Introduction

Welcome. If you're reading this, then you've hit a snag while trying to get the most out of the vmcNetflix application. We hope you find the answer here - if not, please let us know what issue we missed.

Details

First, start with Eric Luttmann's page here, where he keeps lists of known issues, installation steps, steps to setup Media Center extenders, and troubleshooting steps for the extender setup process.

Next, make sure you've installed the Netflix "Watch Now" player and can successfully view streaming movies from Windows Vista using Internet Explorer. (This usually means just pressing the Play button on any of the Watch Instantly titles you find while browsing the netflix.com web site.)

If you're still having trouble, have a look through the list below for the different approaches to solving issues others have encountered while using vmcNetflix.

Troubleshooting With Logs

You may also wish to enable detailed logging, so that you can report more detailed error messages. These detailed error logs are often cryptic and mysterious, but can usually help the developer or other gurus isolate the cause of your issue.

• add the Registry entry EnableErrorDetails (documented here).
• add the Registry entry EnableAddInLaunchDebugging (also documented here).

Those LogFiles can be found here.

Common Challenges

• Installation
• Movie Download issues
• License Acquisition
• NetFlix Player
• Extender Issues
• Vista 64-bit issues
• Changing the menu location of the vmcNetflix icon
• .NET Exceptions

Installation

• Error message: "this installation package is not supported by this processor type. Contact your product vendor."
• Resolution: make sure you choose the installation package for your processor type - x86 is for all 32-bit processors, and x64 is for 64-bit processors.
• Error message: "Another version of this product is already installed. Installation of this version cannot continue."
• Resolution: if this occurs, the new version of vmcNetFlix is unable to upgrade the installed version. You'll have to uninstall the installed version before installing the new one.

Movie Download issues

• Make sure that "Download usage rights automatically when I play or sync a file" is Enabled - find this setting at Windows Media Player -> Tools -> Options -> Privacy tab.
• Part of the Download Manager Service sets up a local proxy on port 8081. Check to if you have a firewall that's blocking that port, or another application that's already using that port.
• If after starting the download for a movie/episode, you soon afterwards receive a "download error" message, confirm that the movie/episode can be watched via streaming (i.e. click the Play button in vmcNetflix). This will ensure that there isn't something wrong at the Netflix side of the network.
• Error message: "The Download Proxy Service has not been installed" - you may be able to watch WatchNow movies in the browser, but not while using vmcNetflix. (Previously seen as "The Download Manager Service has not been installed")
• Resolution: This means that vmcNetflix is having problems interfacing with the download/proxy service. Things to try:
1. Open the Services management console: Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Services and Applications > Services
• Look for the VMC NetFlix Download Manager service and attempt to start it manually, then try again.
• If you receive the error "The VMC NetFlix Download Manager service on Local Computer started and then stopped. Some services stop automatically if they are not in use by other services or programs", then examine the Event Log under the System category for any errors or warnings that indicate why the service won't start correctly.
2. Reboot the PC and try again.
3. Turn off UAC, reboot the PC and try again.
4. Uninstall vmcNetflix, reboot, then install vmcNetflix again - making sure the user account with which you're performing the installation has admin privileges.
5. Uninstall and reinstall the vmcNetflix app - turning off UAC first.

License Acquisition

• Symptom: the Continue button for the license is greyed out.

NetFlix Player

This is known as the NetFlix Movie Viewer - the Internet Explorer add-on that allows NetFlix subscribers to stream and/or download movies as part of the "Watch Now" feature.

• Error message: "Unable to Play Movie Unknown Player Error!"
• This can occur with either streamed or downloaded movies.
• Resolution (A): try to narrow the source of the problem - first, try playing the downloaded file from within the Windows Vista Media Center interface. To do this, exit the vmcNetflix add-in, browse the Media Center menu to the Videos section, choose the vmcNetflix folder, select the downloaded movie (if shown) and try to play it.
• Next, try playing the downloaded file from Windows Media Player - close Media Center, use a keyboard or mouse to launch Windows Explorer, browse to the public Video folder (e.g. C:\Users\Public\Public Videos by default), open the vmcNetflix sub-folder, and launch the downloaded WMV file (if it exists).
• If that doesn't help, the most likely source of this error is that the NetFlix player is not installed completely or correctly. Try to Repair or Uninstall the "NetFlix Movie Viewer" from Windows Vista > Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features. Then setup "Watch Now" (i.e. try to watch a movie) on the netflix.com site using Internet Explorer. Once that's working, try viewing the movie again from the vmcNetFlix add-in.
• One final thing to try: verify that "Download usage rights automatically when I play or sync a file" option is selected in the Windows Media Player application. That option is under Windows Media Player > Tools > Options > Privacy tab.
• Issue: the "Determining video quality..." screen disappears after less than a second, and a web page appears with an Install Now button.
• Resolution (B): the Netflix player add-in for Internet Explorer is no longer installed. Click the Install Now button from the netflix.com site in Internet Explorer, make sure the Netflix player is working in Internet Explorer, then try again with vmcNetflix.
• Error message: "A critical WMC process has failed. Please restart the computer and try again."
• Resolution: click OK but do not restart.
• Error message: "No Video Stream"

Vista 64-bit issues

• Disable UAC (User Account Control) in Windows Vista 64-bit - this enables vmcNetFlix to write to the Registry (v1.0.0)

Changing the menu location of the vmcNetflix icon

Many have asked how to add the vmcNetflix icon to the main Start menu in Media Center:

• adding to the Online Media menu strip - highlight the vmcNetflix icon, press the More button on your remote, and choose "Add to Start Menu". A copy of the icon will appear to the left of the "Program Libraries" collection in the Online Media start menu strip.
• adding to the TV + Movies menu strip - there is one "most recent application" menu position, which can change whenever a new application is started. This cannot be overridden or changed programmatically (this is hard-coded behaviour by Microsoft); however, Eric has created a script to manually do this, which you can download here. Run this as an administrator (and elevated if UAC is enabled).
• adding to a custom menu strip - see this thread for details.
• You can also try the MC Menu Mender application

.NET Exceptions

• Event Viewer shows the following event:

Service cannot be started. System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'System.ServiceModel, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.

File name: 'System.ServiceModel, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089'

at vmcNetFlix.DownloadManager.OnStart(String[] args)

at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase.ServiceQueuedMainCallback(Object state)

• Resolution: install .NET Framework v3.0 or later - Windows is reporting that a .NET Framework assembly is not available (i.e. this is not a file that's installed by vmcNetflix).
• EnableErrorDetails - when "Invalid Application" error occurs, the Details button shows

System.Security.SecurityException: Requested registry access is not allowed.
  at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowSecurityException(ExceptionResource resource)
  at Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey.OpenSubKey(Strin name. Boolean writable)
  at Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey.Open SubKey(String name)
  at Microsoft.Win32.Registry.GetValue(String keyName, String valueName, Object defaultValue)
  at vmcNetFlix_Application.LoadPages()
  at vmcNetFlix_Application.<GoToLoadingPage>b_1(Object)
  at Microsoft.MediaCenter.UI.Application.DeferredInvokeItem.Dispatch()
  (etc...)
The Zone of the assembly that failed was:
  MyComputer

• Resolution: vmcNetflix failed to access one of these two Registry keys
1. HKLM\Software\Luttman\vmcNetFlix
2. HKCU\Software\Luttman\vmcNetFlix

Misc

• Error message: "Invalid Application Unable to launch vmcNetflix"
• Resolution: first try uninstalling and reinstalling vmcNetflix. If this doesn't help, then try adding the Registry entry EnableErrorDetails (documented here). Next time you launch vmcNetflix, click the Details button on the Invalid Application error screen, and copy the first couple of lines of debugging text. Post that copied debug text to the main vmcNetFlix thread at the GreenButton forum, or create a new Issue here.
• Error message: "Media Center Extensibility host stopped working"
• Generally speaking, all this means is the executable that hosts add-in applications has crashed. It doesn't necessarily mean the vmcNetflix add-in did something wrong. Try launching vmcNetFlix again. If this happens consistently, then there may be a problem worth investigating (either with Windows Vista or the vmcNetflix add-in).
• Error message: "missing media usage rights"
• Issue: (v1.0.8.0 only) After a successful install, launch vmcNetFlix but all you see is the logo. There is no UI started and after about 15 seconds, Media Center returns you back to the Programs library. If you launch the VmcExtenderSetup.exe manually, you see the following error in the Windows Vista Event log:

The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID
{0C0A3666-30C9-11D0-8F20-00805F2CD064}
 to the user SID (S-1-5-21-67615675-1334458428-1962254683-1010) from address LocalHost (Using LRPC). This security permission can be modified using the Component Services administrative tool.

• Issue: "I stopped a movie and went back to my main menu, then when I tried to open vmcNetflix it wouldn't...had to restart Vista."
• Actually, that is working as expected =) There is a glitch in Vista Media Center which does not allow existing application to come to the foreground, but they have a fix for it that you can access from the Microsoft Support site; the fix for this issue is also included in Windows Vista SP1 (Service Pack 1).
• Issue: After installing vmcNetFlix, you may not be able to find the "vmcNetFlix add-in" icon in Media Center's Online Media > Program Library menu.
• Resolution: if this occurs, you may be able to correct this with a Windows Vista reboot.
• Confirm again that you've got Netflix "Watch Now" working in Internet Explorer on the PC so that it has the cookies required to login automatically
• Make sure cookies are enabled in Internet Explorer (at least allowed for the .netflix.com domain) so that you won't be prompted for your Netflix password every time you run vmcNetflix
• These are the Windows Event Logs that are most useful for general troubleshooting of vmcNetFlix issues:
• Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application
• Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System
• Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application and Services Logs > Media Center
• Review the contents of the vmcNetflix log file