Solved Updates

[lmacri]

My system has been going great since my last post BUT a couple of days ago the first time that I needed to use Media Player it would not load, it will not un-install, I tried to d/l 32bit version which said it was OK for my system but computer would not allow it to install...

Hi mich:

Sorry, I haven't used the Windows Media Player 11 for several years so I'm not sure if I can be of much help. Other users monitoring the Vista Software board <here> in this forum might be able to provide better assistance if we can't find a quick solution in this thread.

As far as I know Windows Media Player (WMP) was built in to the Vista OS (similar to the Internet Explorer browser) so it can't be uninstalled from Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features. A search of the Microsoft Update Catalog shows that KB941651 was released in Oct 2007 with the original Vista (i.e., prior to the release of Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2) so if WMP is already installed then that's likely why this old standalone installer won't run now. You said in post #32 that Windows Update was able to install 179 missing updates after your "speed up" patches were installed so if Windows Update ran correctly it should have automatically detected and installed any required updates for WMP released between May 2009 (when SP2 was released) and April 2017 (when extended support ended for Vista SP2).

Do you see any sort of error message when you try to launch WMP? What type of files (e.g., .mp3 audio files; .flv or .mp4 video files) are you trying to run, and do you have any other media players like iTunes or VLC Media Player installed on your computer?
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional

 

[townsbg]

My system has been going great since my last post BUT a couple of days ago the first time that I needed to use Media Player it would not load, it will not un-install, I tried to d/l 32bit version which said it was OK for my system but computer would not allow it to install. ??
View attachment 30489

That doesn't say full install. That just says update. Try this: How do I reinstall Windows Media Player 11 for Vista?

 

[mich]

Hi Imacri, I do have VLC player installed but it has been there for years, no message when trying to open WMP, the files are in computer files location but do nothing.
I still have the opp system CDs that came with the PC and wonder if they would help.
I seem to recall that WMP was working OK now that my memory has got into gear, but I don’t know when it packed up.
I am trying to burn a standard CD from files from a SACD ( two layers down to one) I have converted to WMA via TLH but VLC will not burn them so I was going to try WMP. I have just installed the free Nero burner.
@townsbg, thanks for the link I will try it later and see what happens.

 

[lmacri]

Hi Imacri, I do have VLC player installed but it has been there for years, no message when trying to open WMP, the files are in computer files location but do nothing....

Hi mich:

Windows Media Player (WMP) v11 and the current VLC Media Player v3.0.3 are better suited for playing media files and converting audio/video file formats but there is better software available for burning CDs. I have no idea if you are the owner of this SA (Super Audio) CD or if it's even legal for you to be ripping the audio tracks from the ISO so you'll have to find help from someone else for this particular issue.

If you still want to fix WMP then go to C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player and let us know the version number of your wmplayer.exe file and date that file was last modified. Does the program (or setup wizard) launch correctly when you double click on the wmplayer.exe executable from that directory?



Then go to Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features | View Installed Updates and search your installed updates for KB3033890 (i.e., not a partial string like "3033890") as shown below and see if that security update was installed by Windows Update in your batch of 179 missing updates after you reinstalled SP2. I'm not certain but the date/time stamps of the wmplayer.exe v11.0.6002.19378 file in my C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player folder would indicate that KB3033890 (MS15-057: Vulnerability in Windows Media Player could allow remote code execution: June 9, 2015) was the last security update installed for WMP v11 on my 32-bit Vista SP2 machine.



By resetting you computer to factory condition you rolled back everything on your system to the date your computer was manufactured. That means you've probably rolled back drivers for your optical (CD/DVD) drive and sound card as well as any media codecs for newer compression and file types, and you probably have old trial versions of programs that were installed at the factory (e.g., a trial version of CyberLink Power2Go CD/DVD burning software) that expired a decade ago and must be uninstalled so they don't conflict with newer software like your Nero burning software. Patching your Vista SP2 OS to April 2017 (the end of extended support for this OS) is just the first step to getting your system working correctly after a factory reset.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3

 

[Vistaar]

@mich

After factory restore, did you ever run sfc /scannow as I suggested in April? Tutorial: Performance & Maintenance - System Files - SFC Command

 

[mich]

@ Imacri.

From what I see it is WMP 11. the only message I get is that an unexpected error has occurred and no updates could be detected.

In downloads the exc shows 6.0.5489.0 but when trying to run it says there is a later version installed (11.0.6002.19378) and you cannot fix it by installing an older version. It then freezes so I can go no further.
KB3033890 was installed 25/4/18.
In my program files the WMP folder is dated as 2006 but when opened all is dated 2018 which is when I did the restore.
Setup folder 11.0.6002.18111. date 2018

@ Vistaar.
To be quite honest there were so many warnings on the post I was afraid of stuffing something up

 

[mich]

I forgot to mention, This is as far as I have got, the SACD files were given to me by a friend they were a copy of his backup.

 

[lmacri]

...From what I see it is WMP 11. the only message I get is that an unexpected error has occurred and no updates could be detected. In downloads the exc shows 6.0.5489.0 but when trying to run it says there is a later version installed (11.0.6002.19378) and you cannot fix it by installing an older version. It then freezes so I can go no further....

Hi mich:

Go to C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player and confirm the version number of your wmplayer.exe is v11.0.6002.19378 by hovering your mouse/pointer over the file name as shown in my image in post # 44. Then double-click the wmplayer.exe file and post an image of the error (if any) you see when the program is launched. I'm still not entirely clear if the error you are describing happens when you launch WMP, when you try to manually update WMP with a standalone .msu installer (which shouldn't be necessary if you already have the latest v11.0.6002.19378) or when you try to open a .WMA file.

To run the built-in System File Checker (SFC) utility suggested by Vistaar, log in with a Windows user account that has Administrator rights and search for "command prompt" from the Start button (or go to Start | All Programs | Accessories). Right click Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator to open an elevated command prompt.



The title bar of your elevated command prompt should be labelled as "Administrator" if it has Administrator rights (see image below). Type in the command sfc /scannow (note the space before the "/"), press the ENTER key on your keyboard, and wait for the scan to run to completion. Make note of any messages like "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them" that might be displayed if SFC was unable to repair a missing or damaged file(s) during the scan. Then re-boot and see if Windows Media Player is working normally.

The sfc /scannow command will try to repair any missing or damaged system files it finds. If you just want to run a diagnostic (i.e., without the repair) use the sfc /verifyonly command.


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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3

 

[mich]

Thanks this is new territory for me I will try to follow your directions and report back when results are known.

 

[mich]

Info on WMP 11 supposed to be installed but when trying to install get the message as shown.



Re SFC have followed instructions but it will not start scan does it start automatically or do you have to hit another button to start? I noticed that although logged on as admin it did not show (administrator rights) is this the problem.

 

[lmacri]

Info on WMP 11 supposed to be installed but when trying to install get the message as shown....

Re SFC have followed instructions but it will not start scan does it start automatically or do you have to hit another button to start? I noticed that although logged on as admin it did not show (administrator rights) is this the problem.

Hi mich:

The image you posted shows that you have correctly opened an elevated command prompt with Administrator rights. If you don't see the word "Administrator" in the top left corner of the command prompt follow my instructions in post # 48 (i.e., go to Start | All Programs | Accessories, right click Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator from the pop-up menu).

After typing in the command sfc /scannow hit the ENTER key on your keyboard to run the command. I'll change the instructions in post # 48 to make that clearer.



You said in post # 40 that you downloaded and tried to manually install KB941651 (released 2007). Is the error message below the error you see when you try to run this old standalone Vista installer (e.g., Windows6.0-KB941651-x86.msu)? If so, you would expect to see this error message, since Windows will not allow you run older WMP installers if Windows Update has already updated WMP to the latest v11.0.6002.19378 for Vista SP2 (released 2015).



After running System File Checker (sfc /scannow) please go back to my post # 48 and follow the instructions in the first paragraph of that post. I need to know what version of wmplayer.exe is currently installed and what error, if any, you see when you launch wmplayer.exe from C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player. I still can't tell from the images you are posting if you are seeing errors when you try to run the old standalone installer for KB941651 (which is expected) or when you try to launch WMP from C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3

 

[mich]

File version installed from prog files = 11.0.6002.18111

I googled my problem and it seems it is a common issue see below.
WMP problem

Re KB941651.
When trying to open (it only shows open but not run as admin) it searches for update and eventually says “This update does not apply to your system” so that is a dead end.

Scan run OK and shows as follows:


Reboot did not fix anything.

In prog files for WMP I do not have a wmplayer.exe



In my downloads I do not seem to have v11.0.6002.19378



Is the above any help or have I missed something?

 

[lmacri]

...In prog files for WMP I do not have a wmplayer.exe...

In my downloads I do not seem to have v11.0.6002.19378...

Hi mich:

I can see wmplayer.exe in your screenshot. If you would like to see the .exe file extension in the file name go Control Panel | Appearance and Personalization | Folder Options, click the View tab and disable (uncheck) Hide Extensions for Known File Types as shown below. Please launch WMP by double-clicking that wmplayer.exe file and post an image of the error message, if any, that you see.





The image of your Downloads folder shows that you downloaded a WMP installer for Windows XP, not Vista. If you've tried to run this installer on your Vista SP2 machine that might explain some of the error messages you've been seeing.



Please see the MS support article After updating WMP you an error from wmploc.dll about the version number being incorrect. Unless you are seeing an error message for wmploc.dll that states something like "The file wmploc.dll has a version number of 11.0.6001.xxxx where 11.0.6001.xxxx was expected" then the "solution" you found <here> in the MS Answers forum has nothing to do with your current problem. I also don't recall anyone in this thread asking you to download and install the standalone installer for KB941651, so please explain why you believe this old security update from 2007 will fix your problem.

Please go back and follow my 21-Jul-2018 instructions in post #44 and let me know if KB3033890 is listed in your installed updates at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features | View Installed Updates. Just based on what I found in my own Windows Update history, if Windows Update has automatically installed KB3033890 then you should already have v11.0.6002.19378 of wmplayer.exe.

System File Checker (SFC) has found corrupted system files that it was unable to repair. SFC scan results are logged in the Windows CBS.log file and each line is tagged with the entry "[SR]" tag - see the section titled "How to View Details of the System File Checker Process" at the the bottom of the MS support article Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files for further information. If you open an elevated command prompt (with Administrator rights) and run the command findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >C:\sfcdetails.txt your SFC scan results should be extracted from CBS.log and saved in a text file called sfcdetails.txt in your root C:\ directory that you can attach to your next post. I'm not an expert at interpreting SFC scan logs but someone follow this thread might be able to provide further insight if I can't see any obvious problems.

One more hint. If you right-click on the blue banner at the top of a command prompt and select Edit from the pop-up menu this allows you to Paste complex commands like findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >C:\sfcdetails.txt into the command prompt. It's much easier to copy these long, complicated commands and then paste them into the command prompt instead of trying to re-type the entire command correctly.


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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3

 

[townsbg]

That doesn't say full install. That just says update. Try this: How do I reinstall Windows Media Player 11 for Vista?

 

[mich]

Hi mich:

I can see wmplayer.exe in your screenshot. If you would like to see the .exe file extension in the file name go Control Panel | Appearance and Personalization | Folder Options, click the View tab and disable (uncheck) Hide Extensions for Known File Types as shown below. Please launch WMP by double-clicking that wmplayer.exe file and post an image of the error message, if any, that you see.

OK did that and success.

On double click nothing happened so I right clicked and selected run as admin, got the permission required window, I gave permission then nothing, not a single thing.

The image of your Downloads folder shows that you downloaded a WMP installer for Windows XP, not Vista. If you've tried to run this installer on your Vista SP2 machine that might explain some of the error messages you've been seeing.

Oops yes that is what I tried to install it was supposed to be for XP & Vista if I remember correctly but will not install as a more recent WMP is already installed

Please see the MS support article After updating WMP you an error from wmploc.dll about the version number being incorrect. Unless you are seeing an error message for wmploc.dll that states something like "The file wmploc.dll has a version number of 11.0.6001.xxxx where 11.0.6001.xxxx was expected" then the "solution" you found <here> in the MS Answers forum has nothing to do with your current problem. I also don't recall anyone in this thread asking you to download and install the standalone installer for KB941651, so please explain why you believe this old security update from 2007 will fix your problem.

KB941651 was dated as d/l 20/7/18 so was one that I thought may help no one told me to d/l.

Please go back and follow my 21-Jul-2018 instructions in post #44 and let me know if KB3033890 is listed in your installed updates at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features | View Installed Updates. Just based on what I found in my own Windows Update history, if Windows Update has automatically installed KB3033890 then you should already have v11.0.6002.19378 of wmplayer.exe.

KB3033890 not installed see search results. (search for KB3303890) and yes according to WMP config manager v11.0.6002.19378 is installed but of course n/w.

System File Checker (SFC) has found corrupted system files that it was unable to repair. SFC scan results are logged in the Windows CBS.log file and each line is tagged with the entry "[SR]" tag - see the section titled "How to View Details of the System File Checker Process" at the the bottom of the MS support article Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files for further information. If you open an elevated command prompt (with Administrator rights) and run the command findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >C:\sfcdetails.txt your SFC scan results should be extracted from CBS.log and saved in a text file called sfcdetails.txt in your root C:\ directory that you can attach to your next post. I'm not an expert at interpreting SFC scan logs but someone follow this thread might be able to provide further insight if I can't see any obvious problems.

One more hint. If you right-click on the blue banner at the top of a command prompt and select Edit from the pop-up menu this allows you to Paste complex commands like findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >C:\sfcdetails.txt into the command prompt. It's much easier to copy these long, complicated commands and then paste them into the command prompt instead of trying to re-type the entire command correctly.

Wow this produced over six pages of data I captured by vertical overlapping each hope you can follow at least some of it and that I didn’t mess it up completely


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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3

 

[mich]

townsbg said:
That doesn't say full install. That just says update. Try this: How do I reinstall Windows Media Player 11 for Vista?
My next project thanks.

 

[lmacri]

...Oops yes that is what I tried to install it was supposed to be for XP & Vista if I remember correctly but will not install as a more recent WMP is already installed ...KB941651 was dated as d/l 20/7/18 so was one that I thought may help no one told me to d/l. KB3033890 not installed see search results. (search for KB3303890) and yes according to WMP config manager v11.0.6002.19378 is installed but of course n/w...

Hi mich:

Did you ever check your Windows Update History (Control Panel | System and Maintenance | Windows Update | View Update History) to see if any of the security updates installed by Windows Updates failed back in April 2018? My main concern at this point is that your 25-Apr-2018 post # 32 stated that Windows Update only found ~ 179 available updates after you installed Service Pack 2 and manually installed the Windows Update "speed up" patches listed in m#l's thread . I would have expected Windows Update to find closer to 200 or 220 missing updates after Service Pack 2 is installed, so it's always possible that you're still missing a few other security updates for your Vista SP2 OS like KB3033890 that need to be installed to get the Windows Media Player working correctly again. Whatever your problem is it can't be too serious if you've been using your computer since April 2018 without any major issues.

What I can see of your sfcdetails.txt file shows that System File Checker (sfc /scannow) had problems repairing tcpmon.ini and settings.ini. Your screenshots cut off much of the scan log output (we can't scroll right to see the full text) so try attaching the entire sfcdetails.txt file with your next post - use the Attach Files button but select the .txt file instead of an image file. Let's put that scan log aside for now and come back to it later since I have no formal training when it comes to interpreting and repairing issues found in the SFC scan log and don't know if those two system files have anything to do with your Windows Media Player (WMP) problems.

Here's a summary of what I know so far about your WMP problem. Let me know if I'm wrong about any of this:

• You obtained files someone else ripped from a SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc). These are not standard audio CDs and require a special high-end SACD player or high-end Blue-ray or ultra-HD disk player (see the Lifewire article All About The CD, HDCD, and SACD Audio Disc Formats) so I suspect it was illegal for your friend to "back up" these files in the first place. You tried to convert these ripped files to a .wma format with TLH (Trader's Little Helper???) but couldn't play them with your old Vista SP2 Windows Media Player (WMP). You have a fully supported VLC Media Player installed on your system and if the latest VLC Media Player is also unable to play this converted .wma file (which you haven't told us yet) then the .wma audio file is probably corrupted and there was likely nothing wrong with your MWP vv11.0.6002.19378 in the first place.
  
  
• You tried to repair WMP by running KB941651 (Cumulative update for Windows Media Player 11 in Windows Vista: October 8, 2007). Please note the MS support article <here> was last updated in April 2018 but the dates of files listed in the file manifest of that support article as well as details for the 32-bit installer in the MS Download Center at Download Update for Windows Vista (KB941651) from Official Microsoft Download Center both show that KB941651 was released in 2007. When that out-of-date KB941651 update threw an error (which is expected) you tried installing the old Win XP version of the WMP v11 (wmp11-windowsxp-x86-enu.exe). As previously noted, WMP comes bundled with Vista but Win XP users are required to download and install WMP as a separate Microsoft product. Installation of the old Win XP version of WMP also failed (which is expected), but it's possible that some of the steps you've taken to "fix" your Vista WMP have now corrupted a configuration file or registry entry for your Vista WMP.

My best advice now is that you forget about repairing your old, unsupported WMP v11.x and use your fully supported VLC Media Player v3.x to play media files. If you want to try fixing WMP v11 and are certain that KB3033890 (MS15-057: Vulnerability in Windows Media Player Could Allow Remote Code Execution: June 9, 2015) is not listed as an installed update at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features | View Installed Updates then try manually installing the 32-bit Vista SP2 standalone .msu installer. Go to Download Security Update for Windows Vista (KB3033890) from Official Microsoft Download Center and save Windows6.0-KB3033890-x86.msu to your desktop, close your browser, and double-click the .msu file to start the installation. Let me know if the installer runs to completion (make note of any warning/error messages) and whether WMP launches correctly after KB3033890 is installed.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3

 

[lmacri]

That doesn't say full install. That just says update. Try this: How do I reinstall Windows Media Player 11 for Vista?

Hi mich:

...and just a heads up that most of the links in that 2012 MS Answers thread (including the download link for the MS FixIT tool for Windows Media Player) are no longer valid. Microsoft pulled most of the support articles and MS FixIT tools for Vista from their support site a few years ago. There are still a few suggestions in that thread that might be helpful, though.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3

 

[mich]

Imacri I recently checked for the up date KB3033890 by way of a search which detected nothing, this morning I did a manual check page by page and found that it was installed.



The only failed updates I found were KB951847 KB269365 KB973687



I think it is time to admit defeat as far as WMP is concerned, the VLC player will have to do for now. Thanks for the time you have taken,

I will follow up on the suggestion by townsbg over the next couple of days.

 

[lmacri]

...The only failed updates I found were KB951847 KB269365 KB973687

I think it is time to admit defeat as far as WMP is concerned, the VLC player will have to do for now....

Hi mich:

KB951847 is the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 from Oct 2009 - most programs that require the .NET Framework are compatible with the newer v4.x . I checked at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features and the .NET Framework v4.5.2 (KB2901983) was installed on my Vista SP2 machine by Windows Update in Jan 2015. KB269365 looks like an out-of-date (2010) driver for a D-Link AirPlus G DWL-G122 Wireless USB Network adapter, and KB973687 is another old update from Nov 2009 that has been superseded (replaced) by newer updates like KB3092627 (released April 2015).

It's always difficult to recover after a factory reset and rolling back your computer to factory condition should only be done in worst-case scenarios for emergency recoveries. Users must reinstall any missing service packs, update all the outdated drivers for their hardware devices, remove all the old software (e.g., 30-day trail versions and unsupported/obsolete software) that was installed at the factory and then re-install the latest versions of all required third-party software. As you learned the hard way, it's even worse now for Vista users because Windows Update will not run to completion after SP2 is re-installed and patch the OS back to April 2017 (i.e., before Microsoft ended extended support for Vista SP2 on 11-Apr-2017) until you manually install install 4 or 5 required "speed up" patches to get Windows Update working again as instructed <here>.

I wouldn't be surprised if you continue to discover the odd glitch on your Vista SP2 computer in spite of all the hard work you've done since your factory reset. With Mozilla ending support for Firefox ESR v52.x on 05-Sep-2018 that also means that there won't be a safe and fully supported Vista-compatible browser to use on the internet in a month or so, and Vista SP2 users should have a plan in place to either purchase a new computer soon or at least stop using their Vista SP2 machine for banking, online shopping and other financial transactions.

If you find that other software besides Windows Media Player v11 isn't running correctly on your machine, run a quick diagnostic of your system using Piriform's free Speccy utility and then publish the results so we can look for any obvious problems. After Speccy has collected information about your system go to File | Publish Snapshot and then copy and paste the URL this generates (e.g., http: // speccy.piriform.com/results/xxx... ) in your next reply. If you don't want to install the Speccy program on your hard drive then the builds page at Speccy - Builds has a portable version of Speccy (spsetup132.zip) that you can save to a USB memory stick and unzip so that you can run the speccy.exe executable from your USB stick.


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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security v22.14.2.13 * MS Office 2003 Professional * 32-bit VLC Media Player v3.0.3* Speccy Portable v1.32.740