Solution to Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11) Cannot Stream and Play MMS Media Protocol in Vista
Occasionally, Windows Media Player 11 (WMP 11 or WMP11) that comes with Windows Vista has problem streaming and playing media contents, be it audio or video, from Internet that use MMS protocol. When click on a link on web page that features URL:MMS protocol, or when watching a embedded video clip streaming via MMS protocol, the Windows Media Player does not play the movie, anime, trailer and other video contents, or another media player been launched to stream and playback the video instead.
Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11) cannot be used to play MMS streaming video contents by default, when clicked on URL link location or on web pages embedded with video clips because of program association with the URL:MMS protocol has been altered and disassociated.
Windows Vista, and also Windows XP checks program association that been linked with MMS protocol to determine its next course of action and uses which associated program to play the media. Disassociation from WMP or association of MMS protocol with another media player causes Windows doesn’t know what to do when dealing with URL starts with MMS://, or start the video playback in other media player.
To resolve the issue, simply set back the program association of MMS protocol to WMP 11. To do so in Windows Vista, go to Control Panel -> Programs -> Default Programs, and then click on Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program link. In “Set Associations” window, locate and highlight MMS (URL:MMS Protocol), then click on Change program button to select Windows Media Player from the list of programs available.
The correct setting to let WMP 11 handles all MMS streaming media contents should looks like figure below:
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Entries (RSS)
September 25th, 2009 20:12
Hi,
Like all of you, have tried all of these suggestions, but to no avail.
Is there any way to get VLC media to play the stream instead? That little programme rocks my world, so would have much more faith in it working through Firefox and Win XP.
Tips? Anyone…. Hello?
July 23rd, 2009 11:43
I have tried everything online that I could find recommended about this problem and sometimes it starts working for a while and then stops again.
This fix did not work at all, the wmp was already selected for those protocols he recommended on my computer. I have windows vista 11, just got it on a new computer and hope to never have to get it again. And there is no decent support for this problem.
The HP computer techs advised me they couldn’t fix it and that that wmp could not be completely disabled to use another media player so to contact microsoft, which is a joke since they have no actual support whatsoever. And I don’t have the money to through away paying for support for a problem they are responsible for on a computer I just purchased! Just so they can intentionally scam me out of my money.
This is the extent of their support. I really think they are likely doing this on purpose to control what people can listen to and have access to. Or to trap then into paying to fix their booby traps. It is entirely unacceptable!
July 22nd, 2009 19:21
Vista Home Premium
For subtitles,
I solved this by going to:
Open wmp11,go to Tools-Options-Security
then tick the Show local captions when present.
Also:Play-Lyrics,Captions subtitles-On if available
For viewing movies, installed the shark007 codecs.
that it for me,
hope helped someone,cheers
June 25th, 2009 05:00
Why don’t you people TRY READING THE ARTICLE, he specifically states URL:MMS PROTOCAL is the name of it and IT IS IN THERE! Try reading for a change.
This world is full of idiots.
April 22nd, 2009 02:31
the protocol was my problem and i used the 3′rd method of deleting the corrupted file and video started.would only work in Firefox and the cure in i.e. is running i e as administrator and i don’t feel like screwing with this anymore….thank you
April 12th, 2009 18:34
I tried the above solution but it did not solve the problem for me.. but this solution regarding some dll file not properly registered did solve the issue..
http://knowthyanswer.blogspot.com/2009/03/windows-media-player-11-doesnt-play.html
April 9th, 2009 15:39
Thanks A lot it solve my vista
April 2nd, 2009 02:57
Forgot to add that I’m running XP and IE7.
April 2nd, 2009 02:54
I had this problem too and tried everything. What finally worked was using the flash uninstaller but also making sure no other programs were running. Then also removing shockwave player. Restart, go to adobe and reinstall both. Then register vbscip.dll. Start > Run > “Regsvr32 vbscrip.dll” This worked for me and hopefully others
March 27th, 2009 09:59
And how can I do it in xp???
March 22nd, 2009 08:27
Is there a way to locate someone locally to try this?
March 2nd, 2009 11:51
I’m with Sean. I, too, carried out all of the instructions, but there is no MMS listed in the SET ASSOCIATIONS list. What now? And why can I not listen to a streaming audio radio station just last week and not now?
March 1st, 2009 04:24
Dude, thanks so much for the info. the geeks at HP online help suggested that i restore my computer from scratch. wow. they should read your words. thanks again.
February 21st, 2009 05:49
All of the thing I tried only this will help you: “”John
August 9th, 2008 03:54 11I struggled with this too. Windows Media not playng from imbedded source. I found this fixed it for me.
Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs, under “Custom”, select Windows Media Player”.
Hope this helps. “”
Thank you
February 9th, 2009 00:22
I had the same problem with Firefox. I tried explorer and I got the pop up window with a warning that it wanted to run Active X. I allowed it to run and the video worked. There was no warning or indication that Active X wanted to run in Firefox. I assume I must have a safety setting turned on in Firefox that automatically prohibits Active X. Good luck
February 7th, 2009 15:23
Is there any other way? So far I’ve tried;
- Different codecs
- Altering the wmp settings (although there were no proxy settings at the bottom)
and various stuff.
I really hate it when it just says ready and displays a black screen.
February 6th, 2009 15:14
Great ! I will add this to my bookmarks. TY
January 24th, 2009 22:16
This has been my long time problem with my WMP11. I tried most suggestion in this forum but nothing worked for me.Looks like I had a problem with codecs and I’ve been looking for the right one.fortunately, I found the one that
works.this may not work for everyone but its worth trying.Download and install this (codec)Code Pack ultimate 1. use ur search engine. Hope this work to all of you too..Efren
January 23rd, 2009 22:11
The MMS stream stopped suddenly working on my Vista Ultimate system with WMP 11. After much recearch I found this forum and followed the William’s guide. It worked for me, just delete those simple files. Microsoft should pay attention to this easy fix. I did not found anything about this on their website.
January 15th, 2009 01:26
Hi, none of these solutions work, the one thing I notice has not been mentioned, is when I try and play streaming data, I am prompted to save the file and it will play then?
January 1st, 2009 10:29
ok not to be all wtf to you guys, but im trying to watch a video on thsi site, free6.com and i click on the video link , and it used to automatically open windows media player and..viola .. now — i click on it, the link goes to a blank screen, and i have to copy the url from the link, and paste it into the open url thing, is there any way how i can make it go automatically to opening the link i click on in windows media player ??
January 1st, 2009 01:52
follwed out the instructions and i noticed it was already associated. was hoping i could just click a link, mpg,wmv,avi etc. and
it would open up and play the file in wmp11.
like it used to in wmp 9 or 10. i have to keep looking for an answer.
thnaks anyway,
cn
December 15th, 2008 00:48
y en xp como
November 28th, 2008 21:47
I carried out all of the instructions, but there is no MMS listed in the SET ASSOCIATIONS list. What now?
November 15th, 2008 16:58
Many thanks, William for your useful comments. It worked for me.
November 2nd, 2008 04:20
Thanks William
You really saved my day. My nephew Olli Wimmer is in the finals of Austria’s “STARMANIA” show (new stars casting) and there’s lots of streams on the website http://starmania.orf.at that I wasn’t able to watch until now.
But it works now. But I do have some additional question:
Is it possible to secure streams from saving/downloading? If I try to do that with the snagit capture devive I only get blank screens.
BR
Mcfaul
October 17th, 2008 20:49
This is for Windows XP and WMP 11. When I type the MMS address directly on tne open URL in WMP 11 it won’t work. It only says: Windows Media Player cannot connect to the server. The server name might not be correct, the server might not be available, or your proxy settings might not be correct.
But the steps solved the problem..and it’s surprisingly SIMPLE! (Maybe it will work for Vista?)
1. Open firefox browser (i haven’t tried it on other browsers)
2. type the MMS: on the address bar
3. A new window will appear. It says launch application. Choose WMP.
4. Wait for the stream to start.
I tried it on this: mms://stream.gundam.eu/animax.
Or, we could all just download VLC. It streams AND records the shows ^_^
October 7th, 2008 10:13
Months later after working without a problem WMP 11 doesnt stream live video all of a sudden. Yet another solution – this time under the networks tab and under the third heading “Streaming Proxy Settings” it for some reason was empty or blank. Solution found on the very evil Microsoft site (link below), which suggested that you run the following file: regsvr32 wmnetmgr.dll – it restored the contents under the third heading and also set them to auto.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940029
September 26th, 2008 21:36
I use Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit. I realised that you had to go to Control Panel,Security,Windows Firewall,And on the left with the options: Allow A Program Through Windows Firewall, Check the Windows Media Player. This worked for me. Hope it helps. Other firewall settings may differ.
September 18th, 2008 04:19
I tried that site on my vista machine and it didnt work in IE7 OR firefox.
September 18th, 2008 01:11
Hi William,
Yeah, that video plays just fine, but it’s in Flash. (Maybe that’s the point of your test?) I need to embed Windows Media Player.
THis issue has to do with the deprecation of the mms protocal. However, they still suggest using mms in the URL. This way, the player is supposed to try the other protocols automatically. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Media_Services
This process does seem to work in a stand-alone WM player 11, but not embedded in a web page when viewed in IE 7 on Vista.
I’m thinking about to flying to Seattle to yell at some MS folks. argh.
September 17th, 2008 20:59
Ted I am by no means an expert e.g. trial and error — what happens if you try and watch this video?
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=856915680&play=1
September 17th, 2008 08:41
Hi William,
Thanks for all your work on this. You provided the most detail and are closer to a solution than microsoft. they seem to be silent on this issue. However, I still haven’t been able to make this work.
When Windows Media Player is embedded in a web page, it just won’t work on Vista. However, the same content WILL play when viewed in Firefox or Google Chrome!
Anyone with a solution to this, please help!
August 28th, 2008 11:55
Thank you for writing this, i have been banging my head for the past month and half looking for the solution of playing stream music from 95.5 Kyot from Phoenix.
What happened was, my hard drive crashed so my dell was under warranty so they sent me another hard drive with the factory image, and since then i haven’t been able to listen to my favorite station. But it worked before when i first got my dell. Dell wanted me to pay up to $400 for the solution, which didn’t makes sense if it is still under warranty.
Kudos man, Kudos!!!!!
August 27th, 2008 07:16
I tried the solution and nearly all else, and I was amazed when i finally got it runnig. What I did was to uncheck “allow multisession” or sth like it (sorry, I run Polish version so dont have proper translation) in Network tab of WMP options.
Next thing i saw ie asked for missing plugins (on one site it was about rights managment, on other with divx webplayer).
I run vista ultimate x64
August 12th, 2008 14:19
Not sure if you all had the exact same problem I did with internet videos on websites not playing, specifically those using wmp 11 for vista. If so what I did was go into the control panel and click the uninstall programs tab. I then went to the vista codec package, right clicked it and clicked repair. After that now all of my wmp based internet vids play. Hope this helps someone but if not thanks for reading my ramblings
August 9th, 2008 23:07
The following is a method to diable WMP auto update in Vista — You should not attempt this unless you have a full backup to your computer. It may also have unintended impacts on other parts of your system and will prevent security updates related to media player from being applied – but it will also keep Microsoft out of your computer unless invited.
Only attempt this if you are risk averse, tech saavy or both:
From the VISTA START menu type regedit in the search box.
If the registry does not appear automatically click rededit and it will appear (looks simialr to file manager / windows explorer) When you make changes in the registry it can impact the functionality of your computer so be careful. It also makes the change instantly and does not ask you for a confirmation.
Click the folder called HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Click the sub folder called SOFTWARE
Click the sub folder called POLICIES
Click the sub folder called MICROSOFT
under MICROSOFT are a range of subfolders if there is not one called WindowsMediaPlayer you can create it. To create it right click MICROSOFT then click New – Key. You will see that a new sub folder has been created called New Key #1. Right click that new sub folder and rename it WindowsMediaPlayer.
Once the name has been changed right click the newly named sub folder and then click New — DWORD (32-bit) Value. If there was already a folder there called WindowsMediaPlayer do the same thing.
On the right side of the screen you will see a new sub sub folder has appeared called New Value #1. Right click that New sub sub folder and rename it DisableAutoUpdate.
Once the name has changed right click the newly named sub sub folder and then click Modify. A pop-up window will appear that allows you to set a value. Change the value from 0 to 1. The Hexadecimal button should be already checked if not check it.
Click okay but still leave the registry files open.
If you now go back to WMP11 you should see that AutoUpdate has been disabled and the buttons greyed out. If for what ever reason it is not disabled review what you have done in the registry. Once you have confirmed update has been disabled close the registry.
If you decide you want to enable auto update the easiest way is to go back to the sub sub folder that you just created called DisableAutoUpdate and set the value back to 0. Alternatively you can simply delete that sub sub folder called DisableAutoUpdate.
Again make sure you have a full backup before you attempt this and if you delete something in the registry make sure you are in the correct location because as soon as you click delete its gone for good and a lot of the stuff looks similar.
here is a link where I got the info from – Note this is for VISTA only – I imagine XP is similar but you may want to do a search for the specifics.
http://windowsaddict.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-disable-media-player-automatic.html
August 9th, 2008 22:07
I forgot to add that for “security” reasons there is no easy way to disable auto update for WMP — In otherwords unless you go into the registry files (which can be dangerous) Windows Media Player will update itself automatically even if you have turned off auto update on Vista or XP. This might account for why everything is going along fine and then all of a sudden media player stops working one day. Again there is no way to disable automatic updates for Windows Media Player – The only choice you are given is whether the updates are daily, weekly or monthly. The fact that Micorsoft has integrated WMP into the Vista operating system essentially means that you cannot prevent them from intruding into your computer. nice…
If I do find the appropriate registry fix I will post but be warned playing with the registry can render your PC useless –
August 9th, 2008 20:39
Re WMP 11 and WMP 10 – Windows Media Player streaming video not working Vista or XP – yet another solution:
This is an update from the above post – The suggested solution worked but only for a while but I have discovered yet another apparent solution (if it has been written about before I missed it). As was suggested it would appear that this issue has many forms and causes thus a solution for one configuration may not work for another. Changes to configuration, automatic updates, security updates and other installations makes things dynamic e.g. a seven headed Hydra. Microsoft’s apparent indifference to a problem that is plaguing untold numbers of users adds to the frustration as do comments in some forums that suggest it must be the fault of the user. With WMP 11 embedded in Vista an uninstall reinstall is not possible and with WMP 10 / 11 so tightly intertwined in XP an uninstall reinstall is not practical (and next to impossible) and even doing that did not fix the problem of streaming video not playing on media player.
In consultation with the support desk of my live streaming video subscription service the problem was narrowed down to networking protocol settings in WMP 11 and WMP 10. The following is what worked for me and things are now running perfectly.
For WMP 11 open it in classic menu mode (there is a little icon next to the search box that provides a menu that lets you choose (imagine that) how WMP is viewed Click on classic menus). For WMP 10 make sure that the WMP window is fully expanded such that the menu options are visible in the very top upper left where you will notice a menu item called “Tools”. Click on “Tools” and a drop-down menu will appear – click on “options” and a popup window will appear with a number of tabs. Click on the tab called “network” and you will see a series of settings for playing digital media content that is streaming from the internet (note in WMP 10 the layout and headings are slightly different so below I have provided separate instructions for WMP 10 and WMP 11.) Note that I have no idea if this will mess up other media devices etc but for live streaming this solved my problem (so far) Before you make any changes you might want to do a print screen or make a note of the existing settings just in case.
Instructions for WMP 10
With the network tab opened under the heading “Streaming protocols” there are various protocols listed with check boxes adjacent to each protocol. Only the “HTTP” box and “Multicast” box should be checked, if the others are checked uncheck them. The next heading is called “Streaming proxy settings” with sub-headings “Protocol” and “Proxy”. Underneath the sub-headings is a list of protocols, select a protocol and click the configure button and a new pop up window will appear. Click the button next to “Autodetect proxy settings” (only the Autodetect button should be checked) and then click “OK”. Do this for each of the protocols listed.
Close the option box and you are done.
Instructions for WMP 11
With the network tab opened under the heading “Protocols for MMS URLs” there are various protocols listed with check boxes adjacent to each protocol. In WMP 11 only the “HTTP” box should be checked if the others are checked uncheck them. The next heading is called “Multicast Streams” underneath that heading is a box called “Allow the Player to receive multicast streams”, that box should be checked. The final heading is called “streaming proxy settings” with sub-headings “Protocol” and “Proxy”. Underneath the sub-headings is a list of protocols, select a protocol and click the configure button and a new pop up window will appear. Click the button next to “Autodetect proxy settings” (only the Autodetect button should be checked) and then click “OK”. Do this for each of the protocols listed.
Close the option box and you are done.
August 9th, 2008 03:54
I struggled with this too. Windows Media not playng from imbedded source. I found this fixed it for me.
Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs, under “Custom”, select Windows Media Player”.
Hope this helps.
August 1st, 2008 09:08
Thanks William. That worked for me too. It reloaded those files. For whatever reasons, the deleted ones were corrupted or whatever. F*** MS!!! I was on tech. support chat with them and told them this was happening in Firefox and IE and they told me it was an IE problem and to contact them. Once again, F*** Microsoft. I can’t get better support after spending $250 on software?!?! WTF?!?! I could tell they were trying to get rid of me as soon as I told them my problem. I will make that folder a favorite in case this crap happens again. F*** MS!!!
July 16th, 2008 07:45
I have tried every trick to make WMP11 and XP do mms but to no avail. I wrote a mms url protocol in file assoc with wmp as the player and it still comes up with the same message that it cant play mms. I give up. I got it work in my vista laptop but theres no way to make it work in xp that I can find. nice going ms.
July 12th, 2008 11:12
Hi I am taking the time to comment as I have spent untold hours trying to resolve this issue. None of the solutions here or in any of the other forums (and there are lots and lots of comments on this topic) have worked. I am running Vista Home Premium and WMP 11 and like so many others one day it just stopped
displaying the live stream (subscription service to CNBC business channel). I tried everything including every suggestion in this thread. My guess is there is more than one gremlin at work and thus my solution may not work for others.
Anyway I (almost) gave up late today and was in the process of clearing cookies etc when some files caught my eye that had today’s date. There location (in Vista) was as follows:
Computer> local disk (c:)> users > myusermyname > appdata > local > microsoft > windowsmedia > 11.0 and there under 11.0 were the new files that caught my eye one was called WMSDKNS.DTD another WMSDKNS xml file and even as I type this another xml file has
appeared WMSDKNSD.
Anyway I deleted them proceeded to log in to my CNBC account to catch the end to their broadcast day and bingo it worked.
As I said I think there are many issues at work here such that while for some other solutions may have resolved things but for me this is what has worked.
I must say Microsoft with all of their billions should be ashamed for selling software that has not been properly tested, instead relying on paying customers to do their work. I will be posting this in some of the other forums that I consulted during the past few weeks.
July 7th, 2008 14:44
Thank for the info….nice…
July 1st, 2008 09:09
hi friends.
i have window xp and wmp 11.i couldn’t see the streaming videos using wmp 11.but when i change the connection speed it started working for me.the only thing i did was select the right connection speed of my internet connection
June 14th, 2008 15:35
Hi, mms protocol is not listed in my folder of the control panel that allows assocation of files. Is there a way to download this mms protocol, and then associate it. Yes I have vista.
thanks
June 1st, 2008 07:12
I have tried this solution, and it worked temporarily. However, it soon stopped working again. I tried this solution again but this time it does not work. I hope Microsoft goes out of business.
June 1st, 2008 00:02
I’ve tried solutions gave but it doesn’t work. My system is Windows vista home premiun
May 15th, 2008 22:51
You can re-associate the mms.
May 15th, 2008 20:42
This is NOT the solution to this problem. The problem is that in VISTA mms protocol is deprecated and not handled. That’s the real root cause of this problem.