This guide is not a comprehensive guide for cable or satellite users to import a channel guids. It is strictly for terrestrial OTA users who want to import a channel guide

from Zap2It using EPG Collector.

First, download zap2xml and install it in a folder on your C: drive called c:\zap2xml

You can get zap2xml from here: http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/

Next, open your browser and go to: https://tvlistings.zap2it.com/?aid=gapzap

Create a Zap2It account and once that's done, create a lineup based on your Zip Code. Once this is complete, close your browser and open notepad or your favorite text

editor.

Copy the text between the dashed lines into your text editor, do not copy the dashed lines above or below:

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cd c:\zap2xml

zap2xml -d 14 -F -j -D -I -u your_email@address.xxx -p your_password

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Replace the email address and password with the ones you created for your Zap2It account. Save the file to c:\zap2xml\UpdateEPG.bat

Make sure it is actually saved as UpdateEPG.bat and NOT UpdateEPG.bat.txt

Once saved, double-click the batch file you just created and wait for it to download the lineup that you created at the Zap2It web site. It will take some time to

download as the batch file is downloading 2 weeks worth of data, so be patient. You should then have an XMLTV.XML file and a cache folder in your zap2xml folder if

you did everything correctly.

Next, download EPG Collector from here:

https://sourceforge.net/p/epgcollector/discussion/1125946/thread/4f9190653e/1703/attachment/EPG%20Collector%20V040300%20Install.msi

EPG Collector is actually a tool set made up of 2 tools, EPG Centre and EPG Collector. EPG Centre is a configuration tool that you will use to build an INI file for the EPG

Collector program. Once you’ve executed the installer and completed install EPG Collector, double-click the EPG Centre icon located on your desktop.

You should see the screen below.

Now it’s time to create your INI file. This file will hold all the settings needed by EPG Collector to successfully import your XMLTV file and then update WMC. Select

“File->Create Collection Parameters” from the menu bar and choose “Custom Paremeters”.

Once that’s been done, you’ll see the screen below:

Next, click on the tab labeled “Imports”. You should then see the following screen. Press the “Browse” button and navigate to the XMLTV.XML file that you created

earlier when you tested your UpdateEPG.bat file.

Set your language, Precedence, Channel Format and Time Zone to match your preferences, then press the “Add” button. Your XMLTV.XML file should now show in the

“Selected Files” box. Now, click the “Load Files” button in the lower left corner of the window. You should see something similar to this below:

You’re now ready to save your INI file. Choose File->Save As from the menu bar and make sure you place your INI file in the following folder:

C:\Users\your_name\AppData\Local\Geekzone\EPG Collector

Replace “your_name” with your valid user name and stay with the default name of EPG Collector.ini for the filename. Press “Yes” when asked if the no tuning inputs

selected is correct.

You’re now ready to test the guide import process. Select Run->Collect EPG Data from the menu bar.

You should then see EPG Centre performing the import. This process takes several minutes so be patient. Ignore any errors regarding tuning as this is normal since we

aren’t pulling a channel guide down from a tuner. If all was successful, the EPG Center window should look like this.

If successful, you can now close EPG Centre.

It’s now time to create a scheduled task in Windows to perform the updates for you. Press the Window icon on your task bar and in the search box, type

compmgmt.msc and press enter. This will open the following screen:

Next, click the greater than symbol where is says, “System Tools”, and again where it says “Task Scheduler”. You should then see the following:

Next, in the actions window on the right side of the screen, double-click “Create Basic Task”. Give the Zap2xml task a name. I use Zap2xml.

Now press the “Next” button. You should see the following and choose “Weekly”, then press “Next”.

You should then see the following

Select the date/time that you want and press “Next”.

Make sure that “Start a Program” is selected and then press “Next”. You should then see the following:

Press the “Browse” button and navigate to c:\zap2xml and choose the batch file we created earlier. Then press “Next”.

Now press “Finish”. Now we want to make that this scheduled task runs even if no one is logged onto the computer. In the list of tasks, find zap2xml and click once on it

to highlight it in blue. Then in the action window on the right, select “Properties”.

Press the radio button where it says “Run whether user is logged on or not”. Now press the “OK” button.

Now complete the same process for the EPG Collector.exe. Make sure that you schedule EPG Collector.exe and NOT EPG Centre.exe. Also make sure to schedule EPG

Collector about 20 minutes LATER than the zap2xml task. That’s it.