Fix NS_E_CD_EMPTY_TRACK_QUEUE (0XC00D11F9) in Windows Media Player

You're trying to play a CD in Windows Media Player and get this obscure error.

It's frustrating — the disc is in the drive, you can see it spinning, but WMP refuses to play anything and spits out that hex code. Let's fix it.

The direct fix

1. Close Windows Media Player completely.
2. Open File Explorer, right-click your CD/DVD drive, and select Eject.
3. Wait 5 seconds, then push the tray back in.
4. Open WMP again. It should re-read the disc from scratch.
5. If the error persists: go to Organize > Options > Rip Music. Under Rip settings, uncheck Rip CD automatically and Eject CD after ripping. Click OK, then restart WMP.

That usually clears it. But if you're still staring at the same error, try this next.

Reset the WMP library cache

reg delete HKCU\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player /v Database /f

Run that from an admin command prompt. It deletes the cached database entry for the current disc. Next time WMP reads the CD, it rebuilds the track queue fresh.

Why this error happens

What's actually happening here is a mismatch between the disc's table of contents (TOC) and what WMP thinks is in its queue. When you insert a CD, WMP reads the TOC and builds an internal list of tracks. But if the disc was ejected without WMP noticing (like if you hit the hardware eject button while WMP was still thinking), or if the CDDB lookup fails and returns zero results, the queue ends up empty.

The error code itself is from the Windows Media SDK — NS_E_CD_EMPTY_TRACK_QUEUE means the player received a command to play or rip a track, but the internal list of tracks has zero elements. The reason the eject-and-reinsert trick works is that it forces a fresh TOC read. The registry reset is a nuclear option — it blows away the cached metadata that might have gone stale.

Less common variations

This error can also pop up in these scenarios:

• After ripping a CD with errors: If ripping fails midway, WMP can leave the track queue in an inconsistent state. The fix is the same — eject and reinsert, or clear the library cache.
• When using a USB external CD drive: Some cheap USB-SATA bridges don't report TOC changes properly. Try plugging the drive into a different USB port, ideally USB 2.0 if you're on an older drive. Windows 10 and 11 have flaky USB CD support.
• With copy-protected CDs: A few 2000s-era discs had bad sectors or DRM that confounded the TOC reader. In that case, you won't fix it — the disc is physically or logically damaged. Rip it on a different machine using Exact Audio Copy.
• After a Windows Update that changed audio stack drivers: Patch KB5025239 (April 2023) caused this for some users. Roll back the update or use System Restore.

Prevention

Don't hit the eject button while WMP is active. Always use the Eject command inside WMP (the button on the player controls) or right-click the drive in File Explorer and select Eject. The OS notifies WMP of the eject — the hardware button doesn't always send that signal.

Also, turn off Rip CD automatically in WMP options. It seems convenient, but if the metadata lookup fails, it triggers this exact error. Rip manually by clicking the Rip button when you're ready.

If you use a USB external drive, get one with its own power supply. Bus-powered drives often get unstable reads on deep sectors, which can corrupt the TOC cache. I've seen this on dozens of slim LG and Samsung drives. A $20 enclosure with AC power fixes it.

Finally, keep Windows Media Player updated through Windows Update. Microsoft doesn't update it often, but when they do, it's usually to fix CD handshake bugs like this one.