Windows Media Player
Some websites require the use of the Windows Media Player (WMP) plug-in for certain content such as implanted audio and video. This article describes how to get the Windows Media Player plug-in running on Windows operating systems.
Standard WMP plug-in: In Windows XP and earlier, the WMP plug-in file "npdsplay.dll" and linked plug-in files are usually included in the Windows Media Player program folder. The WMP plug-in is automatically detected during plug-in scanning and will be used by Mozilla applications for set in media that require the WMP plug-in.
Important: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-006 (February 2006) reported a susceptibility in the standard Windows Media Player plug-in file "npdsplay.dll" on Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems, that could result in remote code execution when using non-Microsoft web browsers. The "Security Update for Windows Media Player Plug-in (KB911564)", offered from Windows Update or from the download links given in the security bulletin, updates the file "npdsplay.dll" (normally located in the C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player folder) to version 3.0.2.629. If your system includes the set WMP plug-in, make certain that it is the updated version of this file.
New WMP plug-in for Windows XP and above: Windows 7/Vista and some versions of Windows XP do not take in the standard WMP plug-in. Microsoft's TechNet division has developed a new Windows Media Player Firefox Plug-in (file name "np-mswmp.dll") for Windows XP and over. This new plug-in can be installed to solve a missing plug-in issue (see below) or to take benefit of its new features (e.g., scripting support) on systems that already include the standard WMP plug-in.
The WMP plug-in is not built-in in Windows 7/Vista and may also be missing in other Windows systems. You may visit a site that includes fixed media requiring the WMP plug-in and receive a message such as Unknown plug-in (application/x-mplayer2 ) or you may be wrongly directed to reinstall the WMP program, which is not a solution, since reinstalling or updating Windows Media Player does not add the lost plug-ins .
If your system is not having the WMP plug-in, use one of these solutions:
Firefox and Sea monkey: Windows7/Vista/XP users can set up the new Windows Media Player Firefox Plug-in provided by Microsoft. To install the new plug-in, download the installer file to your computer, then shut your browser and run the installer.
The plug-in installer add the file "np-mswmp.dll" to the Firefox installation directory plug-ins folder, typically "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plug-ins". If Firefox is not installed or if the Firefox installation directory cannot be situated, the plug-in will be placed in another location such as C:\PFiles\Plug-ins. To install the plug-in in Sea Monkey or in a custom Firefox installation, you will need to copy the "np-mswmp.dll" file to your browser's plug-ins folder, for example, to the "C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\Sea Monkey\plug-ins" folder for Sea Monkey.
Important: The new plug-in does not work in the older Mozilla group or in Firefox 1.0.x and may not work in other browsers. If the new plug-in does not work in your browser, remove the file "np-mswmp.dll" as of the browser plug-ins folder and follow the steps below to restore the standard WMP plug-in.
- When the player is active, right-click on it and selects 'Options...'
- At the bottom of the window should be a 'Video Acceleration' option. Change it from full to half by stirring the slider.
- Double-click on the 'My Computer' icon on the desktop, and then double-click on 'Control Panel'.
- Double-click on the Java icon to carry up the Java control panel.
- Click on the 'Update' tab, and after that the 'Update Now' button.
If the player controls look like they are as of an older version of Windows Media Player:
- Open this link and save it to your desktop: http://plug-indoc.mozdev.org/resources/wmp9.reg
- When it has downloaded, double-click it. A pop-up will inquire if you want to add the information in it to the registry - click Yes.
If the above registry patch doesn't help then reinstalling a downloaded version of Windows Media Player, such as WMP10 or WMP11 for Windows XP, is reported to fix the difficulty
This could be a symptom of this problem. Failing that, attempt reinstalling WMP and installing the latest version of DirectX. Windows XP users by WMP 9 or WMP 10 should upgrade to WMP 11.
If the WMP plug-in console appears and the player status bar says 'Ready' but nothing happens when you click Play and no error messages appear, this can be caused by internet connectivity issues.
- The WMP plug-in will not work unless Windows Media Player is able to open the file from the internet. Open the Windows Media Player program, then try opening a direct link to a media file (such as a .wav, .mid or .wma file) from within WMP, via "File -> Open URL". (Testing plug-ins includes media test pages that contain such direct links.)
Internet Explorer also needs to be able to connect to the internet for the Windows Media Player plug-in to work:
- Make sure that Internet Explorer is not set to Work Offline mode: To check if IE is in 'Work Offline' mode, open IE and open the File menu. There would be a tick by the 'Work Offline' option. Click it to take IE off Work Offline mode.
- Make sure that Internet Explorer's proxy settings are correct.
- Make sure that Internet Explorer and WMP are not blocked by your firewall. [13]
This problem can also be caused by DSL/cable providers using Network Address Translation (NAT) not forwarding UDP packets properly. The solution is to disable UDP in Windows Media Player:
- In WMP, click Tools > Options
- Select the 'Network' tab
- Deselect 'UDP'
It has also been reported that reinstalling/upgrading/downgrading Windows Media Player can solve this.
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You may receive an error that WMP needs to connect to the internet, or a message similar to "Windows Media Player cannot play any items in the playlist. To find information about the problem, click the Now Playing tab, and then click the icon next to each file in the List pane." when attempting to connect to online content such as internet radio [14]. The instructions given here may help resolve the problem. Also, some sites may require cookies for the content to play so make sure that cookies are not being blocked. Internet firewall or other security software can also block WMP so check your firewall settings and make sure that WMP is allowed access to the internet. If you are running Zone Alarm, set it to Medium security, or go into the Firewall settings page and hit the "Custom" settings button, enable the "Allow outgoing TCP ports" option, then specify "554, 1755" as the selected ports. [15]
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Your browser may crash or, if the video does play, the WMP controls (play/pause/stop) or right-click options may be missing [16]. This can happen when the VLC Media Player is installed and its own browser plug-in takes precedence over the WMP plug-in, causing a conflict. To resolve the issue, remove the VLC plug-in file npvlc.dll which is usually located in your Mozilla browser's installation directory plug-ins folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plug-ins\).
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If the Adblock addition is installed, the OBJ-TABS setting may hide the WMP plug-in. If you find this happens to you, disable Obj-Tabs in your Adblock options. If that doesn't work, try installing the new WMP plug-in or restore the standard WMP plug-in, as described above and place the plug-in file(s) in your browser's plug-ins folder. The VLC Media Player plug-in has also been known to do this - try removing the VLC plug-in (see above).
Windows XP Media Center version does not come with the Windows Media Player plug-in so you will need to add it (see the Missing plug-in section, above). If these solutions don't work, the update for Windows XP N (XP with no media playback ability (see Windows XP Home N or Windows XP Professional N, above) is reported to to add back the absent files and settings that allow Windows XP Media Center Edition to support the WMP plug-ins. Warning: this update cannot be uninstalled. The only way to undo it is to re-install Windows, so try at your own risk.
Some sites are coded to invoke Windows Media Player through ActiveX. An ActiveX plug-in is available for some versions of Mozilla products, but it's generally not recommended.
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