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Thread ID: 79103 2007-05-08 05:35:00 Windows Media Streaming issue joe_exception (2874) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
548258 2007-05-08 05:35:00 Hi guys,

I've just started having an issue with streaming Windows Media Player (audio and video) files (normally *.asx). They used to open WMP and just play but now I seem to only have the choice to either 'save' or 'cancel' - with no option even to select the application I want to open them.
I've checked and the *.asx extension is linked to WMP so I'm not sure why they are not just opening...
Do any of you have any ideas about how to fix this? It's almost as if M$ is trying to 'protect' me (I understand there was an issue with buffer overrun script being written into these files a while back?)
I can of course just save the file to my desktop and open it but that's a pain when I just want to listen to an internet radio stream or something.
Thanks,
Tim
joe_exception (2874)
548259 2007-05-08 10:15:00 Are you opening these files from within Internet Explorer? Have you checked your firewall program to see if it is blocking it? Jen (38)
548260 2007-05-08 10:42:00 Thanks Jen - good point. I forgot to say I'm using IE7 - it's on a work machine (which was working fine with IE7 previously) so I guess it's possible it's a (updated) firewall thing... I'll check that tomorrow and post an update. It doesn't at first glance look like a firewall issue, more like a setting in IE that I'm missing as its a IE error box and points me to a (useless) MS help item.
In case anyone else has any thoughts, just to give you an example of what I'm trying to listen to is stuff like the live audio streams on www.radionz.co.nz etc.
Thanks again for your help.
joe_exception (2874)
548261 2007-05-08 10:48:00 Check with your works IT people. Many businesses block streaming media and they may have just implemented this change. Jen (38)
548262 2007-05-11 02:10:00 OK, fixed my own problem - thanks for your help Jen. The problem wasn't a security one but one of the media application I installed had taken control of 'some' of the WMP streaming extensions (including .asx). When I'd uninstalled it, it hadn't put things back the way it found them (typical!)
For other users reference, the fix is in WMP itself - select Tools: Options: File Types and some of the file types listed may be greyed out - indicating that WMP is the default application for some, but not all, of that file type. Reselecting the applicable file types fixes it.
Tim
joe_exception (2874)
548263 2007-05-11 06:27:00 Thanks for getting back and posting your solution. :) Jen (38)
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