Member Avatar for velgias

Hi all,
It seems that I have a problem that many others had before,
(judging from other postings on this forum)
though I did not manage to find an answer so I post it again.

My Windows Media player has no sound.

Well, it is not a hwarware problem. I have sound.
I can actually play any file (mp3 or video, xvid, or DVD) with
any other program (e.g., mplayer) without a problem.
All the windows sounds work perfectly.

Only think that does not work is the sound when playing something
on WMP.

Funny thing: I logged out and logged in again as a different user.
Everything works fine for all the other users apart from me. :sad:

If it is about a codec, why it is not affecting the other users?
How do I find the installed codecs of WMP?

By the way I have WMP 11. I have tried to unistalled it and install
it back. No difference.
Everything was working fine until today that I discovered it
but I do not know for how long it has this problem ...


Any ideas what to do?
Thanks in advance.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

Dani AI

Generated

A single-account failure of Windows Media Player is the key clue here: system sounds and other players work, and other Windows accounts play media normally, while WMP 11 in 's profile is silent. That pattern points to a per-user WMP configuration, library or renderer selection rather than a global driver or hardware fault.

Given 's observation that audio-device registration can be involved, start with WMP-level checks before system-level removal. Verify the player’s internal volume/mute, and confirm the selected output under Tools > Options > Devices > Speakers (Properties) matches the same device Windows uses. Use Tools > Options > Advanced > Restore Defaults to reset WMP’s per-user settings.

If resetting does not help, force WMP to rebuild user-specific data. With WMP closed, rename the Media Player folder in the profile so the player creates a fresh library on next start. On Windows XP that folder is:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Media Player
(Local Settings is hidden.) Export playlists or copy the folder first to preserve ratings/playlists. As a more advanced step, export the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer before removing it to let WMP recreate per-user registry entries.

Because the thread shows the problem can be profile-specific, creating a fresh Windows account and migrating media is a practical workaround when per-user data is corrupt. Also consider per-account plug-ins, virtual audio drivers or Bluetooth renderers (which may register only for one profile) as possible culprits; disable them if present. Always back up playlists and registry keys before making these changes.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

what worked for me was to delete all my audio devices from device manager then reboot and run the add new hardware wizard

Member Avatar for velgias

Thanks a lot Jbennet,
it worked for the too. Great!
Note however that the first time I tried, it did NOT work
because I removed only the sound devices. I had to remove
the bluetooth as well (XP considers it an audio device
but categorizes it elsewhere).

Member Avatar for jbennet

k didnt know that

my dad had this problemn when he upgraded to WMP11 (every windows update seems to break it again) and thats how i came about this fix

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