Windows Media Player 11 problem after update

Hello,

I recently clicked a prompt to update Windows Media Player 11 (the update that changes all your colourful circular media icons to a white and blue icon (that looks like a Mac media file icon), and makes the colour of the minimized player match the maximized one, which WMP11 didn't do before). Anyway, it was all working properly until I saw that there was a process called 'wmpnetwk.exe' using 10,492 K in the Task Manager. I read up on it and a process information site listed that it was non-essential and could be ended (down to user preference) (I always end pointless processes from task manager to squeeze extra performance out of my system). The process kept restarting itself everytime I ended it. At this point the Media Player still worked normally, despite fiddling with this process. I went into the 'Services' section of Window's 'Administrative Tools' and stopped the 'WMP network service' and changed it from automatic to manual start-up. Upon starting the computer the next day the media player shows a message that says "Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device", and saying that there "might not be a sound device installed on my computer, blah, blah, blah". This occurs every time I try to play a music file (video files play, but have no sound). There is no problem with my soundcard or drivers and I have full sound in all other programs.

I can't find anything relating to this on the Internet and clicking 'Web Help' button on the error message has no effect - it doesn't try to open anything from the Internet, the button just flashes, but I wouldn't expect it to offer any decent advice anyway.

I've tried installing the player over the top of itself from the Windows website and I also tried restarting the service I mentioned (and changing it back to 'automatic' start-up) and restarting the system but to no avail.

I hope I don't need to follow loads of virus scan guides and things. I'm pretty good at keeping virus/spyware at bay and I only scanned using Zonealarm anti-virus and Spybot (both fully up-to-date) three days previous. I don't think it's a virus/spyware issue, just Windows acting up.

I would imagine it was a simple problem to fix if somebody knew what they were doing (I don't) and I can't find a way of "re-aligning" my soundcard with the media player (if that makes sense).

Please help, I use the Media Player (and its library features) every day and I need it back!

Thank you!

 

Do ye still have sound, besides the media player issue?

Have ye tried to uninstall version 11, and use 10?

 

Thanks for the reply. Everything has sound except for the Media Player.

And no, I haven't tried going back to WMP10. (do you mean install 10 over 11? Because you cannot uninstall it)

 

Just tried to install 10 and it says that it isn't compatible with my version of Windows. So thanks to the damn security updates, I am stuck with 11 it seems.

By the way, WMP11 beta worked fine it's only lately this problem has happened.

 

You can try to install 11 again, and it will ask repair or remove, choose repair, this may fix it

 

Sorry, missed your post Isdmeasap, I rolled back using Add or Remove programs (this must be new - WMP 10 was un-removeable).

And it worked, bloody stupid program. I prefer 10 anyway as you can colour it better. It look smuch nicer.

Do you think I will be able to install 11 in the future or should I stick with 10?