0xC00D117C: Windows Media Player can't talk to your drive

Quick answer for advanced users

Run devmgmt.msc, find your portable device under Portable Devices or Universal Serial Bus controllers, right-click and uninstall it, then unplug and replug the device.

Why this happens

Windows Media Player throws error 0xC00D117C (NS_E_PDA_FAIL_SELECT_DEVICE) when it can't establish a proper connection to a portable device or CD/DVD drive. This isn't a WMP bug — it's usually a driver or USB problem. Had a client last month whose Windows 10 laptop wouldn't sync her SanDisk Clip Sport Plus. Turns out the USB port was slightly loose. Another time it was a Dell CD drive that needed a firmware update after a Windows 11 23H2 upgrade.

The trigger is almost always one of these: corrupt device driver, USB port not delivering enough power, the device itself in a bad state (frozen or half-connected), or a Windows update that borked the class driver. Don't waste time reinstalling WMP — that almost never helps.

Fix steps

1. Unplug the device completely. If it's a CD/DVD drive, disconnect the power and SATA/USB cable. Wait 10 seconds.
2. Restart Windows. Not shutdown/startup (Fast Startup can interfere). Use shutdown /r /t 0 from an admin command prompt.
3. Plug the device back in. Use a different USB port — ideally a USB 2.0 port if you have one. Some older MP3 players and CD drives hate USB 3.0.
4. Open Device Manager. Press Win+R, type devmgmt.msc, hit Enter.
5. Find your device. Look under either Portable Devices or Universal Serial Bus controllers. If it's a CD drive, check DVD/CD-ROM drives.
6. Right-click the device and select Uninstall. If there's a checkbox to delete the driver software, check it.
7. Unplug the device, wait 5 seconds, then plug it back in. Windows will reinstall the driver fresh.
8. Test again in WMP. If it still fails, reboot once more.

Alternative fixes if the main one fails

• Check Windows Update for driver updates. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates. Look for driver updates for your device or USB controllers. Installed a Realtek USB driver update for a client's CD drive that fixed it right up.
• Disable USB selective suspend. Go to Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > USB settings > USB selective suspend setting > set to Disabled. Some portable devices go to sleep and won't wake up.
• Remove hidden devices. Open an admin command prompt, run set DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS=1 then devmgmt.msc. Go to View > Show hidden devices, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers, and uninstall any grayed-out devices. They're ghosts from old connections.
• Try Media Player Classic or a different player. If WMP is the only thing failing, the issue might be in WMP's database. Close WMP, delete the folder %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player (WMP will rebuild it).
• For CD/DVD drives specifically: Check if the drive is recognized in File Explorer. If not, check the IDE/ATAPI driver in Device Manager under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Update the Standard SATA AHCI Controller or Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller. Had a Dell OptiPlex where the drive vanished after a BIOS update, and rolling back the driver fixed it.
• Test the device on another computer. If it works there, the problem is your PC's USB host controller or power supply. If it also fails, the device's cable or port is physically damaged.

Prevention tip

Always eject portable devices properly before unplugging — use the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray. Yanking a USB device while it's mid-sync corrupts the driver state on both sides. Also, keep your chipset drivers updated. Intel and AMD release updates every few months that fix USB enumeration bugs. I use the free tool Snappy Driver Installer Origin for offline driver updates — it's saved me hours on finicky USB audio interfaces and old MP3 players.