Subj : Re: Free WMP alternative?
To   : MIKE POWELL
From : Tracker1
Date : Tue Jun 07 2005 09:03 pm

MIKE POWELL wrote:
> Is there a freeware alternative to Windows Media Player that will handle all
> of the media formats that WMP will play (audio and video)?
> 
> A friend of mine is running Win98SE on an old machine that she mostly uses
> for e-mail and light surfing.  When someone sends a Windows Media format
> file to her via attachment, she is unable to view it from Hotmail.  It
> acts like it is working, and then presents an error.

Install/Update WMP + Codecs.. then use a program called "Media Player Classic" 
for the video stuff.. use Winamp Lite install for audio, will probably be the 
best combination... :)

> However, while I was looking at it, I was able to forward it to my
> address (non-Hotmail), and we were then able to view it.  I am wondering
> that, since Hotmail is a MS product, was it possible that it, or WMP, were
> displaying these errors in an attempt to try to get people to upgrade to
> WinXP and/or WMP 10.

You need at least media player 7 to support the wmp9-10 formats, iirc, you 
can't upgrade win9x past wmp9, but you can install the codecs for it... and 
use media player classic (not an ms program).

> On a partially-related note, I did run a Windows Update, which downloaded
> some critical updates to Windows, IE, and WMP.  After doing so, the sound
> on the machine quit working.  When a sounds starts to play, it "hangs"
> and either will not allow other sounds to play from that point on, or
> keeps playing until another sound "pushes" it out, and starts hanging on
> its own.
> 
> Annoying to say the least.  I attempted to uninstall the WMP update, but
> it was not listed as uninstallable.  Since the sound was working fine
> before, I am leaning more towards it being a software problem than a
> hardware problem (although I have seen hardware problems cause this
> scenario before).

Not sure, it may have updated the audio driver on windows update to an 
incompatible version, I don't trust the driver updates on windowsupdate.

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Michael J. Ryan - tracker1(at)theroughnecks(dot)net - www.theroughnecks.net
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