Error message when you try to install a program for the Xbox 360 Media Center Extender in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 3: "There is a problem with the installation of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005"

When you try to install a program for the Xbox 360 Media Center Extender in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 3 (SP3), you receive the following error message:

This issue occurs because of a missing registry entry. The program for Xbox 360 Media Center Extender determines whether this registry entry exists at the time of installation. The program is not installed if the registry entry is missing.

Note If you have installed Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (update 900325) and if you have not installed Windows XP SP3, you do not receive this error message. Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 adds the registry entry that is required. Therefore, in this scenario, the program for Xbox 360 Media Center Extender is installed correctly.

To resolve this issue, you must make sure that the required registry entry is added to the computer that is running Windows XP Media Center Edition. To do this, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Install update 895961

1. Install the update that is described in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 895961.
   
   For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   895961  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/895961/ ) The Windows Media Center Extender service cannot create the sub-desktop session on a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based computer
2. Install the program for Xbox 360 Media Center Extender.

Method 2: Remove Windows XP SP3 temporarily

1. Uninstall Windows XP SP3. To do this follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, and then click Run.
   2. Copy and then paste (or type) the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
      appwiz.cpl
   3. In the Currently installed programs list, click Windows XP SP3, and then click Remove.
   4. Follow the prompts to finish uninstalling Windows XP SP3.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Install the program for Xbox 360 Media Center Extender.
4. Reinstall Windows XP SP3.

Method 3: Automatically or manually add the registry entry

To have us fix this problem for you, go to the “Fix it for me” section. If you would rather fix this problem yourself, go to the “Let me fix it myself” section.

Fix it for me

To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.

Fix this problem
Microsoft Fix it 50148

Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.

Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Let me fix it myself

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To fix this problem, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Copy and then paste (or type) the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
   reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\HotFix\KB895961" /v Installed /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Did this fix the problem?

1. Install the program for Xbox 360 Media Center Extender.
2. If the program installs, you are finished with this article. If the program does not install, you can try one of the other methods or contact support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus) .

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about Update rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For more information about how to connect an Xbox console to a Windows XP-based computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: