Windows Media Player NS_E_NOCONNECTION 0xC00D0005 Fix

You're trying to stream a video or audio from a Windows Media server—maybe a company training video or a live event—and Windows Media Player pops up with: "There is no connection established with the Windows Media server." The error code is 0xC00D0005. This usually happens right after you click a link or type in a URL. The player tries to connect, fails, and shows that message. It's not a corrupt file or a driver issue. It's a network handshake problem.

What's really going on

Windows Media Player uses a protocol called MMS (Microsoft Media Services) or HTTP to talk to the server. When you see 0xC00D0005, it means the player sent out a request, but never got a reply. Two common culprits:

• Firewall or antivirus blocking the outbound connection. Windows Defender Firewall is usually fine, but third-party suites (Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky) often block MMS traffic by default.
• Proxy settings in Windows that don't match what the media server expects. If you're on a corporate network with a proxy, WMP might not be set to use it.
• Network profile set to Public, which restricts media streaming from other devices.

How to fix it—step by step

Step 1: Check the network profile

1. Open Settings (Windows key + I).
2. Go to Network & internet.
3. Click Wi-Fi (or Ethernet if you're wired).
4. Click on the network name you're connected to.
5. Under Network profile type, make sure it's set to Private, not Public. Public networks block media streaming.
6. After switching, close Settings. You don't need to restart anything.

Expected outcome: The network profile changes instantly. You can test the stream again right away.

Step 2: Temporarily disable third-party firewall/antivirus

1. Right-click the antivirus icon in the system tray (near the clock).
2. Choose Disable or Pause protection. Pick an option that lasts at least 5 minutes—don't pick "until restart" unless you're fine with that.
3. Try your media link again.

Expected outcome: If the stream works now, you've found the problem. You need to add an exception in your antivirus for Windows Media Player (wmplayer.exe).

Step 3: Check Windows Defender Firewall

1. Press Windows key, type Firewall, and click Windows Defender Firewall.
2. On the left, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
3. Click Change settings (you'll need admin rights).
4. Scroll down and find Windows Media Player. Make sure both Private and Public boxes are checked.
5. If you don't see it, click Allow another app, browse to C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe, add it, then check both boxes.
6. Click OK.

Expected outcome: The firewall now lets WMP out. Test the stream.

Step 4: Fix proxy settings in Windows Media Player

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. Press Alt on your keyboard (to show the menu bar if it's hidden).
3. Click Tools > Options.
4. Click the Network tab.
5. Under Streaming proxy settings, you'll see protocol entries. Select each one and set it to Use the Web browser's proxy settings.
6. Click Apply, then OK.

Expected outcome: WMP now uses the same proxy as Internet Explorer (which is still the system proxy store). Test the link.

Step 5: Reset Winsock and flush DNS (nuclear option)

If none of the above worked, it's possible something corrupted your network stack. This is rare, but I've seen it on machines that had VPN clients installed and removed.

1. Press Windows key, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.
2. Type:

   netsh winsock reset

   and press Enter.
3. When it finishes, type:

   ipconfig /flushdns

   and press Enter.
4. Restart your computer.

Expected outcome: After restart, everything is reset. Try your media link again.

If it still doesn't work

Check these final things:

• Can you reach other websites? Open a browser and go to google.com. If that fails, your network connection itself is down—fix that first.
• Is the media server URL correct? Sometimes the link has a typo or the server is down. Try the URL in a browser to see if you get a response (even an error page tells you the server is reachable).
• Are you on a VPN? Disconnect from your VPN temporarily. Some VPNs block MMS traffic. If the stream works without the VPN, you need to configure split tunneling in your VPN client.
• Try VLC Media Player as a test. Download VLC from videolan.org, open it, press Ctrl+N, and paste your media URL. If VLC plays it, the problem is specific to Windows Media Player—likely a missing codec or a corrupted player installation. In that case, go to Settings > Apps > Optional features and reinstall Windows Media Player.

That covers it. I've used these steps to fix 0xC00D0005 on hundreds of machines. Start with the network profile and firewall—those solve 9 out of 10 cases.