Installing Windows Media Player 10
Learn tips for setting up Windows Media Player 10.
Answers refer to Windows Media Player 10, unless otherwise noted.
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How much does Windows Media Player 10 cost?
Windows Media Player 10 is a free update to the Windows Media Player functionality in the Microsoft Windows XP family of operating systems. You can also install Windows Media Player 10 on Windows Server 2003 operating systems by installing Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1).
What do I need to install Windows Media Player 10?
Windows XP
Windows Media Player 10 is designed to update the Windows XP family of operating systems (Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition). If you are running Windows XP, we recommend that you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) because Windows Media Player 10 uses the latest security updates and innovations in the operating system to help protect your computer. For more information about Windows XP SP2, see the Windows XP Home Page.
To make sure that the software and hardware on your computer is compatible with Windows Media Player 10, see the System Requirements.
Windows Server 2003
You can install Windows Media Player 10 on the Windows Server 2003 family of operating systems by installing Windows Server 2003 SP1. In addition, Windows Media Player 10 is the default Player version in Windows Server 2003 R2.
Other Operating Systems
Windows Media Player 10 is not supported on other Microsoft operating systems.
Is Windows Media Player 10 available in my language?
Windows Media Player 10 is available in 26 languages. To see if the Player is available in your language, go to the Windows Media Download Center. At the top of the Web page, you'll see three boxes (Select Download, Select Version, and Select Language). Select the following choices in the boxes:
| • | In the Select Download list, click Windows Media Player. |
| • | In the Select Version list, click Player 10. |
| • | In the Select Language list, click the language version of the Player that you want. |
NoteIf you want to add online stores from another country or region to Windows Media Player 10, change the locale on your computer to a country or region that features more online stores. For more information, see the question, "My Player displays a limited number of online stores. Is there a way I can add more?" in the Media Advice archive.
Should I remove my previous Player before installing Windows Media Player 10?
Windows Media Player 10 Setup will simply update the Player functionality that is currently installed on your system. It is not necessary to remove your current Player, nor is it desirable to do so because the Player is a feature of the operating system and can't be removed entirely. For more information, see the "Installation" section of the Windows Media Player FAQ.
Will I lose my music and video files if I install Windows Media Player 10?
Windows Media Player 10 Setup only updates the features in the current version of the Player. It doesn't make any changes to the content in your library or to the digital media files on your computer.
Note that, in order to keep the song ratings and play counts for your digital media files, you will need to copy this information to the files before you install the Player. By default, ratings and play counts are stored in your library rather than in the digital media files themselves. This means that when you install Windows Media Player 10, the ratings and play counts are not automatically retained. To prevent this, download and run the Ratings Migration PowerToy for Windows Media Player9 Series in Powertoys and Utilities. This unsupported utility copies user ratings from Media Library to your digital media files.
Why do I get a message saying that the Setup file is "not a valid Win32 application" when I try to install the Player?
For some reason, the Setup file has become corrupted. You must delete the Setup file from your browser's Internet cache, and then download a new copy of the Setup file from the Windows Media Download Center.
To delete temporary Internet files
1. | On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. |
2. | On the General tab, in the Temporary Internet files area, click the Delete Files button, and then click OK. |
To ensure that you obtain the complete Setup file, we recommend that you download it from the Windows Media Download Center to your computer before you run it. After you click the Download Now button for the Player version that you want, in the File Download dialog box, click the Save button and save the Setup file to your desktop. When you click Save, a dialog box appears that shows the Setup file download progress. Wait for "Download Complete" to be displayed, and then click the Run button in the dialog box to start Windows Media Player Setup.
If you don't want to save the Setup file to your computer first, you can click the Run button in the File Download dialog box instead. Setup will start automatically after the file is downloaded to your browser's Internet cache. We recommend that you do this only if you have a fast Internet connection, and you have cleared your browser's Internet cache first.
NoteFor more information about additional messages you might encounter while trying to install the Player, see the Media Advice archive.
How do I uninstall Windows Media Player 10?
You can use either Add or Remove Programs or System Restore to roll back from Windows Media Player 10 to the previous version of the Player that was part of your original version of Windows.
To roll back using Add or Remove Programs
1. | In Control Panel, open Add or Remove Programs. | ||||
2. | In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, do one of the following:
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To roll back from Windows Media Player 10 to a previous version using System Restore, see Use System Restore to Undo Changes if Problems Occur.
Why can't I roll back Windows Media Player 10?
Rollback failure usually indicates that Media Player 10 Setup didn't finish successfully. If rollback fails, you should use System Restore to roll back from Media Player 10 to your previous version. For more information, see Use System Restore to Undo Changes if Problems Occur.
If you don't find the answer to your question in this column, be sure to check the Archive. Media Advice is not an official Microsoft Support channel. If you need immediate help for an urgent problem, we recommend that you visit Microsoft Help and Support.