Window Media Player 10 problems (wininet.dll). Spyware?

I have been having problems with Windows Media Player 10 for the past few days. (My OS is Windows XP Professional w/ServicePack2.)

Whenever I try to use WMP I invariably get the following message:

Windows Media Player has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Error Signature

App Name: complayer.exe AppVer.: 10.0.0.3802 ModName: wininet.dll

ModVer: 6.0.2900.2668 Offset: 0007926b

As noted above, I cannot get WMP 10 to work at all. I first noticed this problem at Collectables website where I had a choice of either WMP or RealPlayer to play music clips. I could get RP to work, but not WMP. I kept getting the same error message over and over:

Windows Media Player has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

I have reset my default file associations from WMP to RP and back to WMP. I have shut down and restarted my PC. I have used System Restore twice. I even reinstalled WMP 10. I ran "sfc /scannow." So far nothing has worked. Out of desperation, I tried a "solution" I found on the Web. The instructions were to click Start, then Run, then type the following command: regsvr32 C:\Windows\system32\wmpui.dll, and then click OK. I received a "Successful!" signal after doing this, but it didn't work either.

Just now I went to the Major League Baseball website and attempted to view a video clip. When I clicked to play the video, I immediately received the following error message:

Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close.

Is it possible that my problems could be caused by spyware? I have run three different anti-spyware programs and no results were returned. I would be most grateful to hear from anyone who might be able to help solve my problem(s). Thank you.

Here is a copy of my HijackThis log:

Edit by chaslang: Unrequested, inline log removed

 

Thanks for your help thus far.

I see I've been moved from Spyware to Software.

By now it has become obvious to me that I have a problem which is absolutely unsolvable. (I've done research on problems similar to mine and found several threads which, in the end, offered no solution at all.) It appears to have something to do with a "wininet.dll" file, but apparently there is nothing that can be done about it.

On my own I have tried numerous of methods to get WMP 10 working again. NOTHING WORKS!

I reverted to WMP 9 and back again to 10.

I downloaded Codec LCPJT54, whatever that is.

I did a "fix" to "update to behaviors of certain proxy servers on Windows Media Player 9 Series." (I have WMP 10.)

I attempted to download a Windows Media 9 package, but was told I had it already with WMP 10.

I modified my ActiveX settings.

The Microsoft website has no answer.

Since I am obviously a non-expert, my only question now is what should my next step be? I will not pay $100's of dollars to Microsoft for an answer to a problem which is theirs, not mine.

 

Would it make any difference if I were to remove Service Pack 2?

 

Try replace the wininet.dll, check th eversion number of your and replace it with a known good copy.

 

Just a question, can you run WMP 10 by itself? Also, can you play a video that is located on your hard drive?

Unless I misread your post(read it twice), wmp10 is only having issues with streaming videos.

 

I currently have version 6.0.2900.2668 for wininet.dll, if this helps.....

 

Thank you very, very much! You have no idea how much I appreciate finally receiving a meaningful response!

My frustrations have been mounting by the minute these past two days. I'm at the point now where I'm willing to try anything.

I'm not quite sure how I should go about doing what you suggested, but I will certainly give it a try and post my result.

Thanks again!

 

Thank you very much for responding!

I'm glad you asked about running WMP 10 by itself.

I just found out that WMP is able to play an .MPG video clip which my sister e-mailed me, so at least that function seems to be working well.

However, when I open my WMP library and click on any file, regardless of what it is, the same exact song plays every time! In other words, I can click on, say, 20 different music files and continue to hear that one song over and over -- highly unusual! As noted in my previous post, I also have trouble with streaming audio. When I go to a music/cd website and attempt to play a music clip using WMP, I invariably get the following reply: Windows Media Player has encountered a problem and needs to close. Playing the music clip with RealPlayer is no problem at all.

Perhaps this problem is not nearly as bad as I had suspected.

Thanks again for your reply.

 

I would be more than happy to try your version. I did a file search and found 12 differenet wininet.dll files. Is that normal? What would I have to do in order to try to make yours work? I'm new to this.

Thank you for the offer.

 

I see that I already have three of the version you have.

I don't know if this makes any difference, but here are the wininet.dll versions I have:

6.0.2800, followed by:

1485
1106
1468
1496
1497
1505
1506

and

6.0.2900, followed by:

2668 (three of these)
2180 (two of these)

 

Do I need all 12 wininet.dll files? Should I replace one or more or even all of them with only one version which is known to be good?

 

You should only have 1 wininet.dll on your system and it would be located in C:\WINDOWS\System32. Mine is version 6.0.2900.2668.

 

Where are all those files located?

Well, actually, you can ignore these directories:

c:\windows\$ntservicepackuninstall$
c:\windows\$ntuninstallB883939$
c:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386
c:\windows\$hf_mig$\kb893838\sp2qfe <- has a current copy of your wininet.dll file

The current 6.0.2900.2668 should be under:

c:\windows\system32

Do you have the file located elsewhere besides the above?

 

Hmmm. If I'm supposed to have only one, I wonder how I've accumulated 12. Would it be wise to try deleting 11 of them and keeping only one 6.0.2900.2668? (As previously noted, I have three of this version.) Perhaps the abundance and duplication of these files is what's causing all these problems. Of course, that's merely an uneducated guess on my part.

Thanks again.

 

There are a few viruses out there that replace wininet.dll with a corrupted version containing the virus. I would delete every instance of wininet.dll on your computer and place a know good copy in the C:\WINDOWS\System directory.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

That's something I hadn't even considered, so I reopened WMP and clicked on Play and noticed that there is no check mark next to Repeat. Therefore, I assume that means the Repeat function is turned off. Then I tried playing a file both with and without the check mark and both times I heard that same song yet again. I did notice, though, that a different song follows that song, so I guess that means the same sequence of songs is being repeated.

 

That sounds like a good idea to me. What steps should I follow to make sure that this procedure is done properly? We're going out to eat now, so I'll check back in a couple of hours. Thank you very much for your help.

 

I guess I should simply delete 11 and make sure the one remaining is in the proper location. Or is there more to it than that? I certainly don't want to mess things up worse than they are.

 

I'd still like to know the actual locations of those files.

 

1. Enable viewing of hidden files and folders and extensions; Some programs can hide this way by not being visible in Windows. Start Windows Explorer and click on your main hard drive, usually c:\. Then select Tools from the top of Windows Explorer and then Folder Options. Go to the View tab. Scroll down to the folder icon that says Hidden files and folders and check show hidden files and folders. Also, right below this option, uncheck the hide file extensions for known types. Also for Win NT, 2000, & XP systems, uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (recommended) option. Not doing this could allow file extensions commonly used by trojans and spyware to be hidden, for example a file ending in .exe or dll making manually finding it, if needed, difficult to impossible.

2. Navigate to C:\WINDOWS\System32\dllcache rename wininet.dll to wininet.bak.

3. Navigate to C:\WINDOWS\System32 rename wininet.dll to wininet.bak.

4. Do a search for wininet.dll and delete every occurance of the file.

You can ignore the following directories if found during the search:
c:\windows\$ntservicepackuninstall$
c:\windows\$ntuninstallB883939$
c:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386
c:\windows\$hf_mig$\kb893838\sp2qfe <- has a current copy of your wininet.dll file
​

5. Copy this FILE to C:\WINDOWS\System32.

 

I second that. Were are the other copies located?

 

Here are the locations:

$NtServicePackUninstall$

$NtUninstallKB834707-IE6SP1-20040929.091901$

$NtUninstallKB867282-IE6SP1-20050127.163319$

$NtUninstallKB883939$

system32

ServicePackFiles\i386

system32\dllcache

$hf_mig$\KB883939\SP2QFE

SoftwareDistribution\Download\.... (There are four of these.)

Within the past year I downloaded SP2 three or four times, but my computer slowed down so much after each installation that I had to uninstall it to get back to normal. Could that be the reason for the extra wininet.dll files?

I hope the above information is sufficient.

 

Those are all legitimate directories. Follow the instructions in Post #22 and replace the wininet.dll in the C:\WINDWOS\System32 directory.

 

I followed your instructions implicitly with the help of my nephew, and, unfortunately, when I went to a CD website and clicked on a WMP audio clip I received the same error message -- encountered a problem and needs to close down. I ignored the four directories you that you indicated could be ignored.

I have to go to bed now, so I'll check back in the morning and we can take it from there.

Thank you all for your help so far.

 

I just rebooted and tried again, but the problems remain. I'll be back to try again tomorrow.

Thanks and good night.

 

Start -> Run

eventvwr.msc

OK

Click-on Application

Right-click on Error in the right pane

Select Properties

Look at the faulting application and faulting module. it will look something like this:

Faulting application gaim.exe, version 0.0.0.0, faulting module libglib-2.0-0.dll, version 2.6.5.0, fault address 0x0004108d.

Copy and paste the information contained in teh description field in your reply. Highlight with the mouse and then CTRL+C then CTRL+V into the reply.

 

Here's the info you requested. This is for my most recent error. (The Event Viewer shows approx. 300 errors total dating back to April of this year.) Please let me know if you need any further information:

Faulting application wmplayer.exe, version 10.0.0.3802, faulting module wininet.dll, version 6.0.2900.2180, fault address 0x00078d5b.

For what it's worth, I am able to play a DVD on my computer using WMP.

 

Try applying this update:

Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (883939)


Also what is complayer?

 

Unfortunately, after applying the update I still have the same problems with WMP. This is the update I chose: Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 I presume that was the right choice.

I am not familiar with Complayer.

 

Download and install Process Explorer. After you have it installed, run the program; then click-on File, select Save as, save the file to My Documents. Post the report as an attachment. I need to look at your running processes, something is going on here. The version of wininet.dll on the system32 directory should be 6.0.2900.2668; we need to find out why you can't get that version installed.

If you are not familiar with complayer look through your programs menu for it and uninstall it; if you can't find it in the menu then look through Add/Remove programs. If you can't find it look through your hard drive directory tree, find it's program directory, run the unistaller if there is one.

 

If I understand it, we need to have him copy the correct file in both c:\windows\system32 and c:\windows\system32\dllcache. I forgot about Windows File Protection (WFP). If a dll was changed within c:\windows\system32 and the version is different then what is in c:\windows\system32\dllcache, the system will replace it.

From what I remember, WFP is not turned on while in safemode. Or one can use hotfix.exe to replace the dll.

 

You are correct about WFP, I had him rename wininet.dll in the c:\windows\system32\dllcache to wininet.bak. The file replacement should have taken, that is why I'm starting to think something else is going on.

 

I hope this is what you are expecting:

 

Everything looks OK, in the Process Explorer report.

Reinstall Service Pack 2.

 

Good.

I'll reinstall Service Pack 2 and leave to mow the lawn. I'll return in an hour or so.

Thanks.

 

Can I reinstall SP2 over my old copy, or do I have to remove SP 2 first before reinstalling it? I went to uninstall it but was warned that approximately 25 programs may not work properly if SP 2 is removed. Is this something I should be concerned about? I hope I can just reinstall it over my old copy.

I guess I'll have to locate complayer via my hard drive directory tree.

 

JUst install itright over the top of the old copy.

 

How do I get around Windows Update to reinstall Service Pack 2? So far I've been unable to find a way to go straight to SP 2.

 

HERE

 

I downloaded and installed Service Pack 2, but I still have the same problems.

 

Is this all sites, or just one in particular?

Do you have a firewall?

When exactly does wmp give an error? Immediately when you click the link to stream a video? During the initial download of a stream, typically a stream will start when a certain amount of kilobytes have already been downloaded. Also, a stream uses a different port then a typical browser would use. Also, typically they are based on mms:\\ (if memory serves me) instead of http:\\

 

Rollback WMP10 to WMP9 and see if you have the same problem.

To roll back from Windows Media Player 10 to a previous version, do the following:

1. In Control Panel (Category View), click Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click Remove a program, and then do one of the following:
   
   
   
   If you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2, select the Show updates check box (at the top of the list), click Windows Media Player 10 (in the Windows Updates section), and then click Change/Remove.

 

just a quick note

I have had a similar problem before, i couldn't view any streaming media, in my case it was a codec problem. I had too many of them on my system which ended up conflicting with each other.

my solution was to uninstall the various codec packs I had and just install the k-lite codec pack.

 

Interesting, I was thinking about posting something similar. If this works, then we'll all know what to do in the future!

 

Yes that is interesting, didn't think about that the codecs may be causing the problem.

 

Gee, I just had about a 10-minute spell where I couldn't get online. I tried IE, Firefox, and Opera and couldn't connect. Obviously, I'm back -- finally.

Yes, I have Zone Alarm (free version) which I use all the time. I also have Trend-Micro PC-Cillin Security Suite which has a firewall; however, I have it disabled because I'm heard that two firewalls will (in every case?) conflict. By the way, I have rebooted twice since downloading SP 2 tonight, and both times I received the following message before connecting to the Net:

Zone Alarm

Please stand by. Zone Alarm is initializing. This may take a few minutes.

Perhaps there's a way to prevent ZA from initializing whenever I start up.

I have problems with WMP at the Collectables and at the Major League Baseball (mlb) websites, so I figure I'd experience them at other sites as well.

At Collectables, for example, I can click on WMP to play an audio clip and within seconds the blue WMP screen appears as it should. After a few more seconds, though, I receive the error message. I receive similar error messages with all three browsers: Firefox, IE, and Opera.

Whenever I use RealPlayer I'm okay, but I guess there are certain sites and instances where WMP is necessary to play audio/video files. Obviously, the way things are, I always set RP as my default player.

Whenever I go to mlb and click on WMP to view a game in progress, I immediately receive the following message:

Illegal Operation in Plug-In

Windows Media Player Plug-In Dynamic Link Library

The plug-in performed an ilegal operation. You are strongly advised to restart Navigator (Firefox, in my case)

As with Collectables, RealPlayer works well with mlb.

 

For what it's worth.

I know nothing at all about codecs, but the other night when I was Googling around for threads with problems similar to mine, I happened upon one thread in which the term codec was mentioned frequently. I don't recall any details of the thread, but I remember thinking that the guy seemed to be experiencing problems very much like mine.

 

That's the TureVector Service starting up, if you disable ZA from initializing then it won't start at logon. Can you uninstall the firewall that came with the Trend-Micro PC-Cillin Security Suite, sometimes just having another firewall installed and disabled can cause problems with the other firewall.

How many Codecs do you have installed, see previous posts. It may be worth while to uninstall your codecs and install the K-Lite Codec Pack.

 

In Add/Remove Programs look for Codec packs that are installed, if there are any uninstall them. I doubt there are any if you aren't familiar with what they are; install the K-Lite Codec Pack from my previous post.