Resolved Uninstalling W Media Player?

Hi,

It strikes me I never use W Media Player. I have the current 11. My default player for the appropriate files is Winamp. Is there any point in keeping W Media Player? If I uninstall it, I assume I would also uninstall the Runtime.

Thanks much.

 

Jilly,

Here is a web site from Microsoft to help you Uninstall Media Player in Windows XP:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934372

If you use Winamp and never use Media Player, I do not see why you would need to keep it on your PC.

The web site also tells you how to prevent Windows Update from downloading Windows Media Player 11 and reinstalling it.

 

Thanks so much! I will follow those instructions and hope it doesn't just roll back to 10.
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By the way, may I say I like this very much:

I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than be a success at something I hate.

 

Hi,

I must report that using the excellent MS link, method one, booted into safe Mode, then command prompt takes you to Add/Remove, I saw W Media Player does not appear in Add/Remove. Including when I expanded add/remove.

The FX plug in does.

Using method two, the command prompt to uninstall the core of the player yielded an error message saying the location is not available, yadda, yadda.

It's there; it shows up in W Explorer, i now think it just does not wanna get dumped.

I looked in Windows components, and there they are, versions: 9, 10 & 11. All holding on for dear life. lol

Is this a sign from heaven I should let them stay? lol

This is NOT AN EMERGENCY.

Edit: How much will I mess up if I remove them via W explorer? And the reg keys manually. BIG mess, yes?

 

When you go to Start -> Programs does Windows Media Player appear there ?

*****REMOVING ANY REGISTRY KEY MANUALLY CAN CAUSE MAJOR PROBLEMS*****

 

Hi Again,

Forgot to mention, I did that after trying the two methods and it does not appear there, believe it or not.

Let me open My Music and see if I can associate an MP3 file to it.

How strange is all this?

I will stay away from the reg key, I promise. Tho haven't always and maybe that was luck and I will not push it. I just needed to do that coupla times to get rid of apps which would not go away completely.

 

I use Total Uninstall to remove unwanted or no longer needed programs.
It does a great job.

Here is a link to Total Uninstall

 

Addendum: I am now thinking I may have uninstalled some component WMP needs af4er downloading some media file from MS and then uninstalling it. Cause when I tried "open with" for an MP3 file, W Media Configuration Tool appeared in the list via Browse, not W Media Player, per se.

Trying to work and do this too....so I hit that, and oddly W Media Player NINE tried to open but with this error message: failed to open cause framedyn.dll was not found, try reinstalling the app, etc.

Shall I now reinstall w Media Player so I can uninstall all of them via the normal routes?

So sorry about all this; it's all unexpected.

 

I'd say that's the way to go and afterwards you may consider installing Real Alternative with WMP Classic to recover any missing codecs you may lose.

 

No problem at all:

** Here is what I would do. **
Download Total Uninstall and Install it.
Then reinstall Media Player.
If you do not want Media Player - open Total Uninstall and Uninstall it from there.

I just open Total Uninstall and Windows Media Player 11 can be uninstalled with it.

The Total Uninstall program even removes the registry entries that may be left behind
once Media Player is removed.

This is from the Micrsoft Link above:
To prevent Windows Update from downloading Windows Media Player 11, follow these steps:
Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
Click Custom, and then click Software, Optional in the Microsoft Update Home pane.
Expand Windows Media Player 11.
Click to select the Don't show this update again check box.

Note If the Don't show this update again check box is unavailable or dimmed, click to clear the Windows Media Player 11 check box, and then click to select the Don't show this update again check box.
Click Review and Install updates to save the setting.

 

OK sorry re new post.....I did what I asked if I should do, and WMP is back with its little dll file.

I shall now, when I have time, employ the official methods for the uninstall.

 

Outstanding. Just saw this after my last post. And thanks so much for that last link, I could not bear missing codecs, I need my music!

 

Just saw this; you will see, from my last post, I reinstalled WMP before having seen this. Cause I knew it was right thing to do.

And that Total Uninstall app sounds like heaven.

Tho bet Comodo reg cleaner would have done the job pretty well.

Boy am I learing stuff!

 

update: (multitakksing is not one of my gifts, but here I am trying.)

Again, the version of WMP that I restord was 9. I then did not see it in the Total Uninstall interface or my Add/Remove.

I also could not remove it using the command prompts.

I then got I needed to update again to 11. Is this Byzantine yet? lol

I then went to Updates, 11 appeared, tried to download it but failed. I then use 9 to update it, was asked by MS to let them validate my OS, they did, then it installed.

Now TWO COPIES appear in both Total Uninstall and Add/Remove.

I have no clue, I think it's gremlins.

I will now, when I can, use the lovely new app to try to remove both of them and all their little reg keys, Alicia Keys, piano keys.
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Correction, never do anything in a hurry while working! Not two copies of the player.. One is WMP11 and the other is Runtime. Everything is normal and now I will uninstall both.

 

Another update, this is now getting embarrassing.

Somehwere above I postulated about deleting WMP and the result only being rolling it back. My goal is to delete all of it.

1) Now that everything is again present, I first tried to use the Total Uninstaller to uninstall what is now again 11.

Right off got a message saying fine, it will now roll back to the previous. I closed the app without uninstalling.

Next, I again booted into Safe Mode and used the first command prompt which takes you to add/ remove. I hit uninstall and same deal......we will now roll back. I did nothing and just rebooted.

We are now down to the pithy core: Does this mean I need to run either the app or the command prompt in safe Mode for every version until all of WMP is gone from this system?

Will it all go away???

 

I think it's all gone....though both Comodo reg cleaner and the reg cleaner module in Glary's found some residue. I think it is GONE, I am WMP free and good to go!

Sorry this took so long; and I so appreciate all your help, SP & Mr.Connery!!!

(I did, for some reason, have to reassociate my FLV files to my Wimpy Player, but hey. I think nothing codec related.)

 

Jilly:

The Microsoft site is only used to uninstall Media Player 11.

Part of the problem is when Windows XP is installed one Version of Media Player is installed. It can't be uninstalled because it was installed when the system was installed.

Different versions of XP install different versions of Media Player. This all depends when
the Version of XP was purchased.

In other words - you will not beable to remove every version of WMP.

Hope this clears up some of the confusion.

 

Hi and thanks for this. but for some reason....perhaps sheer will impacts dll & system files---lol---it now appears all gone. Tho if I booted back into Safe Mode and DELVED .....I suspect it would confirm your post.


From what I've learned in this little endeavor, and refreshed my memory, when I loaded Pro it installed WMP 9, then I upgraded to 10 and then 11.

But that's OK, one learns from these little adventures; they are some version of cardio. lol
I used both the Total Uninstall and the command prompts. then, two reg cleaners found needless dead/obsolete keys.

But will I be moved to check more for any WMP related things which may be hiding? Does Santa run W7? (I think he does.)

Healthy, happy Holiday!

I shall now mark this solved. Or resolved.