Windows Media Player suddenly stopped seeing MP3s.

Dear Anyone.

I've got XP SP3 with Windows Media Player 11. It WAS playing/burning MP3s of my pieces I've written myself (I'm not asking anything dodgy here, promise!) like a dream. Then suddenly it started saying there was a problem with the files, but VLC was still playing them all fine. And then it stopped wanting to convert them to burn them.

And that's literally all I know (says he unhelpfully!) One day, everything fantastic. Next day, nothing doing. I'd changed nothing in between. I've been into Services.MSC and MSCONFIG and can't see anything obviously off that ought to be on. But I'm not an expert.

Please, feel free to suggest anything and everything. I've downloaded codec packs, that hasn't helped but that doesn't mean there isn't a codec pack out there that WOULD help if I knew what and where it was. I've downloaded another version of WMP11 and installed that but that didn't replace the right bit, it's still not touching MP3s. Now I'm flat out of ideas.

Anyone got some?

Yours hopefully

Chris.

 

NOT a bump - promise - but I've just downloaded a file that says it's in .WMA format and Windows Media Player won't play that either.

What's going on, someone!?!

Chris (again!)

 

what is your current antivirus??

run a full scan and also run a scan with malwarebytes FREE.

then when pc is clean, try again let me know results

 

Chris, this might be too simple but have you considered an easy reinstall of Windows Media Player. Have you heard of the GREAT FREE OPENSOURCE Audacity program. Oh gosh sakes. If you love studio quality and effects download it ..... did I mention FREEEEE!!! No hassles no nagging. I love the program to pieces!

http://filehippo.com/download_audacity/

Jack ":-Dx

 

For Elizabeth and all the other nice people....!!

Dear Elizabeth.

I use Avast Free and Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes found three P.U.Ps - pup. Optional. Delta. ShrtCln and two instances of Pup.Optional.Hao123, all of which got deleted. I HAVE reinstalled Windows Media Player, downloaded a new version of Version 11. And I use Audacity all the time, I know it converts MP3s into other formats but Windows Media Player's useful for burning audio CDs, that seems to be where it comes into its own, it's incredibly fast and accurate at doing that. But if it can't read MP3s or even WMAs (which are its own audio format don't forget!) then it can't do that.

Elizabeth, it's still not finding/reading MP3s. It reads SOME .wavs but not all (which is puzzling!) it won't read any .WMAs (despite reinstallation) and I've chucked a bunch of codecs at it which haven't helped. I don't really wanna reinstall Windows as that will mean reinstalling a ton of other software.

Do I just forget about Windows Media Player and find other things that burn CDs (I suppose there must BE other things as fast as Windows Media Player at doing that) or could there be something else going on I don't know about?

Yours hopefully

Chris.

 

It seems a strange issue I believe you can use VLC Media Player to burn discs, but am not sure.

 

I agree about using Media Player for burning. It's my "go to" first choice what little I do. Like mentioned it's odd both programs, WMP and VLC will not work. Makes one wonder if the program or something corrupted in a system file, even after a reinstall. That should have done it.

UB have you ever used iWiSoft? It's another program that converts video and audio and free. I just do not know right off if it's a burner or not. It is capable of tons of formats and you can add many files at a time to convert to CD or DVD quality. Windows 8-10 has a Windows "refresh" option but you're on an XP forum so obvious that's out. But you lose something with that refresh thing too.

Here are some alternatives. Free to boot!

http://download.cnet.com/s/audio-cd-dvd-burner/windows/

Hope something works. ":-\\

 

This gets odder, WMP TEN won't install now!

Dear Everyone.

I thought 'OK, as 11's not working, perhaps I should install 10 and see what that does. So I downloaded a copy from FileHippo, downloaded a copy from Microsoft and both of them tell me they're incompatible with my version of windows (XPSP3).

So how come WMP ELEVEN works (to a point) but TEN won't install?

Chris (with a pristine, virus-free hard drive!)

 

are there any errors in event viewer??

 

OK, Elizabeth, ya got me. What's event viewer?

Yours ignorantly

Chris.

 

go to start - control panel - administrative tools - event viewer

there are only two directories you need to look at Application and System

If you have not seen this before then you will need to clear all logs, right click on each directory and choose clear all logs, you will be given a choice to save or not that is up to you.

the events will be either informational, warning, or error

you want to look at the time of the event as to when you attempted to either play a mp3 or burn an cd.

when you see the events on the right side of the dialog box, you can double click on an error and a more detailed pane will open, you can paste the error to your reply here.

you can do this by looking on the right hand side of the dialog box after you double click the error. you will see an icon that looks like a open book, click on this, which will transfer data to clipboard and then you right click in the reply box and choose paste.

you can do this for each error that has a different Source and Event ID, and you can only do one at a time as xp will erase clipboard with each click of the icon.

 

Did you try to associate .MP3 files with Windows Media Player (WMP)?

Open Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, File Types. Make sure MP3 is associated with Windows Media Player.

You should be able to open an MP3 from within WMP: File, Open. then browse for an MP3 file.

As a test put a commercial CD into your computer and have WMP rip it to MP3s. Then try to open the new ripped MP3s.