Re: Windows Media Player executes WMF content in .MP3 files.
From: Alun Jones (alun@texis.com)Date: 03/01/02
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From: alun@texis.com (Alun Jones) Date: Fri, 01 Mar 2002 17:24:54 GMT
In article <a5m0u9$7s8$1@slb0.atl.mindspring.net>, "Joe" <1@2.com> wrote:
>Have you tried renaming a WMV file with an mp3 extension, which is the
>situation he originally described?
Yes. Since you obviously haven't, I'll tell you the results.
First, make sure that the default player for MP3 files is _not_ Media Player.
I did this by opening Real Player, then going through View|Preferences,
selecting the "Upgrade" tab, clicking "Re-associate", and checking the box by
"MPEG Audio", finally clicking "OK" until I'm back at Real Player's main
window. Just for safety's sake, I close Real Player.
Start with a .WMV file - I used "viz.wmv", from
%WINDIR%\Help\Tours\WindowsMediaPlayer\Video\viz.wmv
Double-click it in Explorer, to ensure that Windows Media Player starts up.
Sure enough, it does.
Now, rename it to viz.mp3. Assure yourself that the icon for the file has
changed, showing that Explorer thinks it's associated with Real Player.
Double-click it again. And there you have it - a dialog box that reads
"RealPlayer cannot play this type of document."
Windows Media Player, of course, is nowhere in sight.
Just for grins, I tried this with Windows Media Player open, and still Windows
Media Player didn't try to load the .MP3 file.
So, at least as far as this situation is concerned, the associations between
file extension and application are _not_ overridden by file content. The only
way that Dave's friend could have opened Windows Media Player by
double-clicking a file labeled as .MP3 is if Dave's friend has Windows Media
Player set up as the default application for .MP3 files. Dave bristled at the
suggestion that _Dave_ had WMP set as the default MP3 player, and I'm sure
that _Dave_ doesn't. Dave's _friend_, on the other hand, does.
A whole lot of effort and mistaken beliefs would have been saved if Dave had
just said "I don't have WMP set up to play MP3s, but my _friend_, on whose
machine this occurred, _does_". Instead, he played the game of "you're not
reading my post, so I'm going to tell you you're not reading my post, but I'm
not going to correct your misunderstanding". I don't like that game, and this
is one of the reasons why - because people pick the wrong thing to assume is
at the root of their misunderstanding. Those who want to believe that
Microsoft engages in every dangerous practice(*) it can find, will believe
that once again, Microsoft has done what it shouldn't do.
Alun.
~~~~
(*) Yes, there are quite a few that they've missed. It's up to you whether
you think it's by luck or by judgement.
[Note that answers to questions in newsgroups are not generally
invitations to contact me personally for help in the future.]
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