Fix NS_E_NO_PROFILE_NAME 0XC00D1BB3 in Windows Media Center

What's Going On Here?

You tried to record TV in Windows Media Center and got the error NS_E_NO_PROFILE_NAME (0XC00D1BB3). The message says “You must specify a profile name.” That's it. No other clue. This usually happens when the TV setup data gets corrupted or when a Windows update changes something under the hood.

I've seen this on Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines, especially after a bad TV tuner driver update or after Media Center's database gets out of sync. The good news: you don't need to reinstall anything. The fix is a mix of resets and cleanup.

Work through these steps in order. Stop when the error's gone. You won't hurt anything by doing all of them, but there's no reason to do the advanced stuff if the simple restart works.

Simple Fix: Restart Media Center (30 Seconds)

This sounds dumb, but it works more often than you'd think. The profile name is stored in memory sometimes, and a fresh start clears it.

1. Close Windows Media Center completely. Don't just minimize it—right-click the taskbar icon and choose Close window.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. Look under Processes for ehshell.exe. If it's there, right-click it and select End task.
3. Reopen Media Center from Start Menu.

What you should expect: If this works, the error won't appear when you try to record again. If it still pops up, move to the next step.

Moderate Fix: Rebuild the Media Center Database (5 Minutes)

The profile name lives in the Media Center database. If that file gets corrupted, you get this exact error. Rebuilding it is safe—it just resets your recording history and settings, but you'll lose your scheduled recordings.

1. Exit Media Center completely.
2. Press Windows Key + R to open Run dialog.
3. Type %ProgramData%\Microsoft\eHome\ and press Enter. You'll see a bunch of files and folders.
4. Look for the folder named DB. Right-click it and choose Rename. Call it DB_old.
5. Now go back to the eHome folder. Find the file ehsettings.xml. Rename it to ehsettings_old.xml.
6. Restart Media Center. It will rebuild the database from scratch. You'll get a setup wizard again—go through TV setup quickly.

What you should expect: Media Center starts fresh. After you set up TV again, try recording. If the error's gone, you're done. If not, you're dealing with a deeper issue.

One thing I've learned: don't skip the ehsettings.xml rename. Some people only rename the DB folder and wonder why it didn't work. That file holds the profile settings.

Advanced Fix: Registry Cleanup (15+ Minutes)

If you're still seeing the error, the problem is probably in the Windows registry. Media Center stores profile info under a specific key, and a leftover entry can cause this headache.

Back up your registry first. Click Start, type regedit, press Enter. Yes, it's going to ask for permission—allow it. In the Registry Editor, click File > Export. Save it to your desktop. This is your safety net.

1. In Registry Editor, navigate to this key:
   

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Recording

2. Look on the right side for values named ProfileName or similar. If you see one, right-click it and select Delete. Confirm.
3. Now go to this key:
   

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings

4. Delete any value that has “Profile” in the name. Usually it's ProfileName or DefaultProfile.
5. Close Registry Editor.
6. Restart your computer.

What you should expect: After reboot, Media Center will create a fresh profile the next time you start a recording. If the error still appears, you might have a driver issue with your TV tuner.

If Nothing Else Works: Update or Reinstall TV Tuner Drivers

I've seen cases where the tuner driver sends bad data to Media Center, and that confuses the profile system. Go to your tuner manufacturer's website (Hauppauge, ATI, etc.) and download the latest driver for your model and Windows version. Uninstall the current one from Device Manager, then install the new one. That's a 10-minute job, but it's outside the main flow.

But honestly, the registry fix clears this up for most people. It's the one that gets the job done when the database reset doesn't.