Windows Media Player making Threats!

[Grrrrr8]

Call me a rebel, call me ungrateful, call me just plain mean, but...

...something I have been looking forward to in eager anticipation is completely uninstalling Windows Media Player 8/9/10.

I don't see why I need it for anything now. I can use Media Player Classic 6.4.xx for video, and it can support Real and Quicktime formats. Also, I have PowerDVD lying around somewhere if I find myself watching DVD's on the computer. (I seem to have shifted to watching them on the old fashioned TV )

Problem: I go to Add/Remove programs there are three likely looking products to uninstall. they are : Windows Media Format Runtime
Windows Media Player 10
Windows Media Player Hotfix

I figured I would remove the hotfix first. Then I get a message saying that a list of programs as long as my arm MAY no longer function if I remove it. That list happens to include just about every program component of dBpowerAMP.

Now, I am somewhat realistic. If I can't uninstall it, I can probably figure out how to make it so it is never seen or heard from again on this computer. I just thought before I jump in maybe their are implications that I should consider.

Will all my programs really stop working????

-Grrrrr8

[LtData]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

The only way to remove Windows Media Player totally is to not install it to start with. The only way to remove WMP 9/10 after Windows is installed is to do a System Restore to the point before which they were installed.

Even then, it is not recommended to not install WMP 8/9/10. Various system components "break" when this happens. In my case, I leave WMP 9 installed, but never use it. I have pretty much all of my files associated with either WMP 6.4 or Media Player Classic.

[adaywayne]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

The only way to remove Windows Media Player totally is to not install it to start with. The only way to remove WMP 9/10 after Windows is installed is to do a System Restore to the point before which they were installed.

Even then, it is not recommended to not install WMP 8/9/10. Various system components "break" when this happens. In my case, I leave WMP 9 installed, but never use it. I have pretty much all of my files associated with either WMP 6.4 or Media Player Classic.

That problem will soon be solved for our European friends after MS was fined ~$600 million for bundling WMP with Windows with no way to uninstall. As soon as the "fix" is available in Europe, I'm sure we here will be able to get a hold of it! IE should/will be next. If the WMP issue is worth $600 million what do you reckon for IE.....$5 billion?

[ChristinaS]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

So why exactly don't you just not use it if you don't like it? You can associate you media filesl with whatever player you want. Of course, Windows Media files are best associated with Windows Media Player, but even then you can use somethng else - as long as you make sure it's up to date to handle the latest windows medi file formats. Naturally you'll need the codecs for them too... so if you so hate all things Windows you shouldn't bother with any of them. IMO it's your loss really, but entirely your prerogative :D

[adaywayne]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

Deleted because I don't think the message was addressed to me.
Arnie

[LtData]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

That problem will soon be solved for our European friends after MS was fined ~$600 million for bundling WMP with Windows with no way to uninstall. As soon as the "fix" is available in Europe, I'm sure we here will be able to get a hold of it! IE should/will be next. If the WMP issue is worth $600 million what do you reckon for IE.....$5 billion?

IE is a horse of a different color. You can extract it from windows, but think of everything in Windows XP that uses HTML. Any guesses as to what WindowsXP uses to render the HTML? Yup, IE. This means the newly HTML-based Windows help won't work. Also, how would people get a web browser?

Yes, MS used their monopoly to capture the market with IE. Frankly, it was a better product. Yes, there are alternatives out there. No, most people don't know about them or even care about them. They are perfectly happy with the way things are, and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" the adage goes. Yes, some people consider Firefox to be better, but that doesn't mean everybody is going to download it and use it.

WMP is mostly easy to remove from the OS. It just plays media files.

[Grrrrr8]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

Hi Christina,

I normally follow the path of least resistance, and would do as you suggest, however I find the Micro$oft products normally do not allow for a live and let live cohabitation. for one thing WMP loves to steal file associations away from other programs, although I will admit it does not poach as agressively as in the past. The other thing is its propensity to contact the internet on its own initiative, however even that is not so bad.

For me the main issue is that all of the controls, and privacy settings seem to be worded in such a way as to leave you guessing. So you can leave it...but what priveledges does it have?

The last WMP-10 snaffoo, and I do mean it will be the last, is that in the record window I specified the collumbs to see to help me ID songs (since WMP refuses to use the actual names of the files) Well, as I was still warm with the glow of success a peruse my MP3's to find that every single folder on my computer now has all the column headings changed to match the cd writing window! Bad enough?, No, not yet, it would seem, now when I add a new mp3 to my computer, ITS folder collumns all change to include about 9 collumns, mostly useless---and do you think bit rate is one of those 9? Nope!

I know you are thinking that I stupidly gave WMP permission to automatically scan my computer for new files, or add information, or anything for that matter but I have never even given it permission to hide out on my task bar.

The program is like an invading army. It moves in, takes over, makes its own rules, and even attempts to corrupt your very thought processes? Exaggeration? Okay, simple test, read the following statement: "The WMP music library is an easy and convenient way to organize my files." If the answer is true, well....i don't know how to tell you this but your mind has been.....

I will say right out in the open that yes, I do believe microsoft knows every thing I have ever played on WMP!

anecdotal evidence: You say no do not share information with partners, do not fetch info from interenet, ect. Then as soon as you click play Firewall to human, WMP is attempting to connect to the internet...

(By the way, I prefer the LAME mp3 to wma, although clearly files take more room. There are so many advantages in managing the files, and IMHO they sound better, I don't know why. I might just have a funny prefernce in sound quality).

by the way, I am using Firefox most of the time....

That was fun...

---------
Back to somewhat relevent information (though incomplete). You may want to look on the side bar of add and remove programs where you can set program access defaults and add and remove windows components. I think one can find at least some relief there.


- Grrrrr8

P.S. - I do like the psychodelic "visualizations" in WMP. I like watching the green bars in dAP. Don't take much to amuse me!

[LtData]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

Back to somewhat relevent information (though incomplete). You may want to look on the side bar of add and remove programs where you can set program access defaults and add and remove windows components. I think one can find at least some relief there.

Read the fine print. The "Windows Media Player" box there only removes it from the Start Menu and Desktop.

[ChristinaS]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

LOL! Now how is it I don't have those same problems with WMP? Ok, I'm not yet using WMP 10 since my regular PC is still on Windows 2000. My other one is on XP though, with WMP 10, and I've not noticed any abnormal behaviour.

The thing is I don't use or manage a music collection. I simply have audio files which I play by whichever player I chose to play them. I mostly use WMP since I mostly deal with a lot of Windows media files. I make .asx meta-files for them, complete with all sorts of bells and whistles. I post them on the web for streaming. WMP is the preferred player for this.

Now the number of columns you see, I assume you mean in Windows Explorer, can be defined and contained in the folder settings. It's your choice what you want to see there, and yes, the bit rate is one of the fields which will be shown if the information is available.

WMP doesn't do any more hijacking of media files than any of the other players. WInamp does it upon installation. Real Player does it too, as do Quicktime, MusicMatch and god knows which other ones are out there. All can be easily tamed through their own settings. Including the desire to go to the web for one thing or another. Or dealing with any media library for that matter.

In any case WMP only goes to the web to get information on artists and songs when you play a cd, not files from your own computer. And this is an option you can control.

So..... any more gripes? :D

[adaywayne]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

IE is a horse of a different color. You can extract it from windows, but think of everything in Windows XP that uses HTML. Any guesses as to what WindowsXP uses to render the HTML? Yup, IE. This means the newly HTML-based Windows help won't work. Also, how would people get a web browser?

Yes, MS used their monopoly to capture the market with IE. Frankly, it was a better product. Yes, there are alternatives out there. No, most people don't know about them or even care about them. They are perfectly happy with the way things are, and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" the adage goes. Yes, some people consider Firefox to be better, but that doesn't mean everybody is going to download it and use it.

WMP is mostly easy to remove from the OS. It just plays media files.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes IE would be much more difficult to disentangle from the operating system, but it can and has been done, for example, by experts for the Government in the most recent suit against MS. Other browsers can be installed and uninstalled with ease and as the customer wishes. I personally use Firefox except for automatic Windows Updates, which works only with IE.

[adaywayne]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

In any case WMP only goes to the web to get information on artists and songs when you play a cd, not files from your own computer. And this is an option you can control.

:D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It does it for any mp3 and wma files on your hard-drive too....if you let it! One of the problems I have with it is that, for CD-Rs or audio files on your hard-drive, it does not display the track titles (even the free DAP does that right.)

[Grrrrr8]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

Hi - Just thought I finally check back and see if my harsh words got under anyone's skin. ChristinaS, you have what appears to be a good head on your shoulder's and an easy going personality. I used to do exactly as you do w/ regards to Windows Media Player, which I will abbreviate as WiMP for short. It did not take me very long to understand that the media library, along with not including MP3, and there abysmal meta tags for files were all part of an attempt to render your music collection all but useless. I too opted out of wmp to manage files. What happened? A marketing friend had a suitcase full of Rio 600's way back when it was new, and she gave me 4 or 5 of them. I loved them. Eventually I got the Rio 900 which i loved even more. Problem was i was totally new to MP3 player's and the internet, the only players i knew that could download to the Rio's were RealOne, and WiMP. Eventually, my little hobby started to take off and my hard drives space grew from 40 GB to 410 GB. My MP3's number in the thousands, and it became a nightmare trying to keep track of my music when if I turn my back for just a second WiMP dives right in interferes in anything even remotely related to music files.

Really, no one has to tell me a thing about any of the option in WiMP. You have no idea how long I have spend studying them while trying to solve problems that would not even be issues with Honest software. I know what the options say, and I even know what they actually to in some isolated cases. If you believe what you said about what files it accesses and only if you give them permission you are just plain wrong. Autoupdating. what are your options again? daily, weekly, monthly? Hmmm was there an option to not autoupdate? Don't think so. Why is M$ so determined to have you autoupdate? It may interest you to know that most computer spyware protection programs implicate programs for which there is no way to deactivate automatic "updating" Then there is the matter of the WiMP Scripting exploit that if not fixed allows remote code execution and complete control of your entire computer. Then there is the matter of retrieving song titles, and the reporting of errors. go to run and type in services.msc and look for portable media player serial service. If you have SP-1 (i don't have sp-2 so do not know) I am willing to bet that that service is set to start automatically at window start-up regardless of how you answered the question in the set up about "helping us make....even better...give us your players ID serial number..." Why don't you ever see the service? well, it runs under svchost.dll, allong with about a billion other processes using the same name so it will never be listed in the task manner in any meaningful way. I could go on, but my point is the non-use strategy is pretty reasonable, but there is frankly no way that you or I can be sure what info it sends back to the mother ship. it is deep into your system an grants itself internet access and two processes at least that start up with XP. Bottom line? If you cant afford to use anything else use it. If you have a truly good media player (like dAP!) you really ought to disable its autostarting services, block it at the socket level, take all file type associations away, and certainly remove it from any default access status that it may have. You won't stop it, but at least you will have giving it the old college try.

I personally only think it is okay as a player to begin with. I don't like any of it's proprietary codecs because there are better ones out there. There is nothing it does that I don't have other programs that do better, and I am more than sure that it does a lot that not many people would appreciate. It squanders memory resources, and has a very annoying interface, that cant even display song title - artist - bitrate all at the same time for a song that is playing. Yep mediocre straight down the line. what's really funny? if you buy the codecs and the dsp's to make it work (still not as good as dAP) you are paying just as much as you would to have spent buying a real music management program! Only you will still have all the beforementioned problems and more.

Please, Please don't tell me that it only does what the user authorizes! Somebody might read it and take it seriously!


Grrrrr8

P.S. - The equalizer built into dAP is really good! Spoon, if you are out there just want to say I love this program. I may put a couple thoughts on the wishlist but they are pretty minor.
This has the feel of software that was written by someone who might actually use it. That makes one hell of a difference!

[Spoons]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

P.S. - The equalizer built into dAP is really good!

it still needs fixing as i think there is at least one EQ setting that doesn't work. it is "almost" perfect, just needs to be set properly once and for all eh Spoon :p

[ChristinaS]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It does it for any mp3 and wma files on your hard-drive too....if you let it! One of the problems I have with it is that, for CD-Rs or audio files on your hard-drive, it does not display the track titles (even the free DAP does that right.)

I have never had it go to the web for anything but CD-R's! But I suppose there may be a setting somewhere for that that I have missed.

As for displaying titles, it most certainly does. It takes them right from the ID tag. If the title isn't there it will display the file name, that's all. But it won't show anything for a track from an audio cd unless it finds it on the net, that's for sure. maybe you've not had it configrued to show the titles. Go to View > Now Playing options and then select all the fields you want to see.

Please, Please don't tell me that it only does what the user authorizes! Somebody might read it and take it seriously!

Wow, a bit paranoid, aren't you? LOL!

First of all Autoupdate is a feature I expect and highlty appreciate in all software. Don't get me wrong, I don't like silent autoupdates, but the ones that inform you there's a new version available, blah, blah...and ask me to give the ok. WMP does that this way.

Since I personally have no particular need for any sort of music file management, how good or bad WMP's is is irrelevant to me.

I don't buy music on the net, I don't listen to music from the media sites that WMP or Real or any of the other players can take you to and will try to promote to you IF YOU LET THEM. I have steadfastedly opted out of all these notifications except of the software updates. No problem at all. Right after an update I make sure they stay that way too, because yes, they will revert to defaults which are not mine.

Am I worried about critters getting in through WMP? I'm not. I'll have to get them from someplace, and those places I don't go to. Am I worried WMP may collect information about my listening habits? Nope. Because it woudl only do so if I follow their urls to sources they recommend. I don't. And if by some convoluted stretch of imagination it were actually possible to "leak" information about anything, that would be the most excruciatingly boring piece of information. But do you really think there's anybody or anyhting out there collecting endless feeds on hundreds of millions of computers? And doing what with them?

And why would I want to buy WMP or Real Player or any of the others? They would bring me nothing more of what I need than what the free version does and that I want.

Probably the valid point you make, which is rather irrelevant for most modern computers, is that it's wasteful on resources. As for quality of windows media files, well, it's all open to discussion and a matter of preference. Audio quality to me is fine, to the extent that my own computer audio equipment is in good working order.... which is not quite the case.

I too like dAP because of its versatility in handling all sorts of different file types and the nice skins it comes with and all that - plus I can appreciate the effort and care that's been put into it and the constant and continual upgrading that Spoon does. And yes, the quality is excellent. Can I tell the difference between a file played by wmp and the same file played by dAP? Not without looking at the screen. Am I deaf? Probably. :D

[adaywayne]

Re: Windows Media Player making Threats!

As for displaying titles, it most certainly does. It takes them right from the ID tag. If the title isn't there it will display the file name, that's all. But it won't show anything for a track from an audio cd unless it finds it on the net, that's for sure. maybe you've not had it configrued to show the titles. Go to View > Now Playing options and then select all the fields you want to see.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I was referring to CD-Rs, Christina. It doe not recognize the track titles like DAP and Media Classic Player do. I have all those option that you men checked.
Arnie