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Carlosvelasco
Advocate

Now Player crashing on laptop

Every time i try to launch the now player from the now tv window in my browser to watch something, it launches with a black screen then loads for a second or two and then the application closes. 

I have tried numerous solutions including removing any antiviruses and bitedefenders. I have also gone into the C folder to remove the cisco file however there isn't one to remove. I have uninstalled and installed the player multiple times and it still does not work. 

Any help would be appreciated.

10 REPLIES 10
RoyB
Legend

@Carlosvelasco 

The Cisco folder may be Hidden. In the Windows Explorer app (which is not the Internet Explorer app), set Hidden files to be shown.

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Carlosvelasco
Advocate

Thankyou, I've tried this but still not cisco folder. I have seen that your advice solved this same problem for other people, not really sure what's going on with mine. 

RoyB
Legend

@Carlosvelasco 

I’ll dig a bit deeper, see what else I can find.

The browser/player combination is a crapshoot on any of these devices; I had a problem with the Safari browser on my iPad, where the Player declined to start, but it was fine if I used the Chrome browser.

So one suggestion would be to change the browser you are trying to start the Player from; you have Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Avast Secure and quite possibly others to pick from. And one thing we have found with Now and browser issues is that the less customised the browser is, the better, it seems.

My usual laptop browser is Firefox, and I have a few add-ons and ad blockers; my Now Player starts up fine even with these in place, but if it didn’t, I’d use a completely uncustomised Chrome, and see how I got on.

You might want to try this while I poke about in the internals of my Dell for any further insights.

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Carlosvelasco
Advocate

Thankyou for helping. I have been trying on chrome and have just tried using edge but still the same issue where the player opens to a black screen then a loading screen and then closes

 

RoyB
Legend

@Carlosvelasco 

I’ve just found a Cisco folder at C:/Users/{username}/AppData/LocalLow/Cisco

It’s dated 13/10/2019 (much earlier than my latest now.exe, for what little that is worth) and contains a folder called VideoGuard, in turn containing CISCO and SKY_NOWTV, and their contents.

Also under AppData are Local - nothing to see there, I think - and Roaming, with two folders of interest, NOW TV and NOW TV Player. Nothing much of interest in the NOW TV Player folder itself, but a further NOW TV Player folder under Now TV seems to be where the action is, with the NOW TV Player.exe, dated 12/01/2023, with lots of other files from the same date. Though curiously, a couple of folders and some unins000 files, .dat, .msg, and .exe, dated 20/02/2023.

Clicking the NOW TV Player.exe, it does the usual; starts up, and gives you a link to the website. Which comes up on Firefox for me, as that is my default browser, Just watched the trailer for Succession S4 - starts 27 March.

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Carlosvelasco
Advocate

Thanks for the response, I have found the videoguard folder containing SKY_NOWTV. Is there any solution to my problem using that, deleting it for example?

Carlosvelasco
Advocate

Also, is it worth noting that the player had been working fine on my laptop and then suddenly stopped working.

RoyB
Legend

@Carlosvelasco 

Welcome to Now programming 😛

That it worked before shows you had it set up correctly, but then something happened that it didn’t like.

With Videoguard, the worst that will happen if you delete the folder is that you will have to reinstall the Now app.

But ideally, look first in Windows, Control Panel, Programs, Programs and Features, Uninstall a program, for VideoGuard and/or Cisco, and uninstall anything you see matching.

I didn’t find anything there, but you might. Next, delete the VideoGuard and Cisco stuff you want gone.

Then you need a registry cleaner. Find and download the free version of CCleaner off the web, if you don’t already have it. Run it, click Registry at left, and Scan for Issues.

I never get any problems from deleting everything it finds, but if you are nervous, untick everything, top left, and then go down the list ticking only those entries from VG and Cisco.

Review Selected Issues, let it make its quick backup of what it’s going to delete, and then Fix All Selected Issues.

Especially if you delete the lot, scan again. It may find more entries, ones orphaned by the above delete.

Rinse and repeat until either the list is empty, or the only entries present are ones you deleted last time, which have hastily reinstated themselves.

Then do a Windows/Power/Restart.

Now try Now again. If still no go, open CCleaner again, choose Tools/Uninstall, and uninstall the Now Player.

Then do another Windows/Power/Restart.

On the return of Windows, download and install Now again.

May or may not work, but this will be the cleanest install you ever did since the first one 😛

Do let us know how it goes!

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Carlosvelasco
Advocate

Thank you very much for the amount of time you have spent trying to help me. I tried all that and still the exact same problem when i go watch anything, very confused.