Problem: WMV playback without WMP installed

[genekh]

I have a slimlined version of Windows XP on one of my PCs (it has amongst other things no WMP installed). Now I have been using Zoom Player 4.51 and 5.00 WMV Professional on this PC for ages and everything was fine until I tried WMV playback. I get a red box in Zoom Player saying that the file is corrupt or there are missing filters. The same file plays back perfectly in BS Player Pro on another PC. So I tried installing the same BS Player Pro on my first PC and get and error trying to open this WMV.
I therefore presume that there is some component missing from the first PC which is required by both Zoom Player and BS Player - could anyone help me please? I wouldn't want to install WMP just for WMV files - maybe there is one file I can put on the PC to enable WMV playback.

Thanks

[Soopafresh]

Try Videolan (VLC)

There's even a portable version floating around (no reg entries)

[genekh]

If I don't find a way to do it with Zoom Player I'll go for VLC. I actually quite like Zoom Player so would prefer to stick with it.
Maybe there's some .ax files I could download and register on my WMPless PC to enable WMV playback?

[redwudz]

I use Zoom Pro with WMV also. It has been corrupted before apparently by me adding some other video player files. I uninstalled and reinstalled it and it seems to clean things up and has worked fine since. In my case, I think Windows attempted to partially reinstall WMP after I had removed and disabled it and that messed up Zoom. But I have both Zoom and VLC on several computers and they seem to get along fine with each other.

To uninstall Zoom completely, you may have to check the registry for any remnants.

[genekh]

Actually, I never had to remove WMP - it's never been installed. I used one of those prepackaged slimlined Windows installations which have some components disabled. Zoom player was part of the package So I suspect that there are some files missing in this installation which are required for WMP playback.