[Update] A Microsoft spokesman has good news for users of Windows Media Player: We are aware of and investigating a bug in a Windows Insider build that is preventing access to Windows Media Player.
I have a 2006 Dell Media Edition desktop with Windows XP. For quite some time, I have been notified that I have a Windows update - it turns out to be for Media Player.
Windows Media Player Version 11 For Xp
The update starts, then a window appears titled Obtaining Updates for WM Player and the message is: Some updates not installed (WM Player 11 for WM Center Edition 2005).
When I say OK, the next message says: it was not possible to complete setup - WM Player 10 was not installed - To update Windows, run WM Player 10 setup again.
Windows Media Center came pre-installed in my computer. There is no version #, just the 2005 date of installation. I cannot locate WM Player 10 setup. Furthermore, I do not understand why Microsoft would try to send me updates for WM Player 11 when I have not received WM Player 10 yet.
Update Media Player
Should I download Player 10 from Microsoft so that the update will install? Should I leave well enough alone and dismiss this update message that appears routinely (the version I have now works perfectly for me and I am very happy with it).
Thanks
Editor's note: A picture's worth a thousand words. For a closer look at Windows Media Player 11 and Urge, check out our slide show.
Windows Media Player (WMP) 11--which debuted at CES earlier this year and features a visually appealing interface, as well as impressive features and performance--is Microsoft's best jukebox to date. Not that it was a grand feat to improve upon a generally disappointing string of versions, including the somewhat awkward version 10. Still, if Microsoft is ever going to seriously challenge the iTunes music empire, the time is now. With the addition of MTV's Urge, the jukebox's resident music service, WMP 11 (available Wednesday as a free beta download) certainly seems poised for battle.
It's not like Microsoft had trouble distributing any version of WMP; after all, the jukebox comes stock on any Windows system, and in fact, you can't get rid of it. The trouble was the software was never particularly compelling, though it was pretty much essential for users of non-iPod MP3 players. With this beta launch, Microsoft has transformed its omnipresent media player from a state of default mediocrity into a powerful must-have application for music and media. Windows Media faithful will be pleasantly surprised upon installing the revamped WMP 11 for XP; Microsoft has put significant effort into creating a seamless digital media environment for the user, the software, the service, and portable devices.
WMP 11 for Windows XP is at its core the same jukebox you'll experience for the upcoming (but tardy) Vista OS. It all begins with the interface: Microsoft product managers admitted that it needed to be much simpler, more visual, and more like iTunes. Rather than dumbing down the GUI, Microsoft has smartened it up with wise design decisions that open up the desktop without eliminating the powerful features within. For example, the playback controls (at the bottom) are now glossy and inviting, and they include repeat and shuffle options. Additionally, the back and forward navigation buttons (upper-left corner) ensure that you'll never get lost. However, the revamped menu buttons have the most significant impact on the interface. Boiled down to five choices--Now Playing, Library, Rip, Bun, and Sync--each button has its own sub-button that opens up a slew of useful menu items. So when you activate the split menu for Rip, you'll get options to adjust format, bit rate, and so on.
Another noticeable--and welcome--interface change is that WMP's frustrating, ever-expanding left-hand nav tree has been simplified to include only music info by default, thus eliminating the long, scrolling list in the navigation. You can simply click the Library split button to get to the video or photo libraries, which have their own dedicated set of nav-pane options. The main browser window has also been radically altered: no more boring, anonymous text on a dark background. Instead, you get a colorful album-art-driven view of music, thumbnail views of photos, and screenshot thumbs of their video files, all on a light-colored background. This not only makes it easier to locate and manage files but also gives the player some much-needed personality.
Windows Media Player 11 Update
We like details such as stacked albums, where groups of albums--based on genre, artist, year, and so on--are sitting on top of one another in a way that allows the user to quickly identify groups visually. Nobody likes missing album art, so we also appreciate WMP 11's ability to track down images (as well as ID3-tag info) and automatically update your library using a new audio-fingerprinting technology that, like many other WMP tasks, takes place in the background.