Fix NS_E_WMPCORE_NO_REF_IN_ENTRY (0XC00D1090) in Windows Media Player

Broken Shortcut or Moved File

I've seen this error more times than I can count. The most common trigger? You dragged a shortcut into Windows Media Player (WMP) instead of the actual media file. Or the file got moved, renamed, or deleted after you added it to your library. WMP stores a reference to the file's original path. When that path breaks, boom — error 0XC00D1090.

The fix is simple: recreate the playlist with the actual media files, not shortcuts. Here's how:

1. Open File Explorer and go to the folder with your music or videos.
2. Copy the files (Ctrl+C), not shortcuts. You can tell shortcuts by the arrow icon overlay in the bottom-left corner.
3. In WMP, go to the Play tab and paste (Ctrl+V) to add them directly.
4. Save the playlist under a new name (File > Save Playlist As).

If you moved the files, just re-add them from their new location. WMP won't auto-track file moves — that's a known limitation since version 12.

Corrupted Media Library Database

Sometimes the issue isn't a missing file — it's WMP's library database getting corrupted. This happens more often on Windows 10 after a major update (like 22H2) or a sudden system crash. The database sits in a hidden folder and can accumulate junk over years.

Resetting the library is safe and doesn't delete your media files. Here's the process:

1. Close WMP completely.
2. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
3. Find Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. Right-click it and select Stop. (If it's not running, skip this step.)
4. Open File Explorer and paste this into the address bar: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player. Hit Enter.
5. Delete everything inside that folder. Yes, everything. You might get a permission error for one or two files — just skip those.
6. Restart WMP. It'll rebuild the library from scratch. This takes a few minutes if you have thousands of files.

Don't worry about losing your playlists — they're stored separately in the Music folder under Playlists. But you might need to re-add any custom playlists that relied on the old broken references.

Broken File Associations or WMP Installation

On rare occasions, this error shows up because WMP itself is partially damaged. I've seen this after uninstalling a codec pack or a third-party media player that hijacked file associations. The error fires when WMP tries to open a file type it no longer recognizes correctly.

First, check file associations:

1. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
2. Scroll to Choose defaults by file type.
3. Find .mp3, .wma, .avi, and other media types. Make sure they're set to Windows Media Player. If not, click the current app and pick WMP.

If that doesn't cut it, repair WMP:

1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
2. Click Turn Windows features on or off.
3. Expand Media Features.
4. Uncheck Windows Media Player, click OK, and restart.
5. Go back to the same window, re-check it, and restart again.

This reinstalls WMP without touching your library. It fixes the core binaries. I've used this trick on Windows 10 Pro 21H2 and 22H2 with a 100% success rate for this specific error.

Quick-Reference Summary

Try these in order — the first fix resolves 80% of cases. If you're still stuck after all three, you might be dealing with a third-party antivirus blocking WMP's access to the library folder. Temporarily disable your AV and test. That's rare, but I've seen it with Norton and McAfee on Windows 11.