How can I fix sound problems in Windows Media Player?

Dave, I'm going a bit bonkers. Every time I try to play a CD or watch a DVD on my WinXP system in Windows Media Player, the sound fades out and I'm left without any audio track. I've tried jiggling my speaker cables, reseating my sound card, restarting Windows Media Player (or even my PC), and even sacrificing an old Abba CD to the Microsoft Gods, but nothing helps. How do I fix this sort of sound device problems?

Dave's Answer:

First off, sacrificing an Abba CD is always a good idea whenever you have any problems with Windows Media Player! In fact, even when you don't have any problems... (I'm kidding, I actually like the perpetually perky Swedish foursome)

As you suspected from your attempted fixes, it really sounds like Windows Media Player doesn't like your sound card or controller.

I checked at the Microsoft tech support site and here's what they suggest as ways to fix this frustrating problem:

Make sure that a sound device is installed on your computer; if one isn't, just install one. In most cases, Windows will automatically detect the new hardware and install the necessary software drivers. If Windows does not automatically install the software drivers, run the Add Hardware Wizard to install them yourself (click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add Hardware).
Another program is using the sound device, and preventing the Player from accessing it. Close all other programs so that the Player is the only program running, and then try to play the file again.
The software drivers for your sound device may be missing or corrupted. Try reinstalling the most recent software drivers for your sound device by scanning for updates on the Windows Update Web site or by going to your sound device manufacturer's Web site.
The Player may be using a version of Microsoft DirectX that is incompatible with the hardware features on your sound device. (This may explain why you can hear sound when you use some software programs, but not when you use the Player.) Install the most current version of DirectX by going to the DirectX Web page.

If you're still hosed, then run the Sound Device Troubleshooter by choosing Tools -> Options within Windows Media Player, then click "Speakers" on the Devices tab, then click Advanced (still with me?) then choose the Hardware tab and choose Troubleshooting after you've selected your own particular hardware.

Still no joy? Check out the Web site for the manufacturer of your sound device, perhaps they have some tech note that'll help clarify things? Or, failing that, pull out your sound card or other third-party device and see if things work without it. I've had that problem myself with an eMachines unit...

Want to read more about this? Microsoft has lots of troubleshooting information on Windows Media Player at the Windows Media Player Help Center.

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Reader Comments To Date: 239

john said, on August 8, 2005 1:36 AM:

I downloaded some songs from Limewire and after 3 weeks playing them on windows media they are corrupted and frankly speaking the catalogue is quite huge
I did have some songs in REAL player which are quite ok but I want to transfer those songs to real player or what should I do so those in windows media should play again

all in all I dont want to play those sonngs again in winmedia and I cant help to lose those songs

Dave Taylor said, on August 8, 2005 3:48 AM:

Don't have a clue what's going on, John, but realize that at least 90% of what you'd download in Limewire or a similar P2P application is probably an illegal copy. As a result, it's not unlikely that you picked up a corrupted version of the file and/or even some viruses or spyware. I'd check for all of that, make sure your computer is clean, then seriously consider just deleting these bad mp3 files.

Good luck to you!

Katrina said, on December 21, 2005 12:04 PM:

I can not for the life of me get my sound to work on my computer?? I have done all the troubleshooting and recomended advise on your site and nothing is working?? How do I even know what my sound card is?? I am not sure but a couple things keep coming up about my sound device and driver! HELP ME

Brittany said, on January 12, 2006 8:00 PM:

How can i transfer the songs from Lime Wire to media player.. i just can't figure it out..

mary said, on January 29, 2006 2:27 PM:

Hi Dave,
I dont know what happen to my computer the other day but now I have no sound at all. I have tried loading my drivers but to tell you the truth I think I messed it up more then it was. I have the "Creative labs CT 5803 Sound Card" well thats what I saw inside my PC and I have a "Diamond mutimedia speedster a55 I think for where I plug in my mic, speakers, joy stick etc.... I am at a lost on how to fix sound. I use the Windows 98 system. Thanks for all your help in this matter.

Mary
california

Dave Taylor said, on January 30, 2006 9:42 AM:

Hi Mary. Not to ask an obvious question, but everything's plugged in, right? And you don't have "mute" selected in the sound pop-up? And you've gone into START -> Settings -> Control Panels -> Sound and made sure nothing looks odd (like volume=0) ??

Liz said, on January 30, 2006 11:57 AM:

Hi Dave;
I like your logo/graphic (and the font is particularly neat) I am a free-lance designer, I
think your logo is very cool!
Anyway; I have been searching for months and I have not found anyone who can figure out why I have sound when I play an audio CD, use the Tuner card, or visit a site with sound...But the windows logon/logoff sounds simply will mot play!! I have checked everything! Obvious and not so obvious...Reloaded devices & drivers, checked BIOS settings and NO ONE can help... I have tried Kelly's reg tweaks, updated drivers, replaced .wav files...Checked all volume sets, reconnected speakers 5.1 srr,,,Nothing works!! I have XP Home SP2; Creative SB Audigy 2, MP10... Mucho Ram, Great processor...P4 3Ghz just no logon or off; I do have some of the other annoying sounds though (balloon remider noise; error noise!!) Any thoughts???

Thanks!
Liz from Central NY

Dave Taylor said, on January 30, 2006 11:58 AM:

No ideas, but, really, aren't you *blessed* to avoid that little audio signature bit? :-)

atif mohammed said, on February 11, 2006 4:26 PM:

i have some music vidoes where its duration is a few minutes but on all my media players they only show a few seconds..can u help me?

James said, on April 18, 2006 9:36 AM:

Hi Dave,
whenever i try tp play anything through windows media player it tells me that it cant find module componant?! i use wndows xp. any ideas? i want to play my music!!!!

ravi said, on April 20, 2006 3:57 PM:

i am having problem with my CD drive. There is no sound. I know CPU has soundcard and all the attachments are correct. Computer says:

Cannot play back the audio stream: no audio hardware is available, or the hard ware is not responding

Giles said, on May 24, 2006 12:49 PM:

Hey Dave,
I have WMP and its driving me NUTS. I have a rather large collection of wma and mp3's but I'm finding that the vast majority of my music is making a sort of static sound...almost like a dirty old vinil record. I've fiddled with every setting that I can find but so far no improvement. Know what that might be?
Thanks so much
Giles

Elsbeth said, on June 28, 2006 7:41 PM:

how can i play the songs i have in my limewire library into real player??

LISA said, on July 19, 2006 11:52 AM:

PLEASE HELP ME!! I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX MY SOUND CARD DEVICE...OR IF I EVEN NEED A NEW ONE? MY SOUND FROM MY DESK TOP SPEAKER WON'T WORK. HOW DO YOU FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF A SOUND CARD DEVICE YOU HAVE AND HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU FIX IT?? PLEASE HELP! LISA

Susan said, on August 10, 2006 2:55 PM:

I have a couple of mp3 players with a file on each of them (audio - voice) that is fairly sensitive. I'd like to edit out the background radio/tv sounds so that I can hear just the voices -- kind of critical -- any suggestions on editing software that can handle this kind of thing?

SP

Linda Rotella said, on September 19, 2006 10:27 AM:

Hi Dave,

I'm computer illiterate, so please help me out here. I have a number of songs downloaded into my Lime Wire library. They were playing just fine until the other day and then suddenly nothing would play when I clicked on it. I know it's not a sound problem because I still get sound on my media player. Also, how do you transfer songs from Lime Wire to Media Player? Any help you could give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Linda

mike said, on October 26, 2006 4:33 PM:

how can i tranfer downloaded limewire sonds, that can go directly too windows media player instead of dragging to windows

brianna said, on January 4, 2007 6:37 PM:

Dave! I downloaded limwire but every time it says run and I click run, it would never come up. I did it several times and nothing still happened. What should I do?

Adam Hicks said, on February 11, 2007 4:13 AM:

Hi Dave

great site i found the wma to mp3 advice very useful, cheers.
My laptop is fairly new and i use wmp 11. If i try to play music, (any track in collection), whilst ripping then the tunes comes out in slow time. In fact my entire computer goes slow when i'm ripping. I've trouble shot using windows MP online, and troubleshot the sound card, turned off many unneeded processes but nothing changes, can you help? I'm goinmg nuts.

Andy said, on February 13, 2007 5:10 PM:

Hello!

I am having a problem with Windoews Media zcenter in that when I watch live tv, or recorded tv, the sound is all out of whack and seems to cut in and out. Commercials, for example, are very loud, but the program itself has minimal volume for voices and such (while the background music is much louder). Is this a problem with my speakers or is there somethin wrong with Media Center itself?

Elizabeth McLeman said, on February 20, 2007 9:24 AM:

I have windows media player 10 installed on computer, and whenever I play a CD it plays as if it's a cartoon that's singing it! How do I get rid of this problem?

Becky Norton said, on February 22, 2007 3:55 PM:

I'm having a problem with Windows Media Player. When I rip a CD it's not getting the album/artist/title information off the internet. I checked the privacy options and they are set to retreive the info automatically. IT's not a problem with my internet itself, because that is working perfectly fine with every other application. Do you know what could be wrong?

MJ said, on February 23, 2007 1:47 PM:

Hi. Just got a laptop with pre-installed vista home premium and every track change in windows media player is preceded by a horrible cutting in and out of the sound. Have tried with the crossfader on and off, and everything I can think of. I'm wondering if it's a microsoft ploy to get me to call the $40 help line as there's no help there. Could it be that microsoft is having compatibility issues with itself? If you have any ideas, advice would be appreciated.
Cheers.

ade pollitt said, on February 28, 2007 12:20 PM:

Thanks dave, found your piece on no audio for windows media player very helpfull. Thanks.

david heald said, on March 3, 2007 4:22 PM:

Dave, I had a nasty trojon that may have corrupted windows media player. I went to the windows media player site to see if I could find a fix. I found nothing of value there. When ever I try to play any music I get a error code cood11b1. Is there a solution with out spending $$ on a computer tech or completely wiping my hard drive. I lost the cd. lol thanks

Mike Simpson said, on March 5, 2007 5:31 PM:

Hi Dave,

I recently installed Vista Home Premium on this PC and since installing it can not get Windows Media Player or MMJB to recognise that I have a 5.1 Sound system.

I have both a Realtek HD Audio card on main board and a Soundblaster Live USB external card, but on both all the sound I get is from the left/right speakers and sub-woofer.

Realtek is set as default sound system and on both cards, the Test mode from control panel finds the full set of speakers including center and l/r rear speakers.

Any ideas? Worked fine under XP.

Mike

Charles said, on March 10, 2007 6:00 AM:

I just got a new computer, came pre installed with windows vista and everything that goes along with it. my problem is when i play music at about 7/8th of the song it kind of skips or something and it does this with all my songs. ANy idea on what it could be?

jenny goldswoerthy said, on March 11, 2007 1:20 PM:

hi how do i convert real player from limewire to media player?

Jimmy said, on March 18, 2007 1:11 AM:

Hi Dave ,
My pc worked perfect. Suddendly I have problems with the sound of my wmp10. There's only one speaker in use and the sound is bad and a bit distorted. I've checked my hardware , updates (for example directx) , installed wmp11 (and back to wmp10), ...
With all other aplications the sound is perfect.
What can be the problem ??
Cheers,
Jimmy

Matt said, on March 23, 2007 12:48 PM:

Hi Dave, I recenely bought a laptop from dell which came with Windows Vista Home premium centre on it. every time i play a sing on windows media player it plays but about 15-20 seconds before ever track finishes it starts distorting the sound then goes back to normal just before song ends!! What is wrong Help!!!!

kev said, on April 1, 2007 7:10 AM:

hi Dave im having problems with my sound thingies i cant play songs on my windows media player and i just reformatted my pc , i checked for drivers and sound devices it says it works properly i dont kjnow whats happening but please can u help.

usman said, on April 7, 2007 6:03 PM:

hi, having problem with media player. i cannot view library or add to it. Each time i try to add by goin onto File>Add to media library i select the folder i want to add but media library does not find any tracks and pauses on progress bar. So i have to keep goin to the folder and playing the tunes. Re-installed many times. HELP! email me usman.e@hotmail.co.uk
many thanks.

Toto said, on April 7, 2007 10:59 PM:

Hi I have this album and song on window media player 11 that i cannot delete from my library it has no name n everything is unknow all u want to so is delete it can anyone help me out.
thanks really appreciate it

elliott said, on April 9, 2007 9:21 PM:

hi,i just downloaded songs from urge,and every time i try to play the songs i get an error code cood11b1.songs that i have ripped from my cd's work fine,i can play them and burn them with no problem,just the songs from urge.i have windows vista home basic.any advice would be great thanks.

Lee said, on April 11, 2007 7:54 AM:

I'm having problems with my windows media player. whenever I play music WMP lags even though there are no other progrmas running. When I play vedio, the sound plays normally but the vedio lags quite alot.

jack craig said, on April 12, 2007 1:42 PM:

Hi, Dave,
I have a problem with wmp11. When I try to burn to disc it recognises cd-rw discs, but just will not recognise cd-r discs.
I have tried different makes, TDK, JVC, Philips, etc., but nothing seems to work.
Can you help me?

Jack.

JD said, on April 22, 2007 1:57 AM:

Hi.

I am going nuts with a sound problem on my Windows XP machine.

It came pre-installed with Realtek and all songs which play on Windows Media Player on my other pc - and play with perfect sound - are getting echoes and over-loud background music and other things - when played on WMP on my XP machine.

I suspect it's due to something that Real Tek is doing but I cannot figure out what. Is there any fix for this, short of uninstalling Real Tek? I really don't want to do that unless there is no other option, because it came pre-installed.

I'm fed up of the echoes which make the singers' voices almost impossible to hear.

Please help.

JD

Robert Rivera said, on April 23, 2007 4:16 AM:

Hi,Dave

I Am Having Trouble with My Computer Playing Musick On any program. I need Help ASAP.

If This Helps This Is What It Tells Me.

Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly.

please help me.

Robert Rivera

louj said, on April 23, 2007 2:28 PM:

I have a problem regarding the windows media player i installed. I can hear music when I play mp3s and music videos, but it can't play any DVDs i put in the dvd rom. can anybody help me out on this?

louj said, on April 23, 2007 3:04 PM:

to add up to my post, the player can actually play the DVD but it can only show the videos but there are no sound coming out of it.

Steve Olsen said, on April 24, 2007 2:34 PM:

I am having the exact same problem as Matt... IT "skips/studders" about 18 seconds before each song ends. I have Vista Ultimate x64 installed. Grrrr!

QUOTE:
Hi Dave, I recently bought a laptop from dell which came with Windows Vista Home premium center on it. every time i play a sing on windows media player it plays but about 15-20 seconds before ever track finishes it starts distorting the sound then goes back to normal just before song ends!! What is wrong Help!!!!

Steve Olsen said, on April 24, 2007 2:43 PM:

To cure stutter about 20 seconds from end of song....

>Control panel
>Sound
>Speakers/Headphones
>Enhancements
*** check off the DISABLE all enhancements! ***

worked for me.

Note: This only seems to be a problem on Dell machines.

(your exact path to this option may vary depending on audio card that is
installed, mine is onboard Dell XPS4100)

dan said, on April 25, 2007 1:35 PM:

hi how do i convert real player from limewire to media player? cheers:)

Jazz said, on April 27, 2007 11:10 PM:

i've noticed no one has answered how to transfer limewire files to windows media player. can it be done & how?
thanx
jazz

Stanley said, on April 29, 2007 10:58 AM:

i was using my wmp yesterday and when i put a disc in i got no album art at all. i can't use my library at all and urge doesn't even let me download. please help

marko said, on April 30, 2007 4:25 AM:

Hi dave,
1. I recently upgraded my windows media player 10 to media player 11 and realized that it no longer crossfades even with the crossfading on! What could be the problem??

NGeN said, on April 30, 2007 9:58 AM:

hey i found out the actual culprit of stuttering audio its not this enhancements... u can enale them but only with one condition..

DISABLE THE SRS WOW in mediaplayer 11 :)

turn off that and everything vl b fine!!

it doesnt work with this enhancmeent ...

ONCE AGAIN : turn off SRS wow in media player 11

Mandy said, on May 8, 2007 6:00 AM:

I have NO sound while using windows media player but sound works fine with everything else skype, power dvd etc so i know its not my speakers...Can you help..

Derrick McGriffin said, on May 9, 2007 9:29 AM:

hey dave, i have tried, restoring my computer, but still, i have sound problems with my digital channesl in my media center, i have tried everything but i still dont know what to do, can u help please

Shona said, on May 11, 2007 1:39 PM:

I have had my computer for almost 2 years its a Dell dimension 5150. I hasve had this problem once before but i dont want to have to send for an expensive computer repairman to do the same job again. All my sound has completely vanished. I can't get it on the internet, iTunes, windows media player, cyberlink power DVD, nothing. nothing has been unplugged so something must have happened on the software....i think! can you suggest a solution??
much appreciated!!

jay said, on May 15, 2007 1:32 PM:

Where's Dave?

Hilarious, there are questions from over a year ago unanswered from Dave Taylor yet you still post your questions here. This is funny. Ciao.

Dave Taylor said, on May 15, 2007 10:40 PM:

Oh, I'm still here, Jay, but if you read closely, you'll find that what's great about the blogging community is that people help each other, so just as I hoped when I started building the site, you can help each other and not rely on me having every single answer. :-)

CL said, on May 25, 2007 12:39 PM:

I've had a problem for months where Windows Media Player 11 has been playing sound out of only one speaker. All the balance settings were centred and I had no problems with any other program, just WMP. Today I clicked on the balance slider on WMP's Graphic Equalizer and the left speaker sprang back into life. I didn't move the slider at all as it was already in the central position; I just clicked it. If anyone's having a similar problem, it may be worth giving that a try.

babygirl said, on June 2, 2007 7:30 AM:

hi i would like to know how do you get your songs from your limewire library to transfer into window media player and why won't my songs play in the windows media player

kim said, on June 3, 2007 9:18 AM:

Hello,I was wondering how do I transfer my limewire music I already have downloaded to my media player? I cant seem to get it on my owe I really need your help..Please..Thanks for your time...Hope to here back from ya sooner then later...Thanks again..

Kim

ashley said, on June 27, 2007 3:30 PM:

how do you transfer songs i have downloaded on limewire to windows media player?
please help thanx a lot dave

ashley

Courtney said, on July 2, 2007 1:30 PM:

Dear Dave, here's my problem: My Sound Card isn't working. I can't hear anything out of my speakers when I go onto like... Youtube for example. Now, is there ANY way that you could tell me how to fix the card by myself? Well, thanks for reading this and I appreicate ANY help that I can get!!!
Courtney

alex said, on July 7, 2007 4:21 AM:

hello dave pls help...
my problem is......i can hear sound from audio cd
and mp3 cd or mp3and vids from hard drive but i have no sound (picture normal)when playing videos films from dvd prayer..(dvd cd is ok in other pc)
what can be ...pls help..i am going bananas...
many thanks
alex

crip said, on July 13, 2007 1:38 AM:

i dont have a media player and it wont let me down load any media player

WSW said, on July 23, 2007 7:48 PM:

HEY DAVE I CANT GET MY SPEAKERS NOR EARPHONES TO WORK LIKE I MEAN I WAS LISTNING TO MUSIC 1 TIME AND BOOM NOTHIGN AUTOMATTIACCLY STOP THA SOUND WINDOWS MEDIA WAS STILL PLAYING BUT NO SOUND I NEED THA SOUND LOL CAN U HELP EITHER TALK ON HERE OR PM ME..... NATIVEKID_2006@HOTMAIL.COM-LLXXLLBLINKY.CRUNKLLXXLL

James Sturms said, on July 24, 2007 10:25 PM:

Steve Olsen, you rock! The 20 second from the end glitch is gone. Thank you!

Wulfgang said, on August 4, 2007 6:14 PM:

open your limewire files and transfer then to a seperate folder. i keep a folder named "music" and have it set up as my default save folder in limewire. I have been using limewire for 8 yesrs now and never had a problem. you just have to be carefull and select files with high (stars) ratings. you should configure your limewire to the way you want it. I have i tunes as my default player instead of the standard limewire player. you can also limit who can acess your files, and how many. (if any) good luck. Wulfgang

Merz said, on August 6, 2007 6:44 PM:

Hi Dave,

Heres my problem, one that I really don't quite understand. I have limwire and downloaded many songs and usually put them in my windows media player. The family have done this two accounts on the computer. After maybe 4 months of enjoyment, the computers sound decides to start skipping. Yes even when we watch youtube our sound will stop for a second and then start back up. Im not sure if this contributes to problem but If anyone could help, PLEASE GIVE some feedback.
Thanx ALOT!
Merz

mike said, on August 10, 2007 5:56 PM:

hello dave I have a problem with my windows media player I have songs from limewire pro and media from u torrent i usually use vlc media player on my last computer then I switched to vista and windows media player worked for those files now I think I may have downloaded a different coedic and now all I get is a black screen with sound, what should I do?

Ross said, on August 14, 2007 9:09 PM:

Hello Dave.

I have just bought a new computer package from Dell and I find the downloading video clips (the short free samples you can download from the net) takes a very long time. I have Vista on this new computer. I never had that problem before. The Dell tech told me this is a problem that Microsoft is aware of and trying to fix. Not good enough. Is this true and is there a fix?

Brett said, on August 17, 2007 9:45 AM:

DVDs have always played fine on my Inspiron E1405 with Windows Media Player as long as I used the regular player instead of the installed "cool" version.

Suddenly, something has changed. All my DVDs now sound like they are underwater.

I tried restoring my machine, but no luck.

I'm not sure how to deal with the sound card issue...can I take it out and put it back in, or do I risk losing it all together?

Should I uninstall windows media player and reinstall?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Brett

Robert Soer said, on August 24, 2007 2:42 AM:

Hello Dave ! How do I transfer downloades sons on Limewire to WMP 11 in orer to create a music CD? Thanks a lot 4 reply!(It must sound like a common question to you!)

Alex said, on August 30, 2007 8:17 AM:

Hiya Dave,

Is it possible to burn music onto a CD that can crossfade? I'm using Windows Media Player 10. It works fine when I'm using the program, but doesn't work when I burn the songs onto CD.

Any advice?

tom said, on September 3, 2007 4:29 PM:

hi dave can you help me windows media player will play certain vids on you tube then but others will only play for 2 seconds then stops for about 10 seconds then plays for another 2 seconds do you no whats wrong with it

Slackr said, on September 18, 2007 10:36 PM:

Steve Olson does rock!! Thank you for the information on stopping that static at the end of song on dell laptops. I have been fighting with this for about 7 months!!

alex said, on September 19, 2007 11:22 AM:

Hello Dave, my windows media player is playing movies upsidedown. How would i go about fixing that ??

andy said, on September 27, 2007 1:22 PM:

i have only just got my computer workin proply and everytime i try to play any songs or insert a cd it keep saying that the sound drivers are not installed but i didnt need to install them from the start and i didnt get any installion discs

Ashish said, on September 28, 2007 7:41 AM:

Dear Dave,

I am facing the problem with the launching of WMP. Whenever i double click the WMP icon in start menu, the HDD light flickers for some time and than it does not open. Similarly whenever I am trying to play any song using right click and double clicking the option of "play with WMP", again the HDD light flickers for few seconds and again it does not open. Kindly help me in trouble shooting this.

Ashish said, on September 29, 2007 6:59 AM:

Dear Dave
I am facing the following problems with my start menu, the icons given for WMP, Help and Search, when being double clicked to open the respective program, the programs do not open. The HDD light flickers for a second on double clicking these icons but programs do not get launched.
Secondly the WMP has been updated to WMP 10 followed by WMP 11 but I am facing the same problem in functioning of WMP. Whenever I try to launch WMP from icon in START menu, or try to play a song by double clicking it or by right clicking the song and selecting Open With Windows Media Player, it does not open or play. Kindly help in rectifying the problem.

subash said, on September 29, 2007 7:32 AM:

hii dave

my computer volume is not working i have tried all the means like checking all the volume tools which has been adjusted properly. Also i found that the kaspersky version 6 antivirus have deleted the volume files what to do ......i need your help

Mike said, on September 29, 2007 2:00 PM:

Greetings Dave, I have a new laptop with Vista Home and every time I play music tracks on Windows Media Player the sound keeps cutting in and out and acts like its skipping. Any ideas on what to do? Thanks

charlene said, on October 8, 2007 9:26 AM:

below is the message i get when i open wmp i dont know what to do as i dont think is a genuine copy, is there a way to bypass this to get windows working on the laptop?

Message:
Validate you copy of Windows

To get Windows Media player 11, you must verify that microsoft windows is genuine. after sucessful validation you system will have access to the latest features, updates and surport.

todd said, on October 9, 2007 4:09 PM:

Hey, i'm having stuttering issues with my audio. Before i take it to a shop, i was wondering if there was anything i can do personally. I use windows xp, 512 ram, about 180 gigs. I've tried everything from defragmenting, updating drivers, re installing--checking for spyware and what not. If you have any suggestions, i'd love to hear them. The only thing left i can think of is buying a new sound card.

Jan L said, on October 10, 2007 12:58 PM:

Please help!
I have a brand new laptop, an Acer with Windows Vista on it. The Windows Media Player will play the video/new clip but all voices and songs sound like smurfs as if the voice speed is too fast!
What is the likliest problem?
Jan

Lina said, on October 19, 2007 5:39 PM:

Hello there.

I have a desktop computer but my windows XP are not genuine which I didn't learn about until after I couldn't even get in touch with the person who installed it. A few months ago something happened and I got no sound since then. It probably wiykd have been easier if I had no sound at all but it does work in certain programs, on/off windows etc. It doesn't work in any meadia player/real player/quick time player, iTunes, streaming video/audio. I have no idea what to do, I tried everything I could. Re-installing wmp didn't work as my windows are not genuine and the installation can never be complete without verification. This is really frustrating but I know no one who could help me with this.

Thank you very much in advance!!! I would really appreciate any help!

Kenneth Smith said, on October 20, 2007 5:47 PM:

If you are having problems with no sound on media players, yet all your sother is fine, then do this.

Go to http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Codec_Pack_All_in_1.htm

Download the Codec Pack All in 1.

I had the problem and this fixed it immediately.

Agustin said, on November 1, 2007 8:45 PM:

My problem is with Windows Media Player in windows Vista! the problem is that when I try to open Windows Media Player it just won't open!! nothing happens!! no error message, nothing.. and reinstalling is not an option because there is now download link for Windows Media Player for Windows Vista, I tried talking to microsoft but they don't even know what's up!!... I want to use Windows Media Player, I'm getting crazy and Itunes crashes every seconrd on my computer!!... I really need my media Player

Please reply to el_nuevo_agustini_elmejorpr@hotmail.com if somebody knows how to fix this!!...

John Bovee said, on November 3, 2007 10:17 AM:

Hello,
I just got a Dell Notebook with Windows Vista and Media player 11 this week and thought that I would try putting some music on it. When I play a cd or rip it, the sound quality is horrible. It is choppy and distorted. I tried changing various settings with no luck. Yesterday, I contacted Dell and they had me uninstall the Sigmatel audio system then reinstall, no luck. I tried playing music through Dell's music player with the same problems. At this point I do not know if it is a Vista problem, a Windows Media problem, A sound card problem, a speaker problem, or the cd player itself. If I play audio from the internet I do not experience this problem unless it is with video. I'm at a loss and extremely frustrated about what to do. Any help would be appreciated.

boy said, on December 13, 2007 7:32 AM:

Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly.

Zane Dunnam said, on December 27, 2007 9:22 PM:

Hello,

When I play WMAs or MP3s using Windows Media Player ver. 11 (latest), my music files sound like they are skipping (like a record) or are very scratchy. They use to play just fine on my Windows XP, Creative Audio sound card. In some instances, like U-Tube videos, the sound is just fine, but other online videos, the sound is similarly terrible. I have checked all my software settings and physical wire connections. All is good and in working order. I can play a Music CD and it sounds fine. Any ideas on why music files on my computer sounds terrible scratchy?

rain said, on January 21, 2008 12:28 PM:

my sound on my p.c was working now is not what can I do to fix it.

Burt Smith said, on January 24, 2008 7:05 PM:

When wmp is maximized from the minimized version it hides imbedded in the r/h margin of my desktop and will not return to full screen. It plays songs and videos but I have no access to the controls and cannot see the visulation screens. I can't get it back on my desktop. I uninstalled it completely and re-installed 10 and 11 and the result is the same. Booting and virus scans are no help. Can you help?

Nadeem ansari said, on February 1, 2008 2:33 PM:

your buttons do not work on my mouse .or your links,so how do i repair my media player

Mark Miller said, on February 8, 2008 7:13 PM:

Dave,
I just upgraded from a small Dell laptop with XP, to a larger new model with Vista. Much larger hard drive. I am a DJ and I use Windows Media player with the crossfading feature as one of my main audio sources. Never had this problem on the older model, but there is a nano-second pause while cross-fading into the next song. It is very noticable & frustrating. Please help.
MRM

RS said, on February 15, 2008 5:37 PM:

hi dave........
actually m hving problem wid my media player.d player's nt playing any music.i checked d sound devices too it is installed bt all d icons r inactive thr n i cnt click on single 1.so cn u plz suggest me da wh i shud do.............?

Kevin said, on February 17, 2008 7:33 PM:

I'm having a problem with syncing my music to an sd card. I'm using windows media 11 and transferring to a 2 g card. no matter what i try i cant get more than 134 songs on it. Or any other card for that matter. I have to store the files without folders since my mp3 requires it. I've tried mp3 & wma files. Same results either way. Any help would be appreceated.
Thank's
Kevin

Don Skelley said, on February 27, 2008 10:18 AM:

Hi Dave. This seems to be a Windows Media player problem.I have anusual issue here. When I play some email video attatchments or some from my cbc news home page I get different experiences. All will play the video aspect but "every other" will have no sound. Funny thing is , I can send the ones that dont give me sound, back to the sender or another person and they can play it and get sound where I could not.Any input would be appreciated. ds

Don said, on March 8, 2008 12:38 PM:

Elizabeth McLeman at February 20, 2007 9:24. "windows is sounding like cartoon" My situ., much to her description. My interp., dvd is playing in a metal barrel type of eco.

Rachel G said, on March 25, 2008 12:46 PM:

Hi Dave
I'm on a windows '95 in the UK
and everytime and try to play any sound at all it is not working. The green power light on the speakers is coming on but the actual sound is not coming out???
On programs such as Realplayer and Windows Media it tell me that there are problems with my sound card??
What is this?? And how do i fix the problem??
Please Help
Rachel
URGENT!!!!

kerry said, on April 16, 2008 7:28 PM:

Hi
someoe loaded i tunes onto my laptop now wmp wont work says it has an internal application error. Can you help please

Kerry

Kevin Fraley said, on April 26, 2008 3:16 PM:

I put in a flash drive or any usb drive into the laptop an error message appears "Window Media Player is not properly installed"..."Do you want to install the Player from the Microsoft Web site". I can't seem to find the media player anywhere on the computer to uninstall it and it wont let me reinstall it from microsoft's website

Metael said, on April 27, 2008 6:34 AM:

Hi Dave,

The Windows media player i have will not play sound with any type of file. The soundcard drivers are up to date, i am using XP {fully updated}, all other sounds are perfectly audible - i am currently using realplayer to actually listen to music and watch videos... WMP won't even work in internet browsers. I have reinstalled WMP form v10 to v11 and back to v10to try and fix it but to no avail... Playback is normal apart from being devoid of sound. Any help would be appreciated.

-Metael

Posh said, on May 6, 2008 4:56 PM:

hey Dave, I really don't know who else to ask. so if you could help me, your help would be immencely appreciated. thanks a lot in advance!
so I got this terrible problem with WMP11 in Vista (Vista Home Premium) and I can't solve it.
so ok, I was trying to upload a new skin, and I somehow messed with wmploc.DLL file, replaced it with a different one etc., then it started giving me the message about the wmploc.DLL file being one version when a different one was expected, so I tried to uninstall the player completely (so I could reinstall it later), WMP is not on the list of the programs installed on my computer, but the WMP folder still remained in the Program Files folder. the problem is:
I downloaded the WMP 11 for XP (because there was nowhere I could find to download the WMP for Vista from), and now it says that the version of the player I got installed on my computer (which I supposedly uninstalled) is a newer one, and I can't install an older one or repair an existing one.
When I try to start the existing player it says that it is not installed properly and must be reinstalled. it asks me whether I want to install it from the Microsoft website, I click yes and it sends me to a page where I can download only WMP11 for XP.
When I click the setup_wm.exe in the WMP folder, it connects somewhere (I guess Microsoft) and tells me that I have the most recent version installed already and that there are no updates available.
so these are my problems. I really, really need somebody to help me with these things, because now not only WMP doesn't work, but my Media Center as well (I can't play music or watch DVDs in it) and tons of other problems.
please-please help me!!)

Dominic said, on May 13, 2008 9:40 PM:

Hi Dave I had the same problem with Media Player 11,tried all your suggestions,nothing worked.I read somewhere about codec and downloaded Windows Essentials Media Codec Pack 1 and I finally got sound.Hope this works for others. Thanks

hollywood said, on May 15, 2008 12:33 PM:

Hi Dave,
anyone experienced that when you open the program your windows media players skips/drags for a few seconds. I just started experiencing this after reinstalling my system. Maybe it could be a video card issue......but i've updated the drivers but problem persists.
any advice would be greatly appreciated
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (build 2600)
2.20 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64
1024 Megabytes Installed Memory
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS

I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

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