Fix NS_E_WMPXML_PINOTFOUND 0XC00D0FB8 Error – Simple Steps

What's actually happening here

You open Windows Media Player (WMP) and get slapped with error code 0XC00D0FB8. The full message is NS_E_WMPXML_PINOTFOUND, which is Microsoft-speak for "I can't find an XML file I need."

This error shows up most often after a Windows update that resets file associations or after you manually moved or deleted your Music folder. It's not a hardware issue. It's not a virus. It's just WMP losing track of one of its own files.

The file it can't find is usually CurrentDatabase_372.wmdb or a related XML schema. When that happens, WMP gives up and throws this error instead of loading your library.

The 30-second fix: Run WMP with a clean library

Close Windows Media Player completely. Check the system tray (bottom right near the clock) – if there's a WMP icon there, right-click it and pick Exit.
Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Type this exactly:
```
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player
```
and hit Enter.
You should see a folder with a bunch of files. Look for any file that has .wmdb at the end. You'll see files like CurrentDatabase_372.wmdb, Library_0.wmdb, and maybe SyncRelations.wmdb.
Right-click each .wmdb file and choose Delete. Don't worry – WMP will rebuild these files when it starts again. This is safe.
Close the File Explorer window. Now open Windows Media Player again. It might take a minute or two to rebuild your library. That's normal.

After doing this: If WMP opens without the error, you're done. The error was caused by a corrupted database file. If you still see 0XC00D0FB8, move to the 5-minute fix.

The 5-minute fix: Reset Windows Media Player completely

This fix uses the built-in reset tool Microsoft includes with Windows. It works on Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Close Windows Media Player again. Make sure it's not running in the background.
Press Windows Key + R again. Type:
```
regsvr32 wmploc.dll
```
and hit Enter. You should see a popup that says "DllRegisterServer in wmploc.dll succeeded." Click OK.
Now open Windows Media Player. If the error is gone, great. If not, keep going.
Open the Control Panel. The fastest way is to press Windows Key + X (Windows 10) and pick Control Panel. On Windows 7, click Start and type Control Panel.
Click Programs (or Programs and Features if you're in icon view).
On the left side, click Turn Windows features on or off. A list will pop up.
Scroll down until you see Media Features. Click the + sign next to it to expand.
Uncheck the box next to Windows Media Player. Click OK. Windows will remove WMP. This takes about 30 seconds. You'll be asked to restart – click Restart now.
After your computer restarts, go back to the same place (Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off > Media Features). Re-check the box for Windows Media Player. Click OK.
Windows will reinstall WMP. Another restart will be requested – do it.

After the second restart: Open WMP. It'll be like a fresh install. The error should be gone. If it's not, you've got a deeper issue – move to the advanced fix.

The advanced fix (15+ minutes): Repair system files and fix permissions

This is for when the simple resets didn't work. The error is likely caused by corrupted system files or bad permissions on the Media Player folder. I've seen this happen after a failed Windows update rollback.

Step 1: Run System File Checker

Press Windows Key + X and choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin). If you're on Windows 7, click Start, type cmd, right-click it, and pick Run as administrator.
Type this command and press Enter:
```
sfc /scannow
```
This scans all protected Windows files. It can take 15-20 minutes. Let it finish.
When it's done, it'll tell you one of three things:
- "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations." – Good, but not your problem.
- "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them." – Great. Restart your PC and test WMP.
- "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them." – Then run DISM.

Step 2: Run DISM if SFC found unfixed corruption

In the same admin command prompt, type this and hit Enter:
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
```
DISM uses Windows Update to download fresh copies of corrupted files. This requires an internet connection. It can take 20-30 minutes.
When it finishes (it'll say "The restore operation completed successfully"), restart your PC.
Run sfc /scannow again to make sure everything is clean.
Test WMP.

Step 3: Reset permissions on the Media Player folder

Sometimes the folder where WMP stores its database gets wrong permissions. This is rare, but if you're still stuck, it's worth checking.

Open File Explorer. In the address bar, paste this and hit Enter:
```
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft
```
Right-click the folder named Media Player and pick Properties.
Go to the Security tab. Click the Advanced button.
At the top, next to Owner, click Change.
Type your Windows username (the one you log in with) into the box, then click Check Names. It should underline your name. Click OK.
Check the box that says Replace owner on subcontainers and objects. Click OK.
Now go back to the Security tab. Click Edit. Select your username from the list. Check the Full control box. Click OK on both windows.
Close everything. Open WMP.

If you're still getting 0XC00D0FB8 after all this, you've got a corrupted user profile. The nuclear option is to create a new Windows user account and see if WMP works there. If it does, migrate your files and ditch the old profile. That's rare, but I've seen it happen.

One final note: If you don't actually need Windows Media Player for anything specific, consider switching to VLC Media Player (free) or Media Player Classic. They don't have this XML nonsense. But if you need WMP for syncing with an old MP3 player or for DRM content, the steps above will fix it.