NS_E_CACHE_ARCHIVE_CONFLICT (0XC00D13EC) Fix for Windows Media Center

Quick answer: Delete the Recorded TV cache files in %ProgramData%\Microsoft\eHome\ and restart the Windows Media Center Receiver Service. That usually unsticks the conflict.

Why you're seeing NS_E_CACHE_ARCHIVE_CONFLICT

I know this error is infuriating—you're trying to archive a recorded show, and Windows Media Center tells you the archive request conflicts with other requests in progress. It's not your network or your hard drive. The real culprit is a cache corruption inside Media Center's database. This happens most often when you've got two recordings scheduled at the same time, or when the Recorded TV library is indexing while you try to archive something.

On Windows 7 Media Center, the 0XC00D13EC error specifically fires when the ehRecvr.exe process (the recording engine) holds a lock on a cache file that handles archive operations. If that file gets stale or another request queues up behind it, poof—conflict error.

Step-by-step fix

1. Stop all scheduled recordings and closing Media Center. Check your Guide to make sure nothing's recording right now. Close Media Center completely—not just minimize it.
2. Kill the background Media Center processes. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Look for ehRecvr.exe and ehshell.exe. Right-click each and choose End Process. If they restart, skip to step 4.
3. Delete the cache files. Open File Explorer and go to:
   %ProgramData%\Microsoft\eHome\
   You'll see a bunch of files with names like mcepgx?.dat and ehRecvr.etl. Delete everything except the MCL folder and the ehRecvr.exe itself (if it's there). Focus on files that start with mcepg and DB. These hold the stale cache entries that cause conflicts.
4. Restart the Windows Media Center Receiver Service. Press Win+R, type services.msc, hit Enter. Find Windows Media Center Receiver Service. Right-click and select Restart. Then restart Windows Media Center Scheduler Service too.
5. Rebuild the Recorded TV library. Open Media Center. Go to Tasks > Settings > TV > Recorded TV. Click Rebuild Library. This forces Media Center to rescan your recorded shows and rebuild its internal cache.
6. Try archiving again. Select the same file you were trying to archive. If it works, you're golden. If not, move to the alternative fixes below.

What if the main fix doesn't work?

Sometimes the archive conflict is tied to overlapping scheduled recordings. Here's what I'd try next:

• Check your recording schedule. Open the Guide, go to Recorded TV > Scheduled. Look for two shows set to record at the same time on the same tuner. If you see a conflict, cancel one and reschedule it for a different time slot. This is the most common trigger I've seen on dual-tuner setups.
• Use the Windows Media Center Repair Tool. Microsoft released a standalone repair utility for Windows 7 Media Center (KB981179). Download it, run it, and choose Reset to Default Settings. It nukes the cache and resets all database files—no need to manually delete anything.
• Create a new user profile. Yes, it's a hassle, but Media Center stores some per-user cache in %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\eHome. If the conflict is tied to a corrupted profile, a new one sidesteps it. Test with a temporary admin account.

How to prevent this from coming back

Once you've fixed it, here's the real trick: keep your Media Center database clean. Every few months, go to the %ProgramData%\Microsoft\eHome\ folder and delete old log files (.etl and .log). They accumulate and bloat the cache. Also, don't schedule more than two overlapping recordings if you only have two tuners—that's a recipe for archive conflicts. I've seen this error pop up when the system can't flush the cache fast enough during a recording marathon.

One more thing: if you're using Windows Media Center on Windows 8 or 10 (via the unofficial add-on package), the same fix applies—the error code hasn't changed. But honestly, I'd recommend moving to a DVR app like NextPVR or Plex DVR for anything newer than Windows 7. Media Center's archive system is fragile, and Microsoft stopped patching it years ago.