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Sometimes, when you play video files on Windows Media Player, it won’t work and shows an error message saying – ‘server Execution failed.’ It is a common error you receive on WMP, but it can be highly frustrating when you don’t know how to fix it.
Don’t worry! You can quickly come out of this error using some manual techniques and an automated tool. Continue reading this blog to get detailed information on how to quickly fix the ‘server execution failed’ error on Windows Media Player without any trouble.
But before that, we should have little information on the ‘server execution failed’ error and why it occurs.
What is a ‘Server execution failed’ error?
Undoubtedly, Windows Media Player is considered as the best media player and preferred by most people. It is usually bug-free; however, some users have reported that when they try to open a video file through WMP, an error pops up saying Server Execution Failed.
This error means Window Media Player is still running or shutting down at that point; maybe it got stuck and is unable to close. It might happen for several reasons; let’s discuss some.
Causes behind ‘server execution failed’ error?
- An issue with your user account
- Windows media player service has stopped
- The system is affected by damaged files or viruses
- Outdated hardware and drivers
- Corrupt media files
Methods to fix server execution failed error
Before moving to solutions, remember to check whether the media file you are trying to play is working on other media players like VLC or not. If it is not working with different media players, it might be that your media file is corrupted, and you need to repair corrupt WMV files, but if it works, then the issue is with the Windows Media player. Use the below solutions to fix it.
Solution 1 – End windows media player in task manager
One of the initial steps is to close the Windows Media Player from your Task Manager. You can do it using the below steps:
- Open the Task Manager using the Ctrl+shift+Esc keys.
- Search Windows Media Player in the Processes tab.
- Right-click on it and then select End task.
After ending the task, open the Windows Media Player and check whether the issue resolved or not. If not, then try the next method.
Solution 2 – Disable network sharing service
To disable the network sharing service, follow the below steps:
- Open Run Box using Windows + R keys.
- Type services.msc and then press Enter.
- In the Services window, look for ‘Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service.’
- Right-click on it and select Properties.
- In the new window, set Startup Type option to Disabled using the drop-down and click OK to disable the network sharing service.
Solution 3 – Register jscript.dll and vbscript.dll
Try the below steps to fix the server execution failed error:
- Press Windows + X keys together and select Command Prompt (Admin) for the given options.
- Once the Command Prompt opens, type ‘regsvr32 jscript.dll’ and press Enter. Click OK to continue.
- Now, type ‘regsvr32 vbscript.dll’ and press Enter. Click OK to continue.
- At last, close the command prompt and check whether the Windows Media Player is working correctly or not.
Note – If you are experiencing this error in Windows 7, simply open the Windows search bar and type CMD (Command Prompt). Then, right-click on it and click on the Run as Administrator.
If you are experiencing this error on Windows 10, then press Windows + X keys together and select PowerShell (Administrator).
Solution 4 – Perform a clean boot
Sometimes, third-party applications may interfere with the Windows Media Player and cause a Server Execution Failed error. In this situation, the practical solution is to disable all third-party apps. Follow the below steps to perform a clean boot on the system.
- Open the Run box using Windows + R keys.
- Type ‘msconfig’ and press Enter
- Under the General tab, check ‘selective startup’ and uncheck ‘load startup items.’
- Under the services tab, check the box ‘Hide all Microsoft services.’ Then click on the Disable all tab to disable all unnecessary services causing an error.
- Afterward, under the startup tab, click on the ‘Open Task Manager.’
- Now disable all the items inside Task Manager.
- Click OK and restart the system.
- Now, try to open a media file on Windows Media Player.
- Afterward, return your Windows to normal boot. For that, press the Windows + R keys to open the Run box and type msconfig again.
- Under the General tab, select the ‘Normal Startup Option,’ and then choose OK.
- Now, restart your PC once again, and this will surely fix the server execution failed error.
Use a professional tool to repair corrupt video files
Sometimes the error might be because of corrupt/damaged video files, and that’s why the Windows Media Player stopped working. In such a case, the above methods may fail to fix the error. So, we recommend you go with a professional video repair tool named Kernel Video Repair. It quickly repairs common video errors of all formats, such as unplayable or broken video files. It scans and restores multiple corrupt video files at a time and comes with several advanced features such as:
- Repair all sorts of video files like crashed, broken, corrupted, inaccessible, etc.
- There is no limitation on the size of video files, and it supports all file formats
- Offers a simple and easy-to-use user interface
- Quickly repairs videos from USB drives, memory cards, Flash drives, SD cards, etc.
- Recovers lost or deleted images
Conclusion
You don’t need to worry when the ‘server execution failed’ error keeps popping up on Windows Media Player. You can use the above-discussed solutions to fix the error and gain access to the media file again.
We also recommend using the third-party video repair tool to repair corrupt/damaged video files. This tool has no chance of failure as it is built with advanced algorithms and can resolve all the issues related to video files, even when a video is not playing on OneDrive. So, visit the website and try the free demo version to learn more about the tool.