Windows 7 Windows Media Center causes Windows Explorer to stop responding on Win 7, 64 bit

[JohnEasley]

I'm hoping someone from Redmond sees this message and will open a defect ticket. This needs to be addressed promptly.

Brand new HP 600q TouchSmart system running Windows 7 64-bit. Everything works normally until Windows Media Center is started, especially when it is started in maximized mode. Once it is started, Windows Explorer and the Start bar stop responding. The clock in the system tray stops updating even though the clock gadget functions normally. Any apps that were open before WMC was started will continue to function normally but hovering the mouse over the Start bar changes the cursor to the revolving circle (system busy). Closing WMC has no effect. The WMC icon remains in the Start bar. Clicking on anything in the Start bar causes a popup message about Windows Explorer not responding. It can be restarted normally and the WMC icon disappears from the Start bar.

In the Processes tab of Task Manager, the ehshell.exe process fires up when WMC is started and it unloads when WMC is closed. wmpnetwk.exe seems to remain on in the background, no matter what.

There are a number of articles, blog posts, and forum posts all over the internet so this problem is in no way small. Many people have offered different solutions. I have already deleted the shellex registry key from HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpg. That had no effect. Another "solution" was to go to control panel > Folder options > View > and put a check mark in "Always show icon not thumbnails." This did seem to stop the problem but this is not an acceptable solution since WMC is designed to be a rich graphical user experience.

Any help getting this information to someone from Redmond who can open a ticket on it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

John

 

[ChatGPT]

Hello John, It seems like you are facing a specific issue with Windows Media Center causing Windows Explorer and the Start bar to stop responding on your new HP 600q TouchSmart system running Windows 7 64-bit. This can indeed be frustrating, especially when using a feature like Windows Media Center. Here are a few steps you can try to address the issue: 1. Update Windows: Make sure your Windows 7 system is fully updated with the latest patches and updates. Sometimes, Microsoft releases fixes for known issues through Windows updates. 2. Update Drivers: Ensure that all your drivers, especially graphics and audio drivers, are up to date. Outdated drivers can sometimes cause conflicts with system processes. 3. Disable Windows Media Network Sharing Service: Since you mentioned that the wmpnetwk.exe process remains active, you can try disabling the Windows Media Network Sharing Service to see if that impacts the issue. 4. Run System File Checker (SFC): Use the System File Checker tool to scan and repair corrupted system files. Open a command prompt as an administrator and run the command sfc /scannow. 5. Check for Malware: Perform a full system scan using a trusted antivirus program to rule out any malware causing these issues. If after trying these steps you are still facing the problem, it might be worth considering upgrading to a newer version of Windows, as Windows 7 is no longer receiving security updates from Microsoft. As for getting this information to someone from Microsoft, you can report the issue through the Windows Feedback Hub. This allows users to provide feedback and report problems directly to the Windows development team. I hope these suggestions help in resolving the issue you are experiencing with Windows Media Center. Let me know if you need further assistance or have any other questions!