Things ran great and smooth for quite a while simply using Windows Media Connect. It was simple to set up and after it was you could just forget about it. Things changed a bit with the release of Windows Media Player 11. This slicked-up new version had Windows Media Connect built in, so now things ran through WMP 11 automatically. Great, it's even easier now: no separate program to configure. Again, things were fantastic until one day I booted up WMP 11 to leave some music on for my dog while I went to work (he likes The Beatles and Jeff Buckley...he's particular I tell you) and found that my entire library was gone. No matter what I did I couldn't tell it to start seeing the files again. Of course, now I couldn't stream anything to my 360.

I tried to reinstall WMP 11 a number of times, but nothing would fix the problem. I figured that I was screwed until MS decided to release a fix. This thought went into the back of my mind and I didn't really think about it much.

In the most recent Official Xbox Magazine they go through a couple of mini tutorials showing you how to do a couple things with your 360 that you might not have known how to do. It was in the "streaming content" tutorial that I noticed they were telling you to download the Zune software. HUH WHA? Zune software? Naturally, I had no idea that they released software to go along with their Ipod-killer. I had read that Zune owners would just use WMP 11.

3 seconds later I was on Zune.net downloading the player. After the install it immediately started seeing my files and not long after that my 360 was back to streaming the content I had grown so accustomed to. The Zune software is pretty much an even more glossed-up version of WMP. It's easy to use, if not entirely intuitive.

My question was, why didn't I know about this? I never read about this problem on any tech or game site that I read. What is Microsoft's problem with giving their customers information they just might need or want? I don't understand their lack of communication and it's completely frustrating.

I wanted to share my troubles with everyone just in case you happened to have the same problems I did. Now you know your fix.

Great story, eh? This is why you come here to read our stuff: it's so damn fascinating!

Comments (6)

...
written by Andarko, February 09, 2007

That sucks! I haven't streamed music from my PC to my 360 in a while, and last time I did, I used WMP 11. Guess I'd better download Zune. Thanks for the heads up!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Danny M, February 09, 2007

Yea come to think of it, I used to use Media Conenct all the time, but I noticed that it just wasn't working anymore. I thought nothing of it and figured it was a neworking problem - had no idea it had something to do with WMP 11. Guess I'll be visiting the Zune homepage as soon as I finish writing this post!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Kevin Alexander, February 09, 2007

That's why I'm here: to service my dear readers.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by B, February 09, 2007

Looks like MS is doing what they do best. Forcing Xbox consumers to use the Zune software and not telling you is classic MS.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Jim Squires, February 09, 2007

Last time I tried I could still use WMP11, so now you've panicked me! I'm going to go and try this out first chance I get, because if it doesn't work both I and every non-American are SCREWED.

Zune's not available outside of the US, and neither is the software.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by TheBlueFox, February 13, 2007

"That’s why I’m here: to service my dear readers."

you left the door wide open with this one.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment