# Solved: wmp 11 not playing mpgs



## stevenmck

Recently d'l media player 11. Everytime I play an mpg (mp3s are fine) I get: 

"Windows Media Player encountered a problem while playing the file. For additional assistance, click Web Help."

Clips from the web play fine; it's just the ones on my HD that don't. QT and RealPlayer refuse them as well. Any help greatly appreciated.


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## paulb1

Hi,

have you tried installing klight media codec pack?: http://www.free-codecs.com/K_Lite_Codec_Pack_download.htm


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## stevenmck

hi. Suspected a codec being culprit! Thanks I will try that tomorrow and give the result.


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## lexmarks567

I had a problem with media player 11. it would not burn my music. Not even music videos to DVD. kept saying please insert a blank disk.Well I tried several disks and keep getting the same error. So I deleted it and it rolled back to 10 witch is what was installed when I baught the computer.


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## stevenmck

hey thanks for response. Tried installing it but still same prob.


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## sultan_emerr

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/faq/default.mspx


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## stevenmck

Tried using DivX Player to play all mpgs but I get for each one: does not appear to contain a video file. I have installed KLite Mega Pack as well still no luck!


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## stevenmck

Tried the following still no luck.

1.. Open My Computer
2.. Go to Tools | Folder Options
3.. Click the View Tab
4.. Select "Show Hidden Files and Folders"
5.. Check "Display Contents of System Folders"
6.. Uncheck "Hide Extensions for Known file types"
7.. Uncheck Hide Protected Operating Systems Files"
8.. Click OK

Then:-

1.. Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM
2.. Rename the DRM folder to DRMBACKUP
3.. In the Registry Editor (Start | Run | regedit), delete the following
subkeys:-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DRM

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Media\WMSDK\General

4.. Reboot your PC
5.. In Control Panel click "Add or Remove Programs"
6.. In the left Panel click "Add/Remove Windows Components"
7.. Uncheck "Windows Media Player" & click Next
8.. When done return to 6 above and check "Windows Media Player" & click Next

Uninstalled QT as well still nothing. Only thing that's changed is message: "Windows Media Player encountered a problem while playing the file. For additional assistance, click Web Help." I looked at MS's site for all probs.


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## chongo

Windows Media Player encountered a problem while playing the file. For additional assistance, click Web Help

Also windows media player crashes with avi.
Also quartz dll error

Hi I have been experiencing all sorts of media player/quicktime / any other player you can mention problems over the last few days.
I have seen many people with the same problems, many, many.
Mine only seemed to get worse the more I tried to fix it to the point that no file would work in wmp mpc and even qt.
Anyway to cut a medium length story short, I found an answer. 
I am no supergeek but looks like it is in fact.
A codec registration issue. 

What I did was to download a codec pack ,I used the K lite pack, it doesn't matter if you don't want the pack, the trick is in uninstalling it , believe it or not, but you must install it first.
So.. install the codec pack, in my case this fixed nothing, but wait.....
Even though I tried everything mentioned on the forums the problem only got worse until....
I then UNINSTALLED that same codec pack from the start menu/programs.
During this procedure the uninstaller recognised a registry error with the codecs and ran an error fix.
When I now open windows media player or any other player ,EVERYTHING WORKS.:up: 
So forget your hardware dismantling or reinstalls... that ain't it (most likely)
Spread the word peoples 
If you still have the error, I can only offer you my pity


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## jnulu

Thanks Chongo! You're the man!

I have been having this similar problem for more than a year now and have not been able 
to solve it. That's until I came across your solution today. 

My problem was, WMP on my PC wouldn't play any file - be it audio or video, always 
giving me the dialog box which said "Windows Media Player encountered a problem while 
playing the file. Click web for help."

The very same audio or video files would play with other players,
like the VLC Player for example. 
However, WMP wouldn't play them and it was driving me nuts!! 
I uninstalled WMP11 and went to WMP10. Then again to WMP11. 
Nothing made any difference. Went to several forums for help. No dice.

So I took your advice, downloaded the latest K lite codec pack from 'filehippo' and 
installed it. The installation gave me a bunch of registry errors, but giving me the 
choice of either removing those entries or keeping them. I chose to keep them, 
even though the course of action recommended by the installer, was to remove them.
WMP still would *not* play anything.

As suggested by you, I uninstalled the K Lite codec pack from Add/Remove programs 
But while doing so this time, the same registry errors cropped up while the K lite codec
pack was being installed!.

But this time I chose to remove the defective registry entries. 
And voila, now my WMP plays all the files!

Though the registry errors showed up while installing the Codec pack, I was hesitant to
remove them since I wasn't sure of the Codec Pack's credentials. 
What if I removed them and the other players stopped working? 
So, to be safe, I chose to keep the registry errors.
But since I was familiar with the Add/Remove programs uninstaller, I knew that it was Ok
at this stage, to go ahead and delete those entries. Problem solved! 

All that now remains to be done, is to say:

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :up::up::up:


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## sup2a

justa quick note, i really wouldn't suggest to install k-lite...ever... i would suggest gettin the codecs you NEED by using a program like VideoInspector or Gspot


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## MysticEyes

That's one hell of a solution. :up:


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## jnulu

sup2a said:


> justa quick note, i really wouldn't suggest to install k-lite...ever... i would suggest gettin the codecs you NEED by using a program like VideoInspector or Gspot


I agree that the best would be to install what is required provide you know 
what you codec you are looking for, with the help of GSpot or Video Inspector or any other utility.

In my instance, WMP wouldn't play ANY file format! 
I can understand using these utilites, provided WMP on your PC, played everything except for 
one or two files, in which event one can use GSpot. etc. to find out what codec, if any, 
is missing from the file.

In the more than one year that I was having this problem, I tried many things suggested by other forum members, 
including my own futile search on the internet for a solution. 
That's until I found Chongo's post here. It worked for him and it worked for me! 

Besides, the codec pack was uninstalled, so IMHO, me thinks, there's no need for concern. . 
But as a precaution, I feel it would be prudent to back up the registry 
before trying out Chongo's solution, since deletion of registry entries is involved. 
I did not back up the registry, because, as mentioned earlier, the uninstallation and removal 
of registry entries, was handled by MS's own inbuilt Add/Remove programs.
Regards


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## chongo

Thanks jnulu, I am glad the post above helped, that error was enough to make anyone go a bit nutty.
sup2 , this was a weird and specific problem, I myself trawled the net rigorously and found no correct answer to it (in fact most of the suggestions where destructive or potentially catastrophic or just the old REFORMAT- yeah right, I tried so many things to fix it but found it really only got worse, until I literally stumbled upon this particular solution.
I myself would rather not install any third party codecs, but note that * uninstalling* the codec pack solved the problem, not installing it and I only installed the k-light pack long after the error had manifested, so really there was nothing to lose.
I must hand it to k-light though, for the codec registry entry cleaning utility, as jnulu's, my own and who knows who else's problem, could have continued unabated without it. This was a really annoying error and my 'puter has run like a dream for many months since.


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## sup2a

wow old thread ey lol


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## stevenmck

Hey. WMP11 is finally working. I installed the up-to-date K-Lite pack and played an mpg and eureka. On installing K-Lite it removed some old registry entries so maybe that was the key. Thanks for all your help in this epic thread.


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## bsma2522

ok...so im kinda having the same problem with my wmp but a little different. i have wmp 11. 95% of the time when i try to play a video from the internet i get "Windows Media Player encountered a problem while playing the file. For additional assistance, click Web Help." once in a whil it actully works but for the most part i cant play anything. i dont even have sound. i tried going to KLite and downloading codecs and then uninstalling them but this didnt help nething. i dont understand because i used to be able to play anything and it worked fine, even after i upgraded from wmp 10 to wmp 11. if anyone has any suggestions, please help. by the way, i am not computer genius by far so if you could use layman's terms that would be great too.


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## vldubc

Hey guys...i have read alllll the comments on this thread and tried [email protected]@!! i did the k lite thing...and i installed...kept the rejistry files..then uninstalled...and deleted the files bla bla....but still nothing works at al!!! can sum one plzz hellppp


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## sup2a

if you were to make a new thread, it would probably get more attention, try not to restart old threads especially because this one has been solved for such a long time


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