is in vista? or did you change it?

if you changed it maybe MC is having a problem in vista when the user changes the default folder?

[thosj]

No, sorry, my mistake, it's Program Files. And this isn't Vista, I have it working fine on my Vista machine, this is XP Home.

I just did the default install from a new download. If you read the thread you'll see I've tried 12, 11, 10, 12 again, ALL with this same error box.

[JimH]

Did you try just executing the Install Key that was e-mailed to you?

Don't worry about any restores you use.  We can take care of that.

When you uninstalled, did you choose "Remove registry entries"?  If not, try that.

I wonder if there's some weird security thing going on. 

[KingSparta]

I see

My PlaybackEng.dll File Version Is: 12.0.252

Maybe you should search and see if you have more than one "PlaybackEng.dll" on your hard drive.

if it is in the registry it could be (maybe loading more than once) that may cause a conflict

Never heard of this problem, sorry I can't help

[thosj]

I did execute the Install Key that was emailed to me. But....upon reinstall it was registered, so really didn't need to.

I did chose to remove registry entries on uninstall. I just did it again to no avail!!

My playbackeng.dll is the same version as KingSparta's. There is only one file, in the proper place.

I'm thinking it's time for a reinstall of Windows on this machine!! It's been years, this was my very first XP install. In fact, the WindowsUpdate Service won't start either, so I can't use Windows Update!! I think the OS is hosed.

This box has been cascaded down to the basement on the bike trainer where I only need two or three programs installed, so reinstalling Windows isn't that big a deal. I was just kind of waiting for a little better motherboard to show up in my "junk pile" before I rebuilt the box, but I guess it's time to just do it with what's there.

Thanks for the help! Life goes on. I'll be back if I reinstall Windows and MC still won't work!!

[JimH]

One last thing to try.  Delete or rename the registry entries for MC12 and reboot.  Could be a corrupt registry.

[thosj]

What are these registry entries? Or what to search for and delete?

[KingSparta]

if you don't know how to play with the registry, then you may want to skip this, but if your going to re-install windows it may not hurt if you make a mistake.

but most if not all registry entries can be found by searching for "JRiver" using Run > Regedit

also

what sometimes works is if you uninstall a program, and then run a registry cleaner  like "Registry Mechanic" or the registry cleaner in "Tuneup Utilities 2007" they may cleanup left over keys that are no longer needed.

[thosj]

Not to worry, I'm not in the least afraid to edit the registry!! I've been doing this computer stuff since a TRS-80 Model 1. I just wanted to know where to look for the main stuff. Searching for MEDIA CENTER, for example, nets you tons of keys. I'll try JRiver.

I DO run Registry Mechanic after most any uninstall, especially any one that I'm having trouble with. Also NTREGOPT/ERUNT. This computer is just simply showing signs of something amiss, so a reinstall is probably best.

[thosj]

OK, Windows reinstalled. Not surprisingly MC12 installed and runs like a champ!!

It never ceases to amaze me how nice a computer, especially an older one like this, runs with a fresh install.

Anyway, thanks for the help!!