# HELP: Windows Media Player 9/10/nothing?



## 8dalejr.fan (Nov 20, 2005)

Well not really. Kinda. I posted this issue a few months ago with no response, so here I go again. Here's what happened.

I had Windows Media Player 9 installed on my computer. This was in the Service Pack 1 era before I upgraded to SP2 late last year. I also had a certain MS critical update for it installed to.

When I installed Service Pack 2, it appears Windows Media Player 9 is no longer installed. When I try to launch the player via the shortcut on my desktop, what appears to be an installation screen popups up (SCREENSHOT 1).

When I go to Add/Remove programs, it appears Windows Media Player 9 indeed isn't installed, but the critical update for it is (SCREENSHOT 2).

I can not play any saved videos on my computer due to the fact that the player is not installed. I can, however, sometimes view integrated streaming WMP video on websites.

Other times, instead of the actual video playing, swirling psychadelic colours of mainly green and blue come up. I can not therefore watch a video. Attempts at screenshotting the swirling colours were unsuccessful-- a screenshot wouldn't capture them but I swear they're there (SCREENSHOT 3).

When the swirling colours play instead of the video, an empty text file entitled "dxva_sig" appears on my desktop (Google it... things will come up).

The swirling colours may be do the fact that:
A) I don't have WMP installed
B) Windows Media Video Acceleration is ENABLED in the Catalyst Control Centre for my ATI card

So in short:

*I have a critical update for Windows Media Player 9 installed, but Windows Media Player 9 isn't installed. Streaming videos play in psychadelic colours. I need Windows Media Player (9 or 10) installed on my computer, but I'm afraid to install anything over that critical update. Please help me get WMP 9 or 10 on my computer.  *


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## n7Epsilon (Aug 27, 2004)

Ok, let's see...

1. The screen that appears in the 1st screenshot appears on 1st launch of Windows Media Player (9 or 10), it does NOT mean that WMP9 is NOT installed. See what happens when you press Next > on that screen, it'll just make you accept a standard M$ EULA and then allow you to set some settings and then it will start.

2. Windows Media Player 9 does not show up in Add/Remove programs after installing Service Pack 2 because Windows now considers it as part of the operating system and will not allow it to be uninstalled (unless you uninstall Service Pack 2 that is...)

3.  LOL! psychadelic colours! It's just Windows Media Player 9 running a visualization for the audio stream, it will do the same thing if you play a MP3 file, it's a thing they created for making the PC more like a disco IMO (Personally, I disable them). The reason that they will not appear in a screenshot is that Windows draws that on screen with DirectX in hardware overlay mode that does not appear in screenshots. This is normal.

This is usually indicative of WMP9 failing to understand how the video stream is encoded. The solution is usually to install one of the freely available codec packs on the internet (look at http://www.free-codecs.com/ for some good ones).

4. Upon googling, the dxva_sig problem is WMP9 dumping diagnostic info about the video stream it couldn't understand and showing the visualization for the audio instead. Installing a codec pack should fix this as WMP9 will now be able to understand the video with the help of the codecs.

- Don't worry, go ahead and install WMP10, it is a major update or WMP9 and it INCLUDES all security fixes previously on 9. Even if it overwrites a fix with a newer version of a file. Updates for Windows Media Player 10 will automatically get delivered to you via Automatic Updates (or by manually visiting Windows / Microsoft Update after installing WMP10)

- The swirling colours are is NOT due to the hardware windows media video acceleration. (this setting will just give slightly better video quality with WMV (Windows media video) encoded videos.

btw, if you install WMP10, you will get the 1st launch screen (similar to the 1st screenie again) LOL... don't worry, it's installed alright !

Hope that relieves all your worries


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## 8dalejr.fan (Nov 20, 2005)

Ok...

1) Very good, thanks. Just some settings and now I can use Windows Media Player 9 on my desktop.

2) Ok, I understand.

3) NO NO NO!!! That's not the visualization. I'm talking about going to a website to watch a streaming VIDEO on the website, the video won't play. Strange colours will play.

*For Example -->* I really want to see a Hell's Kitchen video. Go to http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen/ and click the video tab. I want to watch that video. But the video starts to play in bright green and blue colours. The audio plays but the characters faces are green and blue and unrecognizable. Trust me, it is NOT the visualization screen... I'm very familiar with that.

*Look at this screenie... this is what I am talking about!!! *

I can not watch the video. Instead of playing a movie, colours play. Obviously I'm missing some kind of codec... how can I tell what I need?!?!

When the psychadelic colours appear instead of the video, that's when the dxva_sig appears.

Thanks for the help.


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## n7Epsilon (Aug 27, 2004)

Looks like I misunderstood there, sorry  

Well, a very good collection is the K-Lite Codec Pack (get the Standard version). It contains almost all codecs you may ever need. But I suggest installing Windows Media Player 10 first and checking the videos again (and before installing any codec pack) since it works for me in Windows Media Player 10. Also some settings may in ATI's Catalyst control panel (colour correction settings perhaps... I'm not familiar with ATi because I have only used nVidia, nVidia had a bug where the videos would appear washed out and the solution was in that) may have caused this, try disabling the wmv video acceleration.


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## 8dalejr.fan (Nov 20, 2005)

Sorry for getting kinda anxious in that last reply.  

I believe this problem started initially after going from standard CD drivers with my ATI card to the Catalyst Control Centre. 

Perhaps it is a setting in the CCC?

I'll try Windows Media Player 10 and see if that helps. Got a link to the download?  :up:


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## n7Epsilon (Aug 27, 2004)

Try this: Windows Media Player 10 Setup for Windows XP

Don't forget to visit Windows Update after that as there have been several fixes to it since.


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## 8dalejr.fan (Nov 20, 2005)

Ok, thanks! 

I'll try tomorrow. I have to upgrade the Windows Update software first so it can find new updates to download, then I have to install all of them. Then I'll see if it works.

I never messed with Windows Media Player, so there really is no reason as to why the psychadelic colours are there (but they are there! lol ) unless something was altered with that Catalyst Control Centre. 

Hopefully WMP 10 will fix all that... Thanks for the help and I'll let you know how it goes.


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## mattfl2 (Jun 15, 2007)

Hey. 

I recently had this problem on a school computer. I found that the problem was WMP itself. If you still have WMP 9, try this:

Tools -> Options -> Performance tab -> Advanced -> Under "Video Acceleration," uncheck "Use video mixing renderer", and do the same under DVD (assuming you don't want your DVDs to be brightly colored and splotchy). Should work after that.

It's not a problem with any codecs, just WMP itself.


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