NS_E_INVALID_EDL (0XC00D0BD8) – Invalid EDL Fix

When You See This Error

You're trying to play a recorded TV show or a video file in Windows Media Center (WMC) on Windows 7 or Windows 8, and bam – a pop-up says NS_E_INVALID_EDL (0XC00D0BD8) – The EDL provided is invalid. Usually, this happens right after you skip a commercial or try to resume a partial recording. The file starts okay but then chokes when it reads the Edit Decision List (EDL) – a little metadata file that marks where commercial breaks were or where you stopped playback. It's frustrating because the video itself might be fine.

Root Cause

The EDL file got corrupted or is in a format that the Media Center or Media Player can't parse. In older WMC versions, the EDL is a small XML-like text file stored alongside your recorded TV file (with a .wtv or .dvr-ms extension). If the file gets truncated during recording, or if you manually edited it (trying to skip ads maybe), the parser throws this error. I've seen it most often on Windows 7 Media Center with cable TV recordings. Also happens if you copy the recording to a new PC without the EDL – the path in the EDL doesn't match, and it freaks out.

How to Fix It

You've got two routes: delete the bad EDL or fix its contents. Let's start with the quick win.

Option 1: Delete the EDL File

This is the fix 90% of the time. The EDL isn't critical – you'll lose your resume point and commercial skip marks, but the video plays.

1. Locate the recording. By default, WMC stores recordings in C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV. If you changed it, you know where.
2. Show hidden files. In File Explorer, click View > check Hidden items.
3. Find the EDL. Look for a file with the same name as your recording but ending in .edl. For a .wtv file named MyShow.wtv, you'll see MyShow.wtv.edl. Sometimes it's just .edl in the same folder.
4. Delete it. Right-click that .edl file and choose Delete. Yes, it's that simple.
5. Try playback again. Open the recording in WMC or Media Player. It should load without the error.

Option 2: Edit the EDL (If You Want to Keep Marks)

If you rely on commercial skip data and don't want to lose it, you can fix the EDL manually. This is riskier – one typo and it's worse. Back up the file first.

1. Open the EDL in Notepad. It looks like a simple list of times: 00:01:23.456 00:02:45.678 marking start and end of commercials.
2. Check for corrupt lines. Look for lines with negative times, or times longer than the recording's duration. Also, blank lines or non-numeric characters.
3. Remove bad lines. Delete any line that looks off. Save the file.
4. Test playback. If it still fails, delete the file and go with Option 1.

Option 3: Reset Media Center

If the error keeps happening on multiple recordings, your Media Center's database might be tangled. This is nuclear but works.

1. Exit WMC completely.
2. Open Command Prompt as admin. Press Win + X > Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Run these commands:
   net stop ehrecvr
net stop ehsched
del /q /f "%ProgramData%\Microsoft\eHome\Packages\*"
net start ehsched
net start ehrecvr
4. Restart WMC. It will rebuild the database. Recordings should work now.

Still Broken? Check These

• Is the video file itself corrupt? Try playing it with VLC or another player. If that fails too, the recording is toast – you'll need to re-record it.
• Did you copy the file from another PC? The EDL might reference drive letters or paths that don't exist. Delete the EDL and let WMC regenerate it.
• Windows updates? I've seen a nasty KB update on Windows 7 break EDL parsing. Check if you installed a recent update (around KB4499164 or similar). Uninstall it and see if playback returns.
• Permissions. Make sure your user account has full control over the Recorded TV folder. Right-click the folder > Properties > Security > Edit > give your user Full control.

That's it. In my help desk days, the delete-the-EDL fix resolved this in under a minute every time. Try that first, and you'll be back to watching your show without the error nagging you.