Media Center will not run in a Window

Win XP Media Center on an HP Pavillion M7250

It used to be possible to run Media Centre in a window placed anywhere on the screen. It will now only run in a maximised window or minimised on the task bar. There is no way I can find that it will run in a window smaller than maximised.

Been unable to find any info on this problem, unless I'm putting the wrong phrase in the search engines.

Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution?

TIA

Lee

 

You need to clarify, are you running the Media Centre edition of XP or are you talking about Windows Media Player.

 

Yeah, as it says in my original post, Win XP Media Center.

I purposely didn't mention Media Player to avoid confusion.

 

I don't follow you. Media Centre is your operating system so how can you minimize your operating system? The OS is either running or it isn't.
Are you trying to say that the OS doesn't fill your monitor area? If that's the case then you right click the desktop, choose properties and then the settings tab will get you different screen sizes and color depths.

 

Your HP Pavillion M7250 is an entertainment computer running
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is this correct
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx
here is the link for the support page
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/7024
I hope this will be of some help

 

plodr,
Media Center is also the programme that you use to watch TV, DVD, record music, display photos etc etc. Start, All Programmes, Media Centre.

On my machine, it opens in a full screen - maximised. In the top right corner it has the usual minimise, restore down & exit buttons. If I hit minimise - it does... to the task bar. But if I hit restore down it also minimises to a button on the task bar.

At some point in the past (when I first bought the machine) it would restore down to work in a window that could be placed anywhere on the desktop, moved & resized etc, just like any other window. This is exactly how Microsoft describes it works as here http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/using/viewing/usecomputer.mspx

No, I don't want to use system restore to go back because it's months since it has worked properly and I don't want to undo many other changes to the machine.

The other thing that is missing from the Media Center windo is the small grab handle in the lower right corner which would be used to resize the window.

chaimjm,
I've looked at the links you supplied but can find no information on this particular problem.

Is it possible or feasible to just re-install Media Center?

Or does anyone else have any ideas how to get it to run in a normal window?

Thanks

 

Sorry, I'm not finding anything related to the software program mentioned
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...=us&lang=en&os=228&rule=13372&product=1148486

 

Halo

You are a STAR:celebrate!!

That worked a treat. I can now maximise the window then reduce it to any size. The resize handle has reappeared in the lower right corner too.

I'm still puzzled as to how it got in the state it was, because I can't make it do it now... but I'll live with it.

Thanks very much.

Cheers,

Lee

 

OMG thank u! I've been having this problem for months and that fixed it for me too! I don't know what happened but i routinely move it over to my second monitor (aka TV) to watch it and one day it just disappeared!

Now if only I can get my other problems with MC fixed...

When loaded it gives a Windows Messenger Failure saying Media Center was unable to open Messenger. Please make sure Windows Messenger is installed on your system. (it is..it's in the tray icon area)

And the more troubling problem.. everytime i load, close, or click in MC...
"wmplayer.exe application error" The instruction at 0x07673e88 reference memory at 0x09219c90. Memory could not be read."

And some of the programs experience errors when playing and go back to the beginning! errrr

Any help for those? thanks again!