setting media player 6.4 as default

[WhiteKenny]

ok, i've got this problem and it's been buggin me for a while now. I love media player 6.4, can't stand any of the newer versions. up until a few months ago 6.4 has been my default for playing video files, but now when i double click a video file, adobe photoshop album 2.0 opens. all the file associations are still set to media player 6.4 and they still insist on opening in photoshop album 2.0. i have gone into media player's options and clicked the select all button on the format tab, but they still open in photoshop album 2.0. next i uninstalled photoshop album 2.0 and now the default action for video files is to open the 'open with' box, it's even the option in bold when i right-click a video file!!!! i can set them to open in media player 10, and it works but when i set them back to 6.4 i'm stuck w/ the open with box again. checking the option there to 'always use this program' won't work either. i've tried to reinstall 6.4 but it won't install in XP, just keeps tellin me it's not compatible w/ win2k...

if you've made it this far, i'm sorry to bore you but can somebody please HEEEEEEEEELP me correct this?

[bunyip]

Microsoft can be very selfish with associations - even though it says one thing it will do it's own thing anyway.

The values behind the file extension 'ACTIONS' may not reflect what the file-association is saying.

To check this, go to 'Tools' -> 'Folder Options' -> 'File Types' and locate one of the Video extensions that aren't working properly.
Click on it and select the 'Advanced' button in the 'Details for ..' area.
If you see a 'Restore' button instead of an 'Advanced' then click on the 'Restore', this should change in to the advanced.

Once you have clicked the Advanced button you see the 'Actions' list and one will be in bold (the default action). Click on this and press 'edit' and check what application is actually being run, if it's wrong you can change it here.

I've had to do this on several file extensions, because although the association was set as PowerDVD, the play action was set to Windows Media Player so I had to change it here and all was OK after that.

[WhiteKenny]

thanks for the suggestion. just checked a bunch of them and the default action in bold is 'play' and when i hit edit they are all set to use media player 6.4 already...any other ideas?

[bazooka]

i've tried to reinstall 6.4 but it won't install in XP, just keeps tellin me it's not compatible w/ win2k...

It is already installed in XP.

You do not have to install it.

Right click the files, and select properties.

It will say opens with. Change that to mplayer2.exe and hit apply and ok.

You are then all set.

[WhiteKenny]

thanks for that, but thats my whole problem....i know 6.4 is already installed in XP, thats how i've been able to use it all along. all the file association settings in windows and in media player are already indicating that video file are going to open in 6.4 but they won't do it.

[bazooka]

Delete the file extension, and then add it back in and reassociate it.

[WhiteKenny]

i'm at work now, but i'll try that when i get home and let you know what happens...thanks!

[WhiteKenny]

nope, that didn't work either...

[bunyip]

Running out of ideas - but when you right-click on one of the files, what is showing as the default option, 'Play', 'Open' or 'Open With ..' ?

[WhiteKenny]

yeah, tell me about it...i ran out of ideas a while ago. the default is 'open with'