IE 6 and WMP 7.1 Problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ted Rodrick
  • Start date Start date
T

Ted Rodrick

Some necessary background info first: I'm running Windows 98,
Internet Explorer v6.0, and Windows Media Player v7.1. My
preference viz WMP is to run in the "Compact Mode," controlling
player size by clicking-and-dragging the "window size adjuster"
in the right-bottom corner of the player.

My normal settings for IE6 are:
- ActiveX: disabled
- Javascript: disabled, and
- Software Security: HIGH

My wife, frustrated over being unable to access/use some features
of a particular site, mucked with the IE6 settings. Specifically,
she *enabled* Javascript, and changed the Security setting to LOW.

Now (finally) to the WMP problem. When I attempted to use it these
evening, I found it opened in FULL mode (and max size); I can change
the size of the overall window but have little control over the size
of the "playing screen" (which is my major gripe). When I attempt to
change it to the COMPACT mode (from the View Menu) I get the following
ERROR message:

XML Parse Error
Line 1 Column 1
Failed to find token
<M2

leaving the player stuck in FULL mode. FWIW, the keyboard combo
Cntrl+2 (which normally will toggle back to COMPACT mode) does
not work. Clicking on the small "toggle" icon in the lower right
corner of the player produces the same result (including the
error message) as clicking on COMPACT mode from the View menu.

My surmise, is that with the security settings "highly vulnerable,"
a malicious site stealthily downloaded a script which changed the
WMP settings. I uninstalled WMP v7.1, and then downloaded the
player and did a fresh install; I fully expected that to solve
the problem, but ... no such luck. I checked the "Startup" items
(Start/Run/MSCONFIG) looking for some suspicious new applet that
was re-introducing the change at a reboot, but found nothing new.

One thing I may try ... if I can find a previous version of WMP
(e.g. v 5.X or 6.X) ... is uninstally this xy!!!yy*** version of
the player and regress to an earlier version. It would be cleaner
and nicer, of course, if the explanation was a script which could
be modified or eliminated (or anything like that localized to an
accessory file).

Other than that, at the moment, I'm out of ideas. Can anyone help?

TIA

Ted Rodrick
 
Ted Rodrick said:
Some necessary background info first: I'm running Windows 98,
Internet Explorer v6.0, and Windows Media Player v7.1. My
preference viz WMP is to run in the "Compact Mode," controlling
player size by clicking-and-dragging the "window size adjuster"
in the right-bottom corner of the player.

My normal settings for IE6 are:
- ActiveX: disabled
- Javascript: disabled, and
- Software Security: HIGH

My wife, frustrated over being unable to access/use some features
of a particular site, mucked with the IE6 settings. Specifically,
she *enabled* Javascript, and changed the Security setting to LOW.

Now (finally) to the WMP problem. When I attempted to use it these
evening, I found it opened in FULL mode (and max size); I can change
the size of the overall window but have little control over the size
of the "playing screen" (which is my major gripe). When I attempt to
change it to the COMPACT mode (from the View Menu) I get the following
ERROR message:

XML Parse Error
Line 1 Column 1
Failed to find token
<M2

leaving the player stuck in FULL mode. FWIW, the keyboard combo
Cntrl+2 (which normally will toggle back to COMPACT mode) does
not work. Clicking on the small "toggle" icon in the lower right
corner of the player produces the same result (including the
error message) as clicking on COMPACT mode from the View menu.

My surmise, is that with the security settings "highly vulnerable,"
a malicious site stealthily downloaded a script which changed the
WMP settings. I uninstalled WMP v7.1, and then downloaded the
player and did a fresh install; I fully expected that to solve
the problem, but ... no such luck. I checked the "Startup" items
(Start/Run/MSCONFIG) looking for some suspicious new applet that
was re-introducing the change at a reboot, but found nothing new.

One thing I may try ... if I can find a previous version of WMP
(e.g. v 5.X or 6.X) ... is uninstally this xy!!!yy*** version of
the player and regress to an earlier version. It would be cleaner
and nicer, of course, if the explanation was a script which could
be modified or eliminated (or anything like that localized to an
accessory file).

Other than that, at the moment, I'm out of ideas. Can anyone help?

TIA

Ted Rodrick

http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=wmp pick your poison
or, Upgrade to WMP8.Create a Restore Point before going to WMP8
if you so choose.

HTH

--

siljaline

"Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game
because they almost always turn out to be -- or to be indistinguishable from
-- self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free
time."
- Neil Stephenson, _Cryptonomicon_
 
Hi siljaline,
http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=wmp pick your poison
or, Upgrade to WMP8.Create a Restore Point before going to WMP8
if you so choose.

HTH

Thanks for the URL of the "old version" site. One thing, however, I
find NO REFERENCE to a WMP8 version on that site. Offered are:

- WMP 9.0 (current version ... XP users only)

- WMP "old versions"--- 5.1, 6.4, and 7.1

I don't run WindowsXP (yet), so WMP 9.0 is not an option. I will
give versions 6.4 and 5.1 a try, to see if they solve my problem.

FWIW, yesterday I downloaded two "alternative" (3rd party) players
and gave them a try:

- CDH Media Wizzard 8.3 (shareware), and

- Ashampoo Media Player 1.80 (freeware)

Both of them worked OK in standalone mode, but I was unable to get
either one of them to work *with* IE6 in the online browsing mode.
Maybe there is a place in IE6 to select/designate using some player
other than Windows Media Player, but ... if so ... I was unable to
find it (Thanks, Microsoft).

Thanks again for your help,

Ted Rodrick
 
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