Windows Media Player

[Nancy]

I am finding Windows Media Player 7.01 an abonimation. During playback the seek button is jerky and jumps along in spurts, you can’t use the spacebar or click on the WMP window to pause playback as you could with WMP6. Now even worse the actual sound playback is now become very jerky and it sounds as if I am repeating myself.
I have tried to install WMP6, but it doesn’t seem to be very successful. As Wmp7 is an integral part of Windows ME, deselecting it in the Add/Remove option in the control panel doesn’t seem to work, and one seems to be stuck with it.
Maybe there’s something not quite right in the configuration. I’m using WMP with Hypercam. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[maxximilian]

Here is what I do to get around the WMP 7 mess. First I went into the media player 7 and removed all the file associations that it was responsible for. Then I went to C:/Program files/Windows Media player/MPLAYER2.EXE

This player is actually media player 6.4 and is installed along with player 7. I opened this player and added all the file associations that I had previously removed from WMP 7. Now whenever I click a video file, the 6.4 player runs. This works as long as you don't run the 7 player ever again. If WMP7 runs in the furture...it will steal back all the file associations, then you have to go and do this file association stuff again.

At least this how it worked for me, but just a word of warning...at least one person I told to do this had some trouble with their player afterward. Others didn't. Don't know what went wrong with that one individual but I wanted to point it out.

BTW...I have looked into your other question about history, but I haven't found anything yet.

[maxximilian]

On second thought...I just reread your post. You may want to disregard my instructions. I now see the part about Hypercam. Not familiar with that. Gonna need to look around a bit later.

[Nancy]

Thanks for your Post. I don't think Hypercam is the problem, so I'll give your suggestion a try. Re my question about History, it seems to have straightened itself out now - it was probably just a hiccup.. :)

[Nancy]

Following your advice, I am delighted at the way WMP now works. It's great! However, I'm now getting frequent error messages ie 'Mplayer2 has caused an error in MSDXM.0CX' (the file name varies.) Any suggestions to alleviate this? Thanks

[maxximilian]

Sorry to hear about the errors. I had some concerns about it. :(

That OCX file is an ActiveX component. Are all the errors giving OCX file names? When do they occur....streaming media? Locally-run files? How often? What other programs are running when this happens?

[Nancy]

Oh dear! I had a complete reinstall when I upgraded to WinME at the beginning of December. I did this because I was sick of the frequent BSOD's and error messages (especially the WMP ones) I was getting with Win98.
I am really shattered that I've started having problems again. Can there possibly be some problem with my hardware?
I'll start monitoring the WMP error messages I'm getting and will let you know the result. Thanks.

[maxximilian]

Nancy,

Hardware problems are always a possibility (especially bad RAM), but to be honest...from what you have posted so far, I don't see anything that would indicate a clear hardware issue. Actually, now that you mention it, upgrading from 98 to ME may be involved. There is mounting evidence that ME really likes to be freshly installed on a clean hard drive, rather than as an upgrade. Not always an option, I know.

I did some checking on the one error you posted about the OCX file. Nothing concrete, but one of the microsoft "fixes" is to upgrade to WMP 7.0 ...which considering is exactly what we were trying NOT to do...is kinda funny in a morbid way.

If the Media player errors don't improve, you can just go back and undo all the changes you made to get WMP 6.4 to run. Then you will be back to where you were with 7.1.

Unfortunately WMP8, which I understand is a vast improvement over WMP7, is only available to XP users.

[ 15 January 2002: Message edited by: maxximilian ]

[Nancy]

(sigh)

Actually Me was a new install - not an upgrade!

Thanks anyway, I'll keep you posted re the error messages.

(Thank you Cybertech, it's really nice to have someone to 'talk' to :-)

[Nancy]

It's been a little while since my orignal post on this matter and I'm not sure whether I should be continuing this topic, or starting a new one, but this is a follow-on.
First, I intend to upgrade to XP in the next week or so and I am rather worried about WMP8. How does it compare with WMP6? Do you have the choice of the Classic skin?
Also, I've kept a record of some of the WMP errors I've been getting. These are
Quartz.dll, MSDXM.OCX,SETUPAPI.dll, Crypt32.dll,Devenum.dll, DDRAW.dll, NSRVEN32.dll, WVIDFLT.AX. I've had all of these more than once. I've also seen Kernel32.dll a couple of times.
Thanks.

[maxximilian]

I understand that WMP 8 is supposed to be an improvement over WMP 7. More stable, a little quicker to load, and some new features. I haven't seen the thing yet because Microsoft (in its infinite wisdom) has decided to NOT make it available to non-XP users. And considering I have no intention of upgrading to XP, I guess I will never see it.

As for comparisons to WMP 6.....I couldn't say. I suggest you post a new question in the XP forum explaining you are upgrading soon and would like some opinions on it's functions. We have a couple people around here already using that OS and should be able to give you some information.

BTW...WMP 8 is another one of those integration deals from MS. Very much like WMP 7 imbedded in winME.

[Nancy]

I'm not too happy about upgrading to XP. But, I'm a journalist, and I'm working on a tutorial about the Net using Quicktime Movies and I need that XP interface.
Thanks for your prompt reply.