Quick answer (for advanced users)
Flush your DNS cache with ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt (Admin), then restart your media app. If that doesn't fix it, check your media server's URL rewrite rules for broken redirects.
What's happening here?
You're seeing error 0XC00D2EEA, which Windows Media Player or another app like Xbox Media Center throws when the server sends you to a URL that's garbage. I've seen this on Windows 10 and 11, but also on some smart TVs and older routers. The server goes something like "go here for your stream" but that "here" is either a dead link, a wrong protocol (like HTTP instead of HTTPS), or just a typo in the redirect URL. Think of it like someone giving you directions to a house that doesn't exist. This tripped me up the first time too — I was trying to stream a podcast from a private server and got this error every time.
Real-world trigger: You might get this after moving your media server to a new IP or domain, or if your DNS cache has stale entries pointing to an old server location. It can also happen if your firewall is blocking the redirect port (usually port 80 or 443).
Fix steps (try these in order)
- Flush your DNS cache — Open Command Prompt as Administrator (right-click Start > Command Prompt Admin). Type
ipconfig /flushdnsand press Enter. You should see "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache." Then restart your media player. This clears out old redirect information. - Reset Winsock and network stack — Still in Command Prompt Admin, run
netsh winsock resetand thennetsh int ip reset. Reboot your PC after. I've seen this fix it for people whose network got corrupted by VPN software. - Check media server URL — If you run your own server (like Plex, Windows Media Services, or IIS), log into it and look at the redirect URL being sent. Make sure it's using the same protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) as the original request. For example, if your player uses HTTP, don't redirect to an HTTPS URL that requires a certificate.
- Verify DNS record on the server side — Use
nslookup your-server-domain.comto see if the IP matches what you expect. If it points to an old IP, update your DNS records and wait for propagation.
Alternative fixes if main steps fail
- Disable IPv6 temporarily — Go to Network Settings > Change adapter options, right-click your connection > Properties, uncheck "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)", and restart. Some routers mess up IPv6 redirects.
- Use a different media player — Try VLC Media Player instead. It handles bad redirects better and often skips the error. If VLC works, the issue is in your original player's code.
- Clear Windows Media Player cache — Delete files in
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mediaand%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player. Then restart the player. - Update network driver — Go to Device Manager, find your network adapter, right-click > Update driver > Search automatically. Old drivers can confuse redirects.
Prevention tip
Always use absolute URLs in your redirects — like http://192.168.1.50/video.mp4 — not relative paths. Relative paths can break when the server moves. Also, set up a proper DNS TTL (like 300 seconds) so stale cache doesn't hang around for hours. I run my own media server with a static IP, and that got rid of this error for good. If you're using a cloud server, make sure your CDN or load balancer isn't rewriting your redirect URLs incorrectly.