Help please with Windows Media Player

I used W98 for many years, and Karen still does. Our solution to this problem wasn't really a solution: we never used WMP unless we had to for some reason. When I do streaming audio (the only one I do regularly is the surf show at 8PM Pacific time on Saturday nights from KFJC radio

go check it out, you'll be hooked like I was) I use Winamp.

If you want to dig deeper you're going to have to go into the maws of the beast: go to microsoft.com and start wading through their online help. They should have a big warning screen that comes up when you start that says,

ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE

That's all I have to say about Windows. At my house we have a few topics which we do NOT discuss (they being too incendiary). They are: word processing software, traffic laws, and any Microsoft software. (NO KIDDING) Peace.

Grant

Welcome to the club!

Abrasha

I am a long time (since 1995) linux user. Before I got married in

1999, I did not even have a windows computer at home. I use linux to make money and run on linux) and could not be happier with reliability and performance.

There is nothing that I want to do that would require me to have windows.

i

At my house the kids and my wife just roll their eyes when I start my (almost daily) rant against Windows, Micro$oft, and/or Bill "the Antichrist" Gates.

I, as many others, despise Windows, as well as almost any Microsoft application. Unfortunately a lot of the programs that I have used for many years, and still use, are not published for the Mac. And Virtual PC (another Micro$oft product) on the Mac is not an option for me.

Abrasha

As I said before, welcome to the club.

Having said that, your OS is extremely outdated. If you don't want switch to a Mac, which is a great alternative if you are not dependent on Windows only application software, then you are long overdue for an OS upgrade.

Get XP and do a clean install, not an upgrade.

Abrasha

Fugitabbut obtaining any help from Microsoft! You will only get totally discouraged by all the sing-song (Chinese) or heavy Indian or Pakastani accents. They become less understandable as the session wears on; question one or ask them to repeat and they only talk faster and less coherently. Hey! But the price is right - only a waste of your time. When I had Win

98, I got good help from the regular Microsoft help line but had to pay for it. AFAIK, most of the regular help people speak English but I don't hold out much hope for you getting any resolution for a Win 98 problem.

Bob Swinney

I really enjoy these threads, I really do. The subject is about not being able to use software that any non-nerd nine-year-old can operate, how embarrasing!

Windows 98 may be 7 years old, but nothing's changed about the world except the most intensive applications -- mostly industrial programs like CAD, and the top games -- that demands an operating system any newer.

'98SE handles my Duron just fine, and just reading e-mail, newsgroups, light internet work (if hard to find with the overabundance of Flash and Javascript today) and word processing doesn't even need anything so sophisticated anyway. (Geez, computers have been word processing earlier than 1980!)

Tim

-- Deep Fryer: a very philosophical monk. Website:

OK smartypants, why doesn't wmp work on my computer? What do I need to do or change? Eric

Smart ass!

Abrasha

Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions... could be drivers, configuration, bad installation of something or other, etc. Think I'd have to see the computer to fix it, really.

Tim

-- Deep Fryer: a very philosophical monk. Website:

Eric,

WMP 9 has definite OS/driver/hardware requirements. Make sure that you are using at least Win 98 SE (Second Edition). Usually, the drivers from Win 98 SE through Win 2000/XP are supported by WMP 9 as long as the audio hardware is capable. If you are using just plain Win 98 (not SE) then that could be your problem and you do need to upgrade your OS. If you are using Win 98 SE then try upgrading your drivers for your current audio hardware. If that does not work then you might want to replace your audio hardware. If your hardware does not support WMP 9's capabilities then it will not matter what OS you are using, it won't work and you must upgrade your hardware. If your audio is integrated into your MB (motherboard) then you may be looking at a serious hardware upgrade if you stick with WMP.

Good luck,

Terry

Greetings Terry, Thanks for the info. I am running 98SE. But the sound is built into the motherboard. So it looks like the real fix is to buy a sound card. Thanks Again, Eric