Windows MEDIA PLAYER

[Rocker]

Weird!
If I click on an mpeg audio or movie file, Windows Media Player opens and plays the file. Under folder options > File Types some mpegs are registered to be played with quick time and a couple, like mpeg4 are registered to be played by itunes. No mpeg files are registered to be played by Windows Media Player.
How does this make sense? My fiend's computer had mpeg files registered to be played by something obscure and so would not play the files. Dragging the file onto the player plays the file. He set all mpeg file types to be registered to be played by Windows Media Player under FOLDER OPTIONS> FILE TYPES but the file still will not play on (double) clicking. Well, I thought maybe the settings within Windows Media Player override the file Types section. In my computer these settings are set to play mpegs in Windows Media Player. I would have thought setting them here would change the settings under File Types automatically. In my friend's computer, mpegs are set to be played by Windows Media Player in the player's own options but short of dragging them onto the player, they will not play.
vot gifs??

 

[stduc]

Changing FOLDER OPTIONS> FILE TYPES is a tad tricky. Even trickier to explain using text only! At least I find it is. If you don't get the settings quite right, or the settings get corrupted somehow then strange things happen, as you have experienced.

I'll try my best to explain with the following example to ensure Windows Media Player opens and plays MP3 files.

Go to FOLDER OPTIONS> FILE TYPES and scroll down to MP3 which should be listed as "MP3 Format Sound"
Click on "Change" and select Windows Media Player if it isn't selected. Ensure the box "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" is ticked.
Click OK
Click the advanced button
There should be two options, "Open" and "Play"
Select "Open" and click edit
Check the application used is media player and that the action is "&Open" (without the quotes)
the full path should be ""C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /prefetch:6 /Open "%L""
the application should be "wmplayer" (again without the outer quotes)
click OK
repeat the above of Play - should be "&Play"
If these actions are not there - then you can add them.

N.B.
To summarise.
Must be &Open and &Play
Must be
"C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /prefetch:6 /Open "%L""
Must be
wmplayer
DDE needs to be ticked.


You will need to repeat the above for all file types you want media player to play.

However.

There is an easier way.

Open Windows Media Player and go to Options. Now, how you get there, depends on your option settings and your skin. But one way is to find and select the tiny down arrow button that is labelled "access application menus" - it's near the top right hand side usually.
Then tools>options
Then the file types tab.
Then check they are all selected (or the ones you want are at any rate)

I've tried to get this right - I hope it helps.

 

[stduc]

Forgot to say.

If already selected in media player options, try unselecting them all so that media player has no files selected to play. Re-boot and then select them all.

It may be an idea to let a registry fixer have a go at cleaning up your registry. regfix and reg mechanic are quite good. Google for them. Before you let them loose though, make a restore point!

Generally when things like this happen your registry is - not corrupt exactly - but certainly not healthy. So that may be the place to start. Fixing the registry may be all you need to do.

 

[bobw]

Rocker,
stduc is right, but I use an easier way - easier for me, anyway, is to find the file you want to open and after highlighting it, hold shift and right-click the file. The menu will now have an "open with" option. Even if you see the program you want, go to "choose program". When the navigation window opens you can go to the application you want to use and tick "always use the selected program....". This will assign the chosen application to every file of that type.
This has the same effect as what stduc described - whichever is easiest for you.
Bob W

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail." - Abraham Maslow

 

[stduc]

I forgot that one. Thanks bobw However, I don't need to hold shift, simply right click on a file to get the pop up menu and be able to choose "open with". This takes you to the same place as "FOLDER OPTIONS> FILE TYPES" does.

 

[Rocker]

Thanks folks,
I'll go to it

 

[Rocker]

The answer by bobw is the way to go I believe.

"Even if you see the program you want, go to "choose program". When the navigation window opens you can go to the application you want to use and tick "always use the selected program....". This will assign the chosen application to every file of that type. "

So we don't have to go into File Types at all.
Way to go!