Fix NS_E_REFUSED_BY_SERVER (0XC00D2EE7) fast

Start here (30 seconds)

This error pops up when Windows Media Player or an app tries to stream from a server that's blocking the connection. The culprit is almost always a firewall or a stale DNS entry. Let's rule those out first.

Check your firewall

Windows Defender Firewall loves to block RTSP (port 554) by default. That's the protocol Windows Media Player uses for streaming.

1. Open Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall > Allow an app or feature through the firewall.
2. Click Change settings (you'll need admin rights).
3. Scroll down and find Windows Media Player. Make sure both Private and Public boxes are checked.
4. If it's not listed, click Allow another app and browse to C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe.
5. Click OK and try your stream again.

Still broken? Move to the next step.

Clear DNS cache

Stale DNS entries can point to a dead server. Fix that in 10 seconds:

ipconfig /flushdns

Run that in an admin Command Prompt (right-click Start > Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin)). Then try the stream again.

Moderate fix (5 minutes)

Disable IPv6 temporarily

Some older streaming servers don't play nice with IPv6. This is a common gotcha.

1. Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
2. Right-click your active network adapter and choose Properties.
3. Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).
4. Click OK and restart your media app.

If that fixes it, you can leave IPv6 disabled. Most home networks don't need it anyway. If it doesn't help, re-enable it and move on.

Check proxy settings

A misconfigured proxy can cause the server to refuse the connection. Especially if you're on a corporate network that uses a proxy.

1. Open Internet Options (search for it in Start).
2. Go to the Connections tab and click LAN settings.
3. Uncheck Use a proxy server for your LAN unless you know your network requires one.
4. Also uncheck Automatically detect settings — this can cause random delays and failures.
5. Click OK, then try the stream again.

Advanced fix (15+ minutes)

Reset Winsock and TCP/IP stack

If nothing else worked, your networking stack might be corrupted. This happens after malware infections or bad VPN disconnects.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

Run both commands in an admin Command Prompt or Terminal. Restart your PC after. This wipes out custom network settings, so you'll need to reconfigure any static IPs or proxy setups.

Check the server URL manually

Sometimes the error is legit — the server is actually down or the URL is wrong. Use a tool like VLC or telnet to verify.

telnet stream.example.com 554

If the connection hangs or says Could not open connection, the server is blocking you or is offline. Try the same URL in VLC (open network stream). If VLC works but Windows Media Player doesn't, the problem is on the client side — try the registry fix below.

Registry tweak (last resort)

On some Windows 10/11 builds, the default RTSP handler is broken. You can force Windows Media Player to use a different network transport.

1. Open Regedit (type regedit in Start).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences.
3. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named EnableRTSP.
4. Set it to 0 to disable RTSP (forces HTTP streaming, which works on more firewalls).
5. Close regedit and restart Windows Media Player.

This fix is a hack. It trades protocol purity for reliability. Only use it if you're sure the server supports HTTP streaming (most public streams do).

When to give up

If none of these work, the server might be actively blocking your IP range or region. Try a VPN to test. If the stream works through a VPN, you've found the real issue — the server's firewall hates your location. That's not something you can fix from your end.

Note: This error code (0XC00D2EE7) is identical to the older NS_E_REFUSED_BY_SERVER from Windows Media SDK. Same fix chain applies to Windows 7 through 11.