Fix NS_E_TABLE_KEY_NOT_FOUND (0XC00D32CD) in Windows Media Player

Quick answer: Delete the currentdatabase_372.wmdb file in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player, then restart Windows Media Player — it regenerates the database automatically.

What's actually happening here

Windows Media Player stores your music and video metadata in a SQLite-like database file called currentdatabase_372.wmdb. The NS_E_TABLE_KEY_NOT_FOUND error (0XC00D32CD) fires when WMP tries to look up a specific record — say, an album art entry or a playlist item — but that row's primary key doesn't exist in the database anymore. This usually happens after a failed library sync, a sudden power loss while WMP was writing to the database, or after removing a drive that contained indexed media.

I've seen this most often on Windows 10 version 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2 after users disconnect an external USB drive that had music on it while WMP was still running. The database keeps pointers to files on that drive; when the drive vanishes, the pointers become orphans. WMP then tries to resolve them, can't find the key, and gives you this error instead of gracefully skipping the missing file.

The real fix isn't reinstalling WMP or running SFC — those won't touch the database. You need to force WMP to rebuild its metadata store from scratch.

Fix steps

1. Close Windows Media Player completely. Check Task Manager to make sure wmplayer.exe isn't running in the background. If it is, end the process.
2. Open File Explorer and paste this into the address bar, then press Enter:
   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player
   This takes you directly to the folder where WMP stores its database.
3. Delete all files that start with currentdatabase — you'll likely see currentdatabase_372.wmdb and maybe currentdatabase_372R.wmdb. These are the main library database and its recovery copy. Don't delete the folder itself, just the .wmdb files.
4. Delete all .bk1 and .bk2 files in the same folder. Those are backup copies from previous syncs. They're usually stale, and leaving them can cause WMP to restore the broken database instead of building a fresh one.
5. Launch Windows Media Player again. It'll show an empty library — that's normal. It's starting fresh.
6. Go to Organize > Manage libraries > Music (or Videos, depending on what you're fixing). Make sure your media folders are still listed. If you removed or changed a drive, remove the old path and add the correct one.
7. Wait for WMP to re-index your files. This can take a few minutes if you have a large library. You'll see a progress bar in the bottom-right corner. Let it finish completely before trying to play anything.

After the rebuild completes, the error should be gone. If it reappears after a few days, the database file itself might be on a failing disk sector — check your drive's health with chkdsk C: /f (replace C: with your music drive).

Alternative fixes if the main one fails

If clearing the database didn't work, the problem might be deeper — or not in WMP at all.

Run the Windows Media Player Library Repair tool

Microsoft includes a hidden tool for this. Open a Run dialog (Win+R), paste this, and hit Enter:

"%programfiles(x86)%\Windows Media Player\setup_wm.exe" /ResetLibrary

This resets the library database registry keys and clears the folder we just deleted manually. It's a belt-and-suspenders approach. After running it, restart WMP and re-add your media folders.

Check for corrupted media files

One corrupt MP3 or WMA file in your library can trip this error when WMP tries to read its metadata. The reason step 3 works is that deleting the database removes all cached metadata, but if a corrupt file is still present, WMP will choke on it again during re-indexing. To find the troublemaker:

• Temporarily move all media out of your monitored folders to a backup location.
• Run WMP — it should show an empty library with no errors.
• Move files back in batches of 50–100. After each batch, let WMP index and try playing a random file. The batch that triggers the error contains the corrupt file.
• Delete or replace that file.

Use the Windows Media Player executable from an older version

This is a hack, but it works on Windows 10: Windows 11's WMP is a UWP app, but the old wmplayer.exe from Windows 7 is still present in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player\. Right-click it, go to Properties > Compatibility, check "Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 7", and apply. Then use that exe instead of the Start menu shortcut. The old player is more tolerant of database inconsistencies. I don't recommend this as a permanent solution — it won't get security updates — but it'll confirm the problem is database-related.

Prevention tip

Always eject external drives through the system tray's "Safely Remove Hardware" option before disconnecting them. WMP caches file paths aggressively; when a drive disappears without warning, the database records become broken links. Also, consider using a media server like Plex or Jellyfin instead — they don't tie your library to a single database file that can corrupt from a sudden power loss. For local playback, I've switched to VLC or foobar2000 on my own machines because they store metadata per-file, not in a monolithic DB. Less elegant for searching, but far more resilient.