Member Avatar for UnknownWarrior

well now im having problems with windows media player i cant uninstall it anymore cuz its not in the add/remove section...its cuz i wanted to completely take out windows media player and reinstall it cuz it wouldnt work...also i deleted its registry keys in the windows media player folder...now when i try to reinstall it says this error message: "This version of Windows Media Technologies is incompatible with this version of Windows. For more information, view the information at the Microsoft web site." i wonder why it is not compatible with it cuz i downloaded the right one, xp version, and when i view the website it just says to download a fresh one and reinstall but i cant reinstall cuz it keeps on saying that error...when i try to click on the windows media player icon that is still in my comp it says:"one of the library files needed to run this application cannot be found"...hope you guys figure out a way of my problem...thanks in advance

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Catweazle

Dani AI

Generated

Short follow-up (adds focused, practical repair steps before a refresh install)

The symptoms described by — deleted WMP registry keys, the “one of the library files needed…” DLL error and the installer complaint “This version of Windows Media Technologies is incompatible…” — usually mean core WMP system files or registry entries were removed or got out of sync. A full refresh/repair install (as suggested) will fix this, but several less-invasive fixes often restore WMP and save a lot of work.

Try these steps in order (make a restore point or backup the registry first):

  1. Restore the system to a point before the registry edits (if a suitable restore point exists). System Restore will roll back registry and protected system files. (support.microsoft.com)

  2. Run the System File Checker to repair missing/corrupt system files:

    sfc /scannow

    This will attempt to replace missing WMP files from the Windows cache or the install source. If SFC reports files it can’t fix, note their names — they identify what to replace manually. (support.microsoft.com)

  3. If the installer still reports “incompatible,” check for the Windows Media Format runtime in Add/Remove Programs and uninstall it first (the runtime can block certain WMP installers). If WMP still fails because wmploc.dll is missing, restore that file from the ServicePackFiles\i386 folder or the XP CD:

    copy %windir%\ServicePackFiles\i386\wmploc.dll %windir%\System32\

    or, from the CD (assume D:):

    EXPAND D:\i386\WMPLOC.DL_ C:\Windows\System32\WMPLOC.DLL

    (These steps come from Microsoft guidance for the WMP 10 installer.) (betaarchive.com)

  4. If WMP complains about version mismatches after files are back, update the WMP version entries and registry using the built‑in unregistration helper, then reregister the player DLL:

    %SystemRoot%\inf\unregmp2.exe /UpdateWMP
regsvr32 wmp.dll

    This fixes out‑of‑sync registry version entries that cause the “must be reinstalled” messages. (support.microsoft.com)

Always export the registry keys being changed (or create a System Restore point) before editing system keys. Guidance on backing up/restoring the registry is available from Microsoft. (support.microsoft.com)

If these targeted repairs don’t restore WMP, proceed with the in‑place/refresh repair that recommended — it’s the reliable last resort.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for Catweazle

The simple answer would seem to be a refresh install of Windows XP:

followed by updating WMP.

Member Avatar for UnknownWarrior

will this erase all of my stuff and settings if i do this?

*edit*
when i try to install it, it says an error : "Setup cannot continue because the version of Windows on your computer is newer than the version on the CD.

Warning: If you decide to delete the newer version of Windows that is currently installed on your computer, the files and settings cannot be recovered."

Member Avatar for Catweazle

A refresh install will leave programs and data files in place. Ensure that you precisely follow the instructions in the linked Knowledge base article. You WILL need to reinstall some Windows updates afterwards, unfortunately.

Member Avatar for UnknownWarrior

wow thanks for the help but now i have to reinstall all of the updates :cry: well i appreciate it that you helped me :)

Member Avatar for Catweazle

If you have Broadband internet I'd recommend downloading and saving to CD the full developers packs for Service pack 2:

It saves quite a bit of downloading time afterwards if you need to perform a refresh install or clean install of Windows XP

Member Avatar for UnknownWarrior

whats the diff. with the full developer service pack then the regular one?

Member Avatar for Catweazle

It's simply a full installation of SP2. If you 'download' the Service Pack via Windows Update, only the portions of it not yet installed are downloaded. Previously installed security updates are omitted.

The full Service Pack is about 270Mb in size, the download via Windows Update can be much smaller at times.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

errmmm........

It sounds very much like the fellow has already done a refresh install and corrected the problem, although he hasn't specifically said so.

In any case that is a Beta version of WMP you've linked, not a final release. The final release of WMP 10 is available from Microsoft.

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