Windows 7, WMP & mp3

[davexnet]

Hello -
I have an old 32 bit Dell Dimension 4600 that I still occasionally use; it's main purpose
is to be a streaming server for some media clips I have on there which I can play on the TV
downstairs.
At the moment there are no external codecs installed (nor even LAV) while I'm trying to troubleshoot
this problem.

The issue is that when playing mp3 music in WMP, the progress indicator (scrubbing button?)
stays at the left side and does not move while the song plays. If you touch it, the song restarts.

I only stumbled on this by accident; I was trying to unravel the mysteries of the WMP indexing/library
mechanism and why what showed up didn't necessarily exactly match the media files in the library folders.

If this was a directshow playback chain, I might think something is wrong with the splitter/decoder,
but I don't think WMP is using directshow.

SFC /SCANNOW has not fixed it.

The mp3 files work fine in mpc-hc, for example. At this point, I'm curious as to what has gone wrong,
any idea's appreciated.

EDIT double clicking on the mp3 file(s), in Explorer for example, or right-clicking and selecting PLAY,
opens up the WMP (CTRL-3 view) and now the file can be scrubbed and played normally. Using CTRL-1, CTRL-2 & CTRL-3
to display the different WMP styles (full library view, visualizations, small window with single song playlist, respectively)
it still works.
It's only when you initiate the mp3 by first opening the Windows Media player and selecting the song from library view
the problem occurs. This is a strange problem

[davexnet]

This is how weird it is. On the left you see the folder library view from within WMP, in the middle the temporary
playlist created by dragging files in from Explorer, or in this case I was using Agent Ransack search program.

You can see the highlighted song "Up above my head". When I drag it to the temporary playlist from Agent ransack
I can play and seek within the song with out issue.
However, if I drag it in from the library/folder list on the left, the file will play but not allow me to seek.

It's the exact same file! It's the only version of this song on the PC

EDIT this problem is not isolated to mp3's - manipulating the video files in a similar manner
displays the same problem

[mike20021969]

EDIT: Note to myself - read entire post before replying(!)

[davexnet]

I think it's something to do with the files Metadata being, for some reason, inaccessible to WMP. Even the length
In minutes and seconds does not show up. Same for a handful of avi/xvid files I have. But mp4/avc files info is
Properly populated and they play and seek fine

[davexnet]

This problem was fixed for .mp3 by restoring the missing property handler.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\PropertySystem\PropertyHandlers\.mp3]
@="{C120DE80-FDE4-49f5-A713-E902EF062B8A}"

EDIT -
Also missing for .avi, but I found it by searching on "avi property handler" - this is the default setting:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\PropertySystem\PropertyHandlers\.avi]
@="{e2fb4720-f45f-4a3c-8cb2-2060e12425c3}"


I'm wondering if these items get replaced when various codec packs are installed -
and then not restored to default when they're uninstalled.
All previously broken functionality is now working