Common Problems

• The sound keeps cutting in and out.
• Why do you broadcast only in Windows Media?
• Why can I play content from some sites but not others?
• Content plays, but there are a lot of pauses and the player says "buffering"?
• After upgrading to WindowsMedia Player 9 with Windows XP, there is no sound.
• After upgrading to WindowsMedia Player 10 with Windows XP SP2, I get an error.
• You can play media content in Media Player, but the quality is poor.
• You still can't hear the sound?
• Error Messages

Solutions

The sound keeps cutting in and out. [ back to top ]

This problem normally occurs due to a slower Internet connection. Things that can cause a slower Internet connection are the weather, the number of people on the Internet, the number of people using your Internet service provider, or the quality of your computer or phone lines. You may have better luck logging off the Internet and then logging back on (as this may give you a better connection).

Why do you broadcast only in Windows Media? [ back to top ]

We have chosen Windows Media to standardize and streamline our Web development process. Windows Media player is available to download for Windows, Mac, and Mac OS X. To download, click here.

Why can I play content from some sites but not others? [ back to top ]

Your computer may be behind a firewall that has not had the appropriate ports opened for use with Netshow Services. However, if a server has HTTP streaming enabled, Windows Media Player can take advantage of its protocol rollover capabilities and receive the file through HTTP instead of the typical (and optimal) streaming protocols. This is why you can receive content from some sites but not others. For the best quality and consistent results, encourage your administrator to open the appropriate ports on the firewall to permit streaming. Other issues that might prevent you from being able to play the content include: The media may not be created in a supported format, Or you may not have access to the appropriate codec that is required to playback the file.

For additional information about specific file formats, visit the Windows Media Player File Format Test page:

Windows Media Player Multimedia File Formats

For more information, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

Q234019 Windows Media Player Invalid File Format Error Message
Q283673 How to turn on or turn off the firewall in Windows XP
Q230687 Error Message: Unable to Download an Appropriate Decompressor
Q291948 Windows Media Player for Windows XP Supported Codecs

Content plays, but there are a lot of pauses and the player says "buffering"? [ back to top ]

The player is most likely experiencing network congestion. This means that there is not enough available bandwidth to stream the selected file. When you are using a TCP connection, the data in the player's buffer is used to supplement the stream until the buffer is used up. Once the buffered data is gone, the player pauses, replenishes the buffer, and then resumes playing, using the new buffer to supplement the playback stream bandwidth. This cycle continues until network conditions improve. Try again when the network is less congested, or select content that is authored for lower bandwidths.

Another option is to configure your player to accept HTTP streams:

Windows Media Player 6.4

Open Windows Media Player.
On the menu bar, select "View" and pull down to "Options."
In Options, select the "Advanced" tab.
Highlight "Streaming Media" in the window shown, and then click the "Change" button.
Under Protocols, uncheck "Multicast, UDP, and TCP." Only HTTP should be checked.
Then hit "OK" to close this window, and "OK" again to close the Options window.

Windows Media Player 7

Open Windows Media Player.
On the menu bar, select "Tools" and pull down to "Options."
In Options, select the "Network" tab.
Under Protocols, uncheck "Multicast, UDP, and TCP." Only HTTP should be checked.
Then hit "OK" to close this window, and "OK" again to close the Options window.

If that doesn't fix it, try increasing your buffering rate in the player:

Windows Media Player 6.4

Open the Windows Media Player.
Pull down the View menu and select "Options."
Go to the "Advanced" tab.
Select "Streaming Media (Windows Media)" and click "Change..."
Increase buffering to "10 seconds of data."
Click "OK."
Close and reopen your web browser.

Windows Media Player 7.0

Open the Windows Media Player.
Pull down the Tools menu and select "Options."
Select "Performance."
Under Network Buffering, select "Buffer."
Adjust buffering to "10 seconds of data."
Click "OK."
Close and reopen your web browser.

After upgrading to WindowsMedia Player 9 with Windows XP, there is no sound. [ back to top ]

This issue can be resolved by downloading and installing the Windows XP service pack 1, either via the built in Windows Update, or at http://www.windowsupdate.com.

After upgrading to WindowsMedia Player 10 with Windows XP SP2, I get an error. [ back to top ]

If you are seeing the following error:

"Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The file is either corrupt or the Player does not support the format you are trying to play."

Try this:

This issue can be resolved by clearing out the cache in Windows Media Player. To do this, open Windows Media Player and select "Tools" and then "Options..." from the menu bar. When a box appears, select the "Privacy" tab. You will find a button to clear the cache in the bottom right hand corner.

You can play media content in Media Player, but the quality is poor. [ back to top ]

Content that is served by Windows Media Technologies is created for specific bandwidth ranges. If the content is created for a 20-Kbps or 300-Kbps connection, but Internet traffic is heavy, the server starts to drop the packets to compensate for increased network congestion. This may cause the audio to be jerky and uneven.

Try again when the connection is better, or make sure to select content that is targeted for the bandwidth that you have available. Even if your connection can handle higher bandwidth, playback may work better if you select a lower bandwidth during periods of heavy network traffic. You might want to try increasing the buffer for playing back streaming media.

You can test the media content by using the Mplayer2.exe program. To start Mplayer2, click Start, click Run, type mplayer2, and click OK. If MPlayer2 can correctly play the media, check for network and performance configuration issues in Windows Media Player.

To change the buffer setting, try these steps:

1. Start Windows Media Player.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. In the Options dialog box, click the Performance tab.
4. In the Network Buffering section, click Buffer and then add 30 seconds (60 seconds is the maximum). This may improve playback, but increasing the buffer causes the system to wait longer before starting to play streaming media while the player fills the buffer.

For more information, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

Q307650 Problems Streaming Content with the Windows Media Player
Q257535 Changing the Proxy and Buffer Settings in Windows Media Player

You still can't hear the sound? [ back to top ]

If the player appears to be playing, but you still don't hear anything, then there may be a problem with your speakers, headphones or your sound card. Check if your computer can play other sounds, and if it can't, ensure that all your cables are connected, your volume is turned up, and your sound card is properly installed.

Error Messages [ back to top ]

Unable to access this media; you may not be connected to the network.
You have encountered WMP error, error= C00D10B5 - no other help is available.

This is a known error with Windows Media Player.
Please see Microsoft KB Article: Q272487 for help with resolving this issue.

Windows Media Player cannot find the specified file. Be sure the path is typed correctly. If it is, the file does not exist in the specified location, or the computer where the file is stored is offline.

This is a known error with Windows Media Player.
Please see Microsoft KB Article: Q303275 for help with resolving this issue.

The proxy did not receive a timely response while attempting to contact the media server.

This is a known error with Windows Media Player.
Please see Microsoft KB Article: Q309339 for help with resolving this issue.

Cannot play back the video stream; no suitable decompressor could be found.
Unable to download an appropriate decompressor.

This is a known error with Windows Media Player.
Please see Microsoft KB Article: Q297752 for help with resolving this issue.