Fix NS_I_LIMIT_FUNNELS (0X400D0059) Stream Limit Error

1. The Admin Set a Hard Stream Limit (Most Common)

You see this error when a NetShow administrator—usually an IT person or a group policy—set a limit on how many data streams can run at once. The error message tells you the limit number (look for %2 in the log). For example, if the limit is 10 streams, and you try to start an 11th, you get 0X400D0059.

This happens a lot on Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 machines running Windows Media Services (WMS). An admin set a max funnel count to save bandwidth, and you're hitting that ceiling.

Check the Current Limit

1. Open Windows Media Services from the Start menu (or run wmsserver.msc).
2. In the left pane, expand the server name, then click Multicast Stations or Publishing Points (depends on your setup).
3. Right-click your publishing point and select Properties.
4. Go to the Limit tab. You'll see a field called Maximum number of streams. If it's set to a number (like 10), that's your bottleneck.
5. Change it to 0 (zero means no limit) or a higher number, like 100. Click Apply.
6. After you click Apply, you should see the limit update immediately. No restart needed usually, but sometimes you need to refresh the service.

If you can't change it—maybe the field is grayed out—that means a Group Policy is overriding it. Jump to the next section.

2. Group Policy Override from Domain Admin

When the limit is locked (grayed out), it's because an admin set it through Active Directory Group Policy. This is common in corporate or school networks. The policy is called Set maximum number of unicast streams or Set maximum number of multicast streams.

How to Bypass the Policy (if you have permissions)

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter. (If you're on Windows Home, you can't use Group Policy Editor—skip this.)
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Media Services > Multicast and Broadcast.
3. Find the setting called Limit maximum number of unicast streams (or multicast—read the error log to see which one fired). Double-click it.
4. Set it to Not Configured. Click Apply, then OK.
5. Open a command prompt as admin and run gpupdate /force. Wait for it to finish. After that, try your stream again.

If you don't see that setting, the policy might be coming from the domain controller. You'll need to talk to your IT admin—sorry, no quick fix there.

3. Corrupted WMS Configuration File

Sometimes the limit is set in the config file, not through the GUI. The file is at C:\Program Files\Windows Media\WMServer\wmserver.cfg. If someone edited it manually (or a script did), it can stick a limit that doesn't show up in the properties window.

Fix the Config File

1. Stop Windows Media Services: open Command Prompt as admin and type net stop WMServer. Wait a few seconds.
2. Navigate to the config file folder: cd "C:\Program Files\Windows Media\WMServer"
3. Before editing, make a backup: copy wmserver.cfg wmserver.cfg.backup
4. Open the file in Notepad: notepad wmserver.cfg
5. Search for the word Limit (Ctrl + F). Look for lines like MaxFunnelCount=10 or StreamLimit=5. Change the number to 0 or delete the line entirely.
6. Save the file (Ctrl + S).
7. Start the service again: net start WMServer
8. After restarting, check the event log (Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application) for a new entry that says the limit is removed. If you see error 0X400D0059 again, the config didn't save—check file permissions.

One warning: editing the config file can break WMS if you mess up the syntax. Only do this if you're comfortable with plain-text config files.

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