The Holy Grail: Get WMC on Server 2011, 2012 R2 and 2016 tp4

Discussion in 'Windows Server' started by T-S, Sep 30, 2015.

  1. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    No surprise but WMC works almost out of the box also on Win Server 2016 TP5
     
  2. zevious69

    zevious69 MDL Novice

    Oct 6, 2015
    16
    0
    0
    Anyone have WMC running on 2012 R2 essentials with a Silicone Dust HDHomerun Prime network tuner? I've got windows storage server 2012 R2 essentials up and running and have installed the HDHR drivers and software which after codec install is all working fine. Installed WMC and it is running as would be expected, but when I try to get WMC to install the tuner it fails with tuner not found error. I can run the "<path>/ehprivjob.exe /OCURDiscovery" command and it does find my tuners but WMC does not when setting up tuner from within the WMC gui.Anyone have any ideas on getting WMC to see my tuners? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
     
  3. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120

    Did you install the server essentials media pack? Did you enable the wlan and audio service? Did you try to launch the WMC as Administrator?

    Other than that I can't help a lot on CC issues, better to look on Win10 thread where people frequently has troubles with such kind of devices.
     
  4. zevious69

    zevious69 MDL Novice

    Oct 6, 2015
    16
    0
    0
    Thanks for the input. Essentials media pack was installed as part of the OS install with wss 2012 R2 essentials, audio service and wlan were already running with service set to automatic as well. Seems like WMC isn't even executing the ocur discovery. Its going immediately to tuner not found, very odd. Thanking it could be a registry setting or permissions. To try and eliminate permissions as an issue I have given ownership of the ehome directory to my administrative user and am running the service under that same administrative user as well as logging in as that user and running WMC. Still getting the tuner not found error. And I don't even see the ehprivjob.exe process try to start when I hit the WMC live tv setup. :(
     
  5. Tourniquet

    Tourniquet MDL Novice

    Jul 20, 2009
    21
    4
    0
    So it's not possible to deploy it to a running WHS 2011 machine? Only to the install.wim to reinstall with it?
     
  6. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    #66 T-S, Jun 3, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2017
    (OP)

    It's possible. Not guaranteed to work but possible.

    Just replace the step #4ab with something like

    Code:
    dism /online /add-package /packagepath:"main wmc package"
    
    dism /online /add-package /packagepath:"mui wmc package"
    
    
    dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:MediaCenter
     
  7. bobfather

    bobfather MDL Novice

    Sep 24, 2014
    15
    3
    0
    Hello,

    I recently tried following the instructions contained in the first and eighth posts, as well as recommendations by others in the thread.

    Like the fellow above, I was unable to get HDHomeRun tuners working on WS 2012 R2 in WMC.

    I have confirmed that most all of the pieces are in place. HDHomeRun View works fine. WMC works fine. Running OCURDisovery reports my tuners fine. But WMC will not find the tuners in the TV setup phase.

    One thing is remarkable - I could not complete Digital Cable Advisor. It downloaded and installed fine, but would not run. There was no accompanying error code (though I did not scour logs to see what the issue was). I did download DCA Override and ran it, and that ran fine. But in spite of this, I could not do what DCA Override wanted me to do as the final step, which was to run DCA again. In WMC, after running DCA override, DCA reported that my computer passed the test, but DCA itself would not run even after using DCA Override.

    So here's a question - could the trouble with WMC not finding the cable card tuner lay in the fact that DCA is not able to fully run and complete successfully? Is there a way to make this happen on WS 2012 R2?
     
  8. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    #68 T-S, Oct 4, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2016
    (OP)
    I think the problem is similar to anniversary edition, to say better is even worse on 2012 R2.

    I mean that even if the tuner will be correctly detected a missing bit will remain: the MS codecs.

    They are there as in any other windows version, but they will be fully enabled by a product policy.

    That product policy is set to 0 in any windows, except Windows Home Server 2011, any official WMC version (w7,w8,w8.1. ThinPC...), and (not 100% sure) Windows Storage Server 2008r2 Essentials that, aside the name, it is almost identical to WHS 2011 (more users allowed, domain join allowed, blueish theming instead of the greenish one).

    In W10 and Win Server 2016 that policy can be enabled using the metro DVDplayer, which sadly isn't installable in W8.x and server 2012 (R2).

    So, given the MS codecs are part of the protected chain needed to play the DRM'd channels, even if you will be able to detect the tuner, you could get the free channels alone (using the LAV filters).

    I'm again not 100% sure here but I think that even enabling and configuring the essentials role and installing the essentials media pack, isn't enough to enable the premium codecs on 2012 R2, but you can try if it helps.
     
  9. bobfather

    bobfather MDL Novice

    Sep 24, 2014
    15
    3
    0
    Thanks so much for weighing in! That makes a lot of sense.

    I think I'll try Windows Server 2016 to see if I can get HDHomeRun to play nice. I'll report back with my findings as soon as I'm able to devote some time to it.
     
  10. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    #70 T-S, Oct 4, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2016
    (OP)
    No it doesn't work as well for you, because it is a 14393 build, just like W10 anniversary

    You may have more luck with older TPx releases, but those are timebombed so not a definitive solution either.
     
  11. bobfather

    bobfather MDL Novice

    Sep 24, 2014
    15
    3
    0
    I see, so LTSB 2015 it is then if you don't want the anniversary build. Thank you!
     
  12. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    This indeed is the most straightforward solution.

    Then you can install a 10586 and block the updates, you can play with the product policy editor on Wserver 2012 R2, but both solutions requires some attention and some regular manual maintenance if you want to keep windows decently updated.
     
  13. meluvalli

    meluvalli MDL Junior Member

    Nov 11, 2013
    65
    14
    0
    #73 meluvalli, Oct 27, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2016
    Is the Media Center even usable in Server 2016 RTM? I tried it, but I can't even get it to launch. Launching Media Center does nothing except log an event in Application Logs.

    Application: ehshell.exe
    Framework Version: v4.0.30319
    Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.

    Update: I was able to get it to launch if I installed it twice in a row. (Changing the install script to skip looking for it being installed already). However, now when it runs, it comes up with "Windows Media Center has stopped working" in different spots. For example, on the initial setup... If I use express, it crashes. Had to do custom. If I click "Recorded TV" it does it crashes. If I try to setup tv signal, it crashes.
     
  14. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    I faced that scenario. It doesn't happen in different phases. It does happen after a while (try to start wmc and do nothing, it will crash after some seconds).

    Anyway I wasn't able to narrow down the cause, even if I looked at it with the process monitor, but the problem vanished "by itself" after a while possibly because an update gotten from WU.

    Whatever I'm using Wserver 2016 as my main client OS since the day it was leaked w/o any further problem.

    P.S. don't forget that (unlike tp3/4/5) the RTM lacks the audio codec msmpeg2adec.dll (and some other related files) see the server 2016 thread for details

    You can check the audio part using Vivaldi (with flash player disabled) and trying to play a youtube mp4 file. (Vivaldi relies on the ms codec, no matter if you have the LAV codecs or whatever installed)
     
  15. meluvalli

    meluvalli MDL Junior Member

    Nov 11, 2013
    65
    14
    0
    Well, my server has been sitting for two days now and it still crashes. LOL! So, I am guessing I really can't run it under 2016 at all :(. I really wished someone would figure this one out :(
     
  16. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    Try to install the v12 and update the server trugh WU, maybe the process fixes something that I missed.

    Perhaps all my installed servers are from the first leaked ISO,

    14393.0.160715-1616.RS1_RELEASE_SERVER_OEMRET_X64FRE_EN-US.ISO


    not the one published in October,

    14393.0.160911-2111.RS1_Refresh_SERVER_OEMRET_X64FRE_EN-US.ISO

    maybe there is a subtle change that affects the WMC, although they are both 14393.0
     
  17. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120
    @meluvalli

    Almost forgot.... Did you enable the WLAN feature? It's a mandatory requirement as I wrote in the 2012 instructions. (don't ask me why :eek:)
     
  18. meluvalli

    meluvalli MDL Junior Member

    Nov 11, 2013
    65
    14
    0
    #78 meluvalli, Oct 30, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2017
    Hmm. No I didn't. I don't think "Desktop Experience" is an option anymore with Server 2016. Am I missing something? I installed GUI interface if that's what you are referring to, but there is no WLAN service....


    Code:
    PS C:\Users\Administrator> Get-WindowsFeature *Desktop*
    
    
    Display Name                                            Name                       Install State
    ------------                                            ----                       -------------
    [ ] Remote Desktop Services                             Remote-Desktop-Services        Available
    
    
    
    Update: I did some searching and found you can install Wireless LAN feature in 2016, but not Desktop Experience using:

    Code:
    Install-WindowsFeature -Name Wireless-Networking
    
    Update2: Ok, I tried installing Wireless-Networking and guess what??? IT WORKED! LOL! That's just CRAZY! HOW/WHO FIGURED THIS OUT???!!!
     
  19. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
    3,984
    1,331
    120

    Yeah the desktop experience is the default condition. No more options


    Indeed, I mentioned just the WIFI feature alone.

    It is installable using a flag in the server manager, but the command line is OK as well.

    I did

    It was when I did experiment with Srv 2012 R2 and WMC, the process monitor helped a lot.;)
     
  20. meluvalli

    meluvalli MDL Junior Member

    Nov 11, 2013
    65
    14
    0
    LOL :) That's actually what I was going to use to see if I could figure out what changed from build 10586 to current build for XBox extender not to work anymore...

    Have you tried this at all?