Media Center Extender session is disconnected unexpectedly on a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based computer (896677)

SYMPTOMS

If you try to connect a Media Center Extender device to a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based computer, the connection is unexpectedly disconnected. This symptom also occurs if you are using the Media Center Extender. Additionally, if you are using the Media Center Extender for Xbox, you receive the following error message:

The Media Center Extender for Xbox has unexpectedly disconnected from the Media Center PC. The Extender requires a connection to the computer. The Extender might have been disconnected because of network congestion, a network disconnection, or because the PC has been turned off. Press OK to reconnect.

If you are using other Media Center Extender devices, you receive an error message that is similar to the following:

The connection between the Media Center Extender and the Media Center PC was lost due to one of the following reasons (Error code: 00020002):
- The PC has been shut down, is on standby, or is hibernating. Turn the PC back on or bring it out of standby or hibernation.
- The PC is in heavy use or is busy processing information. Try connecting again when the PC is not busy.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if programs that are running on the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based computer are incompatible with the Media Center Extender device. For example, this behavior occurs if the program displays a program window that is not the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 shell. If the program window is unrecognized, the connection between the Media Center Extender device and the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based computer is disconnected.

The following programs may display unrecognized windows and cause the Media Center Extender connection to be disconnected:

Programs that implement Windows services that interact with the desktop and the display user interface.
Programs that are hosted in Windows services that display a user interface.
Windows XP Media Center Edition extensibility programs that are stand-alone executable (.exe) programs.
Windows XP Media Center Edition HTML extensibility programs that open browser windows.
ActiveX controls that are hosted in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 HTML programs and open windows.
Background executable programs that are started by Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 HTML programs that were written by using Microsoft Visual Basic 6 or earlier.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, follow these steps.

Identify which program caused the behavior

To identify which program caused the behavior, check the Application log in Event Viewer. To check the Application log in Event Viewer, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Run, type eventvwr.msc in the Open box, and then click OK.
In the Event Viewer window, click Application in the left pane.
In the right pane, look for an error that has the following properties:
- The source of the error is Media Center Remote Manager.
- The Event ID of the error is 8.
- The description of the error is similar to the following description: Unauthorized window was detected while running the Media Center Experience, 'APPWINDOW', with file name 'app.exe'.

The description of the error contains the name of the window and the binary executable name that caused the session to be disconnected. If the window name or the executable name does not identify the incompatible program, search for the file on the computer. The location where the file is installed may help you determine which program is causing the disconnection.

Work around the behavior

To work around the behavior, try the following methods:

Contact the program vendor to see if they have an update that is compatible with Media Center Extender.
See if the program has settings that make the program work correctly with the Media Center Extender device.
Remove the program.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about how to develop programs for Media Center Extenders, visit the following Microsoft Web site and read the Media Center Extender section of the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Software Development Kit (SDK):

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/MedctrSDK/htm/mediacenterextenders.asp