First release of MCE Guide Editor
May 24th, 2007 by 
Sander Schutten
Today I released the first edition of MCE Guide Editor. I created this tool because of the very long list of channels I got since I use satellite tv. Reordering the channels is a real pain in the ass if you use the Media Center user interface. Here’s where MCE Guide Editor comes in…
MCE Guide Editor allows you to change the order of channels of your Media Center setup in an easy way, using drag and drop. This tool also allow you to exclude channels from appearing in Media Center, thus making the list of channels smaller.
Note: use this tool at your own risk. MCE Guide Editor has been tested on the Dutch version of Vista Media Center.
Any feedback is really appreciated.
So, what are you waiting for? Download it now!
Downloaded a total of 4510 times
Posted in Media Center, Vista Media Center | 
June 10th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Thanx mate, this is wat i’m looking for. I got the same problem as you. Now it wil be great that i realy can edit the channel list so i can put the channels at the right numbers of my sat receiver and make a backup of it.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:57 am
You’re welcome
Note that this tool does not yet allow you to backup / restore your channel list, just reorder it.
July 22nd, 2007 at 8:24 am
I use MCE 2005 and FloppyDTV tuner card. Started the editor and got this error:
See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.
************** Exception Text **************
System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly ‘ehepg, Version=6.0.6000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35′ or one of its dependencies. Het systeem kan het opgegeven bestand niet vinden.
File name: ‘ehepg, Version=6.0.6000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35′
at MceGuideEditor.Form1.LoadChannels()
at MceGuideEditor.Form1.refreshListToolStripMenuItem_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.RaiseEvent(Object key, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripMenuItem.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.HandleClick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.HandleMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEventInteractive(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEvent(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mea)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mea)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
WRN: Assembly binding logging is turned OFF.
To enable assembly bind failure logging, set the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog] (DWORD) to 1.
Note: There is some performance penalty associated with assembly bind failure logging.
To turn this feature off, remove the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog].
************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.832 (QFE.050727-8300)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
—————————————-
MceGuideEditor
Assembly Version: 0.1.0.0
Win32 Version: 0.1.0.0
CodeBase: file:///C:/DOCUME~1/BEASTY~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/_tc/MceGuideEditor.exe
—————————————-
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.832 (QFE.050727-8300)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
—————————————-
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.832 (QFE.050727-8300)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
—————————————-
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.832 (QFE.050727-8300)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
—————————————-
************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.
For example:
When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.
What to do ???
Thanx
January 4th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hi Sander,
I have a strange problem in mij Vista MCE after rearranging the channels using your tool.
I now have 1521 channels instead of 218. Many channels appear more than once. In the Edit Channels menu the same channel number appears more than once and it indicades “(shared)”.
Any idea how to solve this?
By the way, where is the channel info stored? I can’t find anything in the registry.
How can I completely reset the channel configuration to have a clean config? I found the tool “Media Center Configuration Reset” (http://www.salloway.org.uk/mediacenter/util/index.htm), but this only works with XP, not Vista.
Thanx and regards,
Perjan
January 8th, 2008 at 10:22 am
@Roy: Your comment somehow got marked as spam, so I just saw it. Regarding the error you got is because you use MCE 2005 and not Vista MCE. The tool is written for Vista MCE exclusively, I’m sorry.
@Perjan: I’ve never seen your problem where more channels appear after using the tool. I’ve seen this happen in MCE though when MCE loads new guide data. Sometimes my guide gets messed up after the guide is refreshed, but I’m not sure if it has something to do with the tool. One thing I did see is that after you rearranged the channels and reboot the computer all channels are back in their original order. This happens in 50% of the time, but I’m not sure why it happens. I guess MCE stores the channel order in another file than the one the tools changing and updates the file at regular intervals. If the computer is rebooted before the file is updated the channel order will be restored.
The channel info is stored in a SQL express database file in the C:\ProgramData directory. I don’t know the full path on top of my head.
To completely reset the channel info you don’t need a third party tool in Vista. In MCE you just setup the guide again and Vista will completely remove your channel history. It even mentions this to you.
Hope this helps. I know the tool is far from perfect though.
January 18th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
just tried it using vista home premium 32bit / floppydtv dvb-c and it works perfect. makes life 100x easier than trying to sort channels in mce. brilliant program - thanks very much
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Hi Sander,
I tried your tool and was very excited to see that it actualy worked. but unfortunatly after a reboot my channels are all mesed upagain. i tried it a few times and now half the guid is mesed up again. is this a known issue?
February 5th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Same here. My channels are reordered after either a reboot or a guide update. I did not pay attention to which happened first, but fact is they are back in original order.
Would be awesome if this could get fixed. For the most part this tool is great!
February 6th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Sjon and Niels, thanks for your feedback. I’ve heard this issue before. A guide update right after sorting the channels using MCE Guide Editor might work, but I currently don’t have a test setup to try it with. Can you try to do a guide update after sorting the channels and report if this fixes your problem? It would really help me out a lot. I’m currently tied up, but I’m planning to work on fixes after a week or two.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Hi, i sat down for 20 minutes sorting the channels, then entering MCE, doing a guide update, but it didn´t fix the problem. Also tried to do a reboot but it didn´t help. All is back to where it started. You are ALMOST there :-), i live the guide, sell it to Microsoft! Looking forward to a fix!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Hi Sander,
Tried a lot now, but currently I can not get the guide to be ordered at all! The guide listings are “random” in the vista guide. However, when I open the editor they appear as ordered like I ordered them. Hitting Save does not help, starting the MCE Guide still shows “random” order…
It is very frustrating, because your tool would be the best there is, if it would reliably work! Seems like you are not really storing the settings where Vista MCE Guide picks it up…
As Mats, said: “You are ALMOST there” and “Looking forward to a fix!!!”
February 29th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
GREAT TOOL! I’ve really been waiting for this as satellite channel reordering is a pain.
I get the same problems with MCE changing my channels in 50% of the cases, though.
+ I would REALLY like a export/import feature so you could change the channel numbers in notepad or similar - reordering 200+ channels still takes time with drag’n'drop…
You are almost there!
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
@Michael: thanks for your support. I’m currently looking into the bugs which undoes the channel ordering after a reboot or guide update. I think I’ve found the reason and am now working out a fix. I hope to have it ready within a couple of days. First priority is channel ordering. If that works it means I do have a correct understanding how the MCE database is structured. Hopefully that would allow me to create an ex- / import procedure.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Cool, can’t wait to try the updated version.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Hello,
I think I know what is the reason of the spontaneous reset of the channels. Simple using the MCEGuide Editor does change the channels, that works OK, going to MCE shows that. But what you see is only a temporary change, if MCE receives new information the temporary info is lost as users reported.
The only thing you have to do is to save the information when starting MCE the first time after rearranging in MCEGuide Editor.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
To be clear, the saving must be done in MCE, the first time after reordering in MCEGuide Editor
March 15th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I cannot find a download button!
Sounds like a great tool.
March 15th, 2008 at 12:37 am
OK now, after disabling AD-blocker in IE7pro
March 16th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Hi Sander,
Any progress on the fix? Can’t wait to reorder my channels beyond the first 10..
April 18th, 2008 at 8:08 am
[...] http://www.afanaat.nl/index.php/2007/05/24/first-release-of-mce-guide-editor/ [...]
August 13th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Awesome tool! Works perfect on my Vista pc!
October 31st, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Sinds ik de nieuwe versie van media center heb geinstalleerd (6.1.100018273) werkt dat geweldige tooltje van je niet meer. Ik krijg de volgende foutmelding:
Zie het einde van dit bericht voor meer informatie over het aanroepen
van JIT-foutopsporing (Just In Time) in plaats van dit dialoogvenster.
************** Tekst van uitzondering **************
System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Kan bestand of assembly ehepg, Version=6.0.6000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35 of een van de afhankelijkheden hiervan niet laden. Het systeem kan het opgegeven bestand niet vinden.
Bestandsnaam: ehepg, Version=6.0.6000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35
bij MceGuideEditor.Form1.LoadChannels()
bij MceGuideEditor.Form1.Form1_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnCreateControl()
bij System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl()
bij System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.ContainerControl.WndProc(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Form.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Form.WndProc(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
bij System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
WRSCH: registratie van assembly-bindingen is uitgeschakeld.
Als u assembly-bindingsfouten wilt registreren, stelt u de registerwaarde [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog] (DWORD) in op 1.
Opmerking: er is een prestatiestraf gekoppeld aan de registratie van assembly-bindingsfouten.
Als u deze functie wilt uitschakelen, verwijdert u de registerwaarde [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog].
************** Geladen assembly’s **************
mscorlib
Assembly-versie: 2.0.0.0
Win32-versie: 2.0.50727.1434 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
—————————————-
MceGuideEditor
Assembly-versie: 0.1.0.0
Win32-versie: 0.1.0.0
CodeBase: file:///C:/Users/Sander/AppData/Local/Temp/Rar$EX46.382/MceGuideEditor.exe
—————————————-
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly-versie: 2.0.0.0
Win32-versie: 2.0.50727.1434 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
—————————————-
System
Assembly-versie: 2.0.0.0
Win32-versie: 2.0.50727.1434 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
—————————————-
System.Drawing
Assembly-versie: 2.0.0.0
Win32-versie: 2.0.50727.1434 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
—————————————-
System.Windows.Forms.resources
Assembly-versie: 2.0.0.0
Win32-versie: 2.0.50727.1434 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms.resources/2.0.0.0_nl_b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.resources.dll
—————————————-
mscorlib.resources
Assembly-versie: 2.0.0.0
Win32-versie: 2.0.50727.1434 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
—————————————-
************** JIT-foutopsporing **************
Als u JIT-foutopsporing wilt inschakelen, moet in het configuratiebestand voor deze
toepassing of computer (machine.config) de waarde
jitDebugging in het gedeelte system.windows.forms zijn ingesteld.
De toepassing moet ook zijn gecompileerd terwijl foutopsporing
was ingeschakeld.
Bijvoorbeeld:
Wanneer JIT-foutopsporing is ingeschakeld, worden onverwerkte uitzonderingen
naar het JIT-foutopsporingsprogramma gestuurd dat op de computer is geregistreerd
en worden niet door dit dialoogvenster verwerkt.
January 6th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Hi Sander,
I owe you a big beer. I was spent dozen hours sorting MCE with remote. Now its like a dream.
Thx
January 20th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I know the tool was not designed for MCE2005, however do you have the source code that maybe could be changed to work for MCE2005
January 27th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Would it be possible to get the source code? I’m playing with the editor under Windows7 MCE. Thanks.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I would love this program to work, but keep getting the message: MceGuideEditor was unable to automaticaly load the channel information from the EPG directory C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\EPG. I’m running VISTA ultimate NL. what did I do wrong?
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:38 am
@Henk,
The tool attempts to load the Media Center EPG from the specified directory. For some reason it’s unable to on your system. I tested the tool on a Vista Ultimate NL, so that should be the problem. Can you confirm that the directory exists? Are there files in that directory which extension is *.sdf? Are you running as local administrator on your Media Center? Did you install the Media Center TV Pack 2008? The tool does not work with the TV Pack.