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We couldn't connect to the internet using Media Player

brian d 45 Reputation points
2025-12-15T17:42:55.0833333+00:00

I'm using Media player and saw the message "we couldn't connect to the service. Check your internet connection then try again".

When I insert a disk into Media player is unable to locate meta data from a CD.

I verified internet connectivity by opening and closing various websites using Edge, Chrome and Firefox products. I also checked ITunes from the same laptop and verified their newest version can detect meta data from CD.

I selected the repair option from App settings and that did nothing.

It appears that a Microsoft background service needs to be restarted.

Thanks

Microsoft Edge | Other | Windows 11

8 answers

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  1. Kimberly Olaño 23,550 Reputation points
    2025-12-18T21:52:02.52+00:00

    Right you can wait for the next update or submit a feedback. While it may not guarantee a fix for legacy Windows Media Player, submitting feedback is the only official channel that can get this regression logged internally.

    Windows Feedback Hub

    This goes directly into Microsoft’s internal bug/telemetry system.

    Steps

    Press Win + F (or search for Feedback Hub in Start)

    Click Report a problem

    Category:

    • Apps
    • Windows apps

    App:

    • Windows Media Player (Legacy)

    What to write (you can copy/paste this)

    • Title

    Windows Media Player can no longer retrieve CD metadata after latest Windows 11 security update

    • Description

    After installing the most recent Windows 11 security update, Windows Media Player (version 11.2510.7.0) can no longer connect to Microsoft’s CD metadata service.

    Error shown: “We couldn’t connect to the service. Check your internet connection then try again.”

    Internet connectivity is working normally. Browsers and iTunes on the same system successfully retrieve CD metadata from the internet (Gracenote), confirming this is not a network or firewall issue.

    This appears to be a regression or backend service compatibility issue affecting legacy Windows Media Player. The feature worked correctly prior to the update.

    Then Add a comment to an existing report, after submitting, search Feedback Hub for:

    Windows Media Player metadata

    If you find a similar report:

    Click Upvote

    Add a comment with your Windows version and WMP version

    Multiple upvotes increases visibility.

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    8 people found this answer helpful.
  2. Dominic Watts 5 Reputation points
    2026-01-05T17:08:03.81+00:00

    I have this same issue on 2 Windows laptops and have found that iTunes works where Windows Media Player doesn't. I don't know how iTunes works or how it connects to a service. I have no wish to continue with iTunes but I also have no wish to continue with no media library/recognition of my CDs.

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    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Kimberly Olaño 23,550 Reputation points
    2025-12-17T21:43:07.5766667+00:00

    What broke is the backend metadata service path that Windows Media Player relies on, and the latest Windows Security Update flipped a switch that finally exposed it.

    There's a workaround but it may stop working permanently.

    Registry Editor (Admin)

    Navigate to:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp

    Create DWORD (32-bit):

    DefaultSecureProtocols

    Set value to:

    0x00000A00

    Reboot

    This forces WinHTTP to re-enable TLS 1.1/1.2 fallback that WMP depends on.

    Windows Media Player is officially deprecated

    CD metadata is now handled by:

    • Media Player (new app)
    • Groove backend (partially retired)

    WMP 11.x receives security patches only, no service compatibility updates. The behavior matches previous silent retirements (e.g., DVD metadata, album art fetch).

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    2 people found this answer helpful.
  4. Kimberly Olaño 23,550 Reputation points
    2025-12-15T19:37:30.89+00:00

    Thanks for sharing the details, brian! Try to reset WinHTTP proxy

    Even if you never set a proxy, Windows Updates, VPNs, or security tools often do.

    Steps

    Open Command Prompt as Administrator

    Run this command exactly:

    • netsh winhttp reset proxy

    Restart your PC

    Insert the CD again and open Media Player

    This alone fixes metadata lookup for many users.

    See if this helps. If you need further assistance just let me know.

    Best regards,

    Kimberly

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    1 person found this answer helpful.

  5. AI answer

    2025-12-15T17:43:09.41+00:00

    It seems that you are experiencing issues with Windows Media Player not being able to connect to the internet and retrieve metadata for CDs. Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the issue:

    1. Check Internet Connection: Although you've verified your internet connectivity through other browsers, ensure that Windows Media Player is allowed to access the internet through your firewall settings.
    2. Add to Trusted Sites: If you are using Windows Media Player to access online services, consider adding the relevant URLs to the Trusted sites zone in Internet Explorer. This can sometimes help with connectivity issues.
    3. Authentication: Make sure you are authenticated to Microsoft services if applicable. You can do this by signing into your Microsoft account and ensuring that the "Keep me signed in" option is selected.
    4. Restart Services: If you suspect that a Microsoft background service needs to be restarted, you can try restarting your computer or manually restarting the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service from the Services application.
    5. Repair Media Player: Since you have already selected the repair option from App settings, if the issue persists, you might consider resetting Windows Media Player settings or reinstalling it if possible.

    If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to check for any updates for Windows Media Player or consider using an alternative media player that can retrieve metadata successfully, as you mentioned iTunes works fine for that purpose.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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    1 person found this answer helpful.

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