Mini-HOWTO: Restore multimedia file associations to Windows Media Player 6

Motivation

Windows Update may push Windows Media Player 7 ("WMP7") to Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 systems. WMP7 takes most multimedia file associations without asking the user for permission and without providing an obvious way to revert the change.

Windows ME and Windows XP respectively ship with WMP7 and WMP8 as the default media player. WMP6 is, however, still bundled with these systems because WMP7 and WMP9 cannot be used as embedded objects in some circumstances.

Caveats

• This will not work if you have a process running that protects file associations. For example, WinAMP or the Real Media Center will both reset media file type associations without telling you about it.

Restore Multimedia Associations

1. Start > Run > Open > mplayer2.exe > OK


2. View > Options


3. Formats > Select All > OK

Restore Multimedia Association Verbs

Windows Media Player 6 will not automatically play files when they are opened from the shell. Optionally use this batch file (ZIP, 31 kB) to correct this behavior.

Privacy Protection

Microsoft violates your privacy. The Microsoft supercookie may be used to identify you even when you have regular cookies disabled or when you have set P3P security zones.

1. Start > Run > Open > mplayer2.exe > OK


2. View > Options


3. View > Player > Allow Internet sites to unique identify your player (uncheck) > OK

Read about the supercookie at Bugtraq.

Darik Horn <dajhorn at uwaterloo dot ca>