NS_E_WMP_LOGON_FAILURE (0XC00D1196) Fix: Server Denied Access

Cause #1: Stale or Incorrect Saved Credentials

This is the most common trigger. You tried to access a media file on a network share (like \SERVER\Music\song.wma) or a password-protected online library. Windows Media Player (WMP) tries to use cached credentials from a previous connection, but those credentials are either expired, changed, or just plain wrong.

Here's the fix that works 8 out of 10 times:

1. Open Credential Manager – press Windows Key + R, type control keymgr.dll, hit Enter.
2. Click Windows Credentials (the big blue icon).
3. Look for any entries under Generic Credentials that mention the server name or IP from the error. They often look like TERMSRV/ServerName or just ServerName.
4. Click the arrow to expand each suspect entry, then click Remove. Confirm the removal.
5. Close Credential Manager. Then restart Windows Media Player.
6. Try playing the file again. WMP should now prompt you for fresh credentials.

What you should see: After removing the credential, the next time you open the file, WMP will ask for a username and password. Enter the correct ones. If it works, you're done. If you still get the error, move to Cause #2.

Cause #2: Network Share Permissions or Offline Files Conflict

Sometimes the credentials are fine, but the server itself has changed its permissions, or Windows is trying to use a cached offline copy of the file (which doesn't have the right access token). This is more common on Windows 10 with offline files enabled, or when the server is a NAS device.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Right-click the mapped network drive or the folder containing the media file.
3. Select Properties.
4. Go to the Security tab. Click Advanced.
5. Look at Owner – if it says "Unable to display current owner", that's a sign of a permission mismatch. Click Change next to Owner, type Everyone, then click Check Names (it will underline it). Click OK.
6. Below that, check the permission entries. Make sure your user account (or Everyone) has Read & execute and Read checked.
7. Click OK twice to close all dialogs.
8. Now go to Control Panel > Sync Center > Manage offline files. (On Windows 11, just search "offline files" in start menu).
9. Click Disable offline files. Reboot if prompted. This is a heavy fix but it solves a lot of weird authentication issues with network shares.

What you should see: After changing the owner, you might get a success message. After disabling offline files, WMP will be forced to authenticate directly with the server every time. Try playing the file again. If it still fails, move to Cause #3.

Cause #3: Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service Is Blocked

This one's rare but nasty. The Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service (WMPNetworkSvc) runs under the NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE account. If that account lost access to the server's share, WMP can't stream. This often happens after a domain password change or a security policy update.

1. Press Windows Key + R, type services.msc, hit Enter.
2. Scroll down to Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service.
3. Right-click it and choose Properties.
4. On the Log On tab, it should say NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE. If it shows anything else (like a specific user account), that's your problem.
5. Select This account, type NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE, and leave the password fields blank. Click Apply.
6. Go back to the General tab. If the service is running, click Stop. Then click Start.
7. If the service won't start, look at the Dependencies tab – it needs UPnP Device Host and SSDP Discovery to be running. Enable and start those if they're off.

What you should see: The service starts without error. Now reopen WMP and try your file. If it works, the issue was the service account mismatch. If not, check the Windows event log for more clues – search for Event ID 1000 or 322 from source WMPNetworkSvc.

One quick note: I've seen users try to "fix" this by running WMP as Administrator. Don't bother – it won't help. The service runs as NETWORK SERVICE regardless of your user elevation.

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