Windows 7 WMC - Phantom playlists?

[RodBarnes]

I have three music playlists appearing in Windows Media Center which I cannot delete. I have been unable to locate any associated files representing those playlists on the drive or entries in the registry. Other 'net articles have indicated I would find the playlists in the ~\Playlists folder. I did find some there -- removing those from that folder caused all the others appearing in WMC to disappear. But I've not found any thing else that represents these others.

On two of them, attempts to delete them prompt for confirmation, click Yes and then back to the UI with no change.

On the third, it does the same thing but I get the wait cursor for about 30 seconds before it finally goes back to the UI.

Ideas? Other locations for playlists or ways to clear out the WMC playlists?

 

[brkkab]

open windows Media Player and see if they exist there too. They probably do. Try deleting them there. If that doesn't work. Type cmd in the Start menu search box or Command bar. Right-click on cmd.exe or Command Prompt and click on Run As Administrator first type in sfc /scannow and hit enter. If that doesn't find anything type in chkdsk c: /r and hit enter. Now type Y and hit enter. Close that windows and restart your pc. That will run Check Disk, if it doesn't find anything, run a full virus scan and remove anything it finds. Then download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware free from www.malwarebytes.org, install it and uncheck the box for Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Professional trial, let it update it's definitions and run a full scan with it. Let it remove anything it find's. If you have playlists you or nobody you know created, it may be malware. Hope this help's you.

 

[RodBarnes]

DOH! Should have thought of that. I just never use WMP so didn't come to mind. (Well, obviously I did at one point long ago but haven't in years. Anyway...) Yes, those were listed in WMP and I was able to delete them from there.

Thanks.

 

[RodBarnes]

BTW: Found that sfc also checks the WMC files along with other system files. If one is using any add-ons to WMC that modify system files (e.g., My Channel Logos) it will replace it with the originals. I was able to get it back by simply running MCL again, changing the settings to get it to update, and then changing them again to put them back where I want them.

 

[brkkab]

Which MCL version do you have ? sfc /scannow has never done that to mine. I've been using it from Windows 7 to 8.1. I think you need MCL XL now for 8 & 8.1. That may be why sfc /scannow is removing them. I also have a tweak in mine for pausing Recorded TV longer than 30 seconds. I've got mine at 2 hours. Use this for that one. It can be from 30 seconds - 2 hour's. Here's My Channel Logos XL, too. You may have to regive them $5.00 or whatever they charge to get it to work. The other one is free and virus free.