| Q.
| How do I remove lists of files or URLs I have played? |
| A.
| Lists of files or URLs that you have played are displayed in the following locations in the Player: | • | On the File menu (in the list of recently played files) | | • | In the Open URL dialog box | | • | In the Open dialog box |
You can remove the existing lists and you can prevent them from being stored in the future by doing the following: 1.
| On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Privacy tab. | 2.
| To remove the existing lists, click Clear History. This also deletes any changes that you have made to the media information (such as changing the artist name) for CDs and DVDs. | 3.
| To prevent the lists from being stored in the future, clear the Save file and URL history in the Player check box. For more information about clearing information from earlier versions of the Player, in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, see article 243621, "How to delete the recent play list from Windows Media Player." | 4.
| To clear the list of files that are displayed in the Open dialog box in the Player, empty the Recent Documents folder on your computer. | 5.
| To remove the current list of files displayed on the Open dialog box in Windows XP, do the following: 1.
| Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties. | 2.
| On the Start Menu tab, click the Start menu option (not the Classic Start menu option), and then click Customize. | 3.
| On the Advanced tab, click Clear List. For more information about hiding the list in earlier versions of Windows, in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, see article 319958, "Names of Previously Opened and Saved Files Appear in Typical Windows Explorer-Style Dialog Boxes in Windows Me and Windows 2000." |
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| Q.
| How do I remove information about files I have played? |
| A.
| Media information about music files in your library, including files that were created when ripped from CDs, is displayed in the Player. The existing media information cannot be removed, but you can prevent new media information from being retrieved and displayed. Keep in mind, however, that doing so will cause any files created during ripping to be displayed in your library as "Unknown." To prevent media information from being retrieved and displayed, do the following: 1.
| On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Library tab. | 2.
| In the Automatic media information updates for files area, clear the Retrieve additional information from the Internet check box. Note that this also clears the Update music files by retrieving media info from the Internet check box, located on the Privacy tab. |
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| Q.
| How do I remove information about the CDs and DVDs I have played? |
| A.
| Information about CDs or DVDs you have played is displayed in several places in the Player. You can remove the existing information and you can prevent that information from being stored in the future. Keep in mind that if you do so, you must be connected to the Internet when you play CDs or DVDs to view album art, track names, album names, and so on. To remove existing information and prevent information from being stored, do the following: 1.
| On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Player tab. | 2.
| To remove information about CDs or DVDs you have played, click Clear Caches. This also removes stored media information about devices that the Player syncs to, folders that the Player is monitoring, files on which you have performed a search through the Player, and files that you have deleted from your library. | 3.
| To prevent media information about CDs or DVDs from being stored, clear the Display media information from the Internet check box.
If the Update music files by retrieving media info from the Internet check box (located in the same area) is selected, it is possible that media information for CDs you have played will reappear in the Player, if you had ripped music from those CDs to your library. To ensure that no media information for CDs is ever retrieved, you can also clear the Update music files by retrieving media info from the Internet check box. |
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| Q.
| I heard that I can get a computer virus by playing a protected WMA or WMV file. What can I do? |
| A.
| There have been reports that when you try to play some protected Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV) files, one or more Web pages might appear as if they are trying to install spyware, viruses, or other malicious software onto your computer. When you try to play a protected file, the Player checks that media usage rights (also called licenses) that are needed to play the file are on your computer. If no rights exist, the Player tries to download the rights from a Web site that is specified by the company that issued the rights. In rare instances, instead of sending rights to your computer, the Web site could attempt to install spyware, viruses, or other malicious software onto your computer. Typically, this occurs when you use peer-to-peer file sharing programs, such as Morpheus, iMesh, and LimeWire, to download certain protected audio or video files. This issue does not occur when you obtain protected files from legitimate online stores, such as Napster. There are several steps you can take to reduce the chance that you will encounter this issue: | • | Use Windows Update to download and install the latest security updates for your version of Windows. In addition, if you are not running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), we strongly recommend that you consider doing so. | | • | Visit Microsoft Security At Home to learn about using an Internet firewall, using up-to-date antivirus software, and other general steps you can take to protect your computer. | | • | Download and install either the latest update to Windows Media Player 10 (version 10.00.00.3802 or later) or Windows Media Player 11 from Windows Media Player Download. Note that both versions of the Player are only available for Windows XP. | | • | If you obtain protected files from people or companies that you do not know or trust, consider changing the setting in the Player that controls whether the Player should try to acquire rights automatically. When you change this setting and you attempt to play, burn, or sync a protected file for which you don't have a valid rights, a dialog box will appear that will let you choose whether you want to allow your browser to open the indicated Web page. If you doubt the legitimacy of the rights issuer, you can choose not to open the indicated Web page. Note that you will not be able to play, burn, or sync the protected file if you choose not to open the Web page. To change this setting, do the following: 1.
| On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Privacy tab. | 2.
| Do one of the following: | • | For Windows Media Player 11, clear the Download usage rights automatically when I play a file check box. | | • | For Windows Media Player 10, clear the Acquire licenses automatically for protected content check box. |
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Note
If you installed the latest update to Windows Media Player 10 (version 10.00.00.3802 or later) or Windows Media Player 11, clearing this setting will potentially affect all protected files that you try to play, burn, or sync. If you have not installed either version of the Player, this setting will only affect certain types of protected files.
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| Q.
| Why are some options not available to me on the Options dialog box of the Player? |
| A.
| This issue typically happens when you are using the Player at work and your network administrator has used Group Policy to prevent you from changing the options. For example, this might prevent your computer from retrieving media information from the Internet for CDs and DVDs or from downloading media usage rights (also known as licenses) for protected files. If Group Policy is the cause of the problem, contact your network administrator. For information about Group Policy, see Windows Help and Support. |
| Q.
| My question isn't answered in this FAQ. What can I do? |
| A.
| If you do not find an answer to your question in this FAQ, try the following resources: | • | See Windows Media Player Help. To access Help, start Windows Media Player and then press F1. | | • | For other Windows Media FAQs, including other versions of the Player, see Frequently asked questions about Windows Media.
| | • |
To find additional support and troubleshooting resources, see Troubleshooting Windows Media Player.
| | • |
Submit a question to the Windows Media Player newsgroup. Please note that the newsgroup is maintained by a community of knowledgeable users offering peer-to-peer assistance. It is not an official Microsoft technical support resource. As such, Microsoft cannot guarantee that your question will be answered. When you ask a question on the newsgroup, be as specific as possible. For example, be sure to include the following basic information: | • |
Windows Media Player version. (On the Help menu, click About Windows Media Player.) For example, the version might be 10.00.00.xxxx.
| | • |
Windows operating system version. (Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.) In your question, include the full version name (for example, Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2).
| | • | The task that you were trying to accomplish prior to encountering the problem. | | • | If an error message is displayed, note the error message text. (For example, it might say "Windows Media Player has encountered an unknown error.") | | • |
If an error message is displayed, note the error message ID number (for example, "C00D11CD"). You can determine the ID number by clicking the Web Help or More Information button when the error message is displayed.
| | • | If the problem only occurs when you use a particular file, Web link, or URL, provide details about that item. |
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| Q.
| How do I find information about error messages? |
| A.
| To find the error code identification number for a particular error message, on the error message, do one of the following: | • |
Click the Web Help button. A Web page is displayed. The specific error code identification number is mentioned in the first sentence (for example, C00D1197).
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Click the More Information button. A Help topic is displayed. The specific error code identification number is mentioned in the title or at the bottom of the topic (for example, C00D1197).
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For information about Windows Media Player error messages, see Troubleshooting Windows Media Player Error Messages.
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