Restoring Windows Media Player (WMP) in Vista

Unlike with XP, there is no simple way to remove Windows Media Player (WMP), and there is no download of WMP for Vista available from MS. When WMP siezes up and refuses to play tunes/videos anymore, it may be necessary to reinstall WMP to fix it.



There are several ways to do this:

1) Vista Reinstallation

2) WMP Restoration



To do the first, reboot your machine from the Vista DVD and go through the installation process again. It will overwrite your current installation, but it will not wipe out any programs or data files.



To do the second, remove the following folder from the registry:



HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer



Then, reboot. Vista will detect the absence of WMP and ask you to reinstall it.

 

Hi, i tried deleting the wmp folder from the registry and had no problems doing it.

Except, when i restarted, vista didn't recognizes that it is missing. i checked to see if it worked and it still did, both by opening it directly or by opening a file assosiated with it. i rechecked the registry and the wmp folder is still missing. so it's like i did nothing. what am i missing? where did i go wrong? is there another step to follow?

 

Wow, I just got a new computer with Vista - not set up yet - and that is very bad news. I use WMP for most of my movies....

How is that MS does not have a Vista compatible download for WMP?!

ArrrgggghhhhHHHH!



And not being able to REMOVE IT??! That sounds like another class action lawsuit in the making... though I suppose MS's attorneys have that covered somehow...



Any suggestions for other players for 64bit Vista?



Update:

I just found this download page for WMP 11:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/default.aspx

And it says this:

"Windows Media Player 11 is designed to work with all editions of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), and can also be used to restore Windows Media Player and related technologies to N and KN editions of Windows Vista."