Google launched its Google Media Server which well, serves media, to any Universal Plug-and-Play device you might have lying around, such as a Sony PlayStation 3. The software, part of the Google Desktop suite, streams media from PCs running Windows only, for now.

The Google Media Server allows users to access videos, music, and photos stored on the PC it runs on; view Picasa Web Albums; and play YouTube videos.

The software is still in beta phase, which means that it won't perform flawlessly just yet. Google Media Server does not work with Microsoft's gaming console Xbox due to unresolved legal issues.

Each Universal Plug-and-Play device must be individually authorized, which is of course a must have feature. This way celebrities will be able, for example, to watch their sex tapes without being snooped on by third parties.

The software also works with some television sets made by Hewlett-Packard and a whole array of gadgets which feature Universal Plug-and-Play support.

However, for Windows Media Player 11 users, the new glitchy, beta software may be just... bloatware. Microsoft's latest Windows Media Player already features media sharing to Universal Plug-and-Play devices.

However, Windows Media Player 11 does not support YouTube streaming nor Picasa shared web albums.

Windows Media Player 11 is the new and easy to use Media Player from Microsoft. So you have downloaded this program and want to get started on adding files. Windows Media Player may automatically add files and folders but it tends to do these from the default folders such as 'My Music' and 'My Videos'. You may however have files stored in other areas you may wish to add to the Library. If you wish to make this an automated process alongside the defaults you must go to File>Add to Library or if you wish to you a shortcut simply press the F3 key.

Then select which media folders you wish to add,these will then automatically be monitored, anything added to them will be automatically put into your Windows Media Library. You may see an option about files previously deleted from the library, you may need to click that as you delete files that you don't want Windows Media Player may automatically add these. If you wish to add individual files to the library you can simply locate it from a window with it open and drag it into the library and it will appear with the correct ID3 Tag.

You can now enjoy these files by double clicking on them or pressing the enter key. You will find performance of Windows Media slightly slow whilst it locates more files to add to the library, once it has done this it will play music more smoothly without any interruptions

source:enzinesarticles

Use the following steps below and start to enjoy the new look Windows Media Player today, you only need a few minutes to start this up and you will benefit hugely from it.
Windows Media Player downloads have always been left in the Microsoft downloads center, this area is jam packed full of great Microsoft software such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, so you will want to head here first.

To get to this area click the below link, this will open a new window on your monitor so make sure there is room on the taskbar for you to easily access it:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Search.aspx?displaylang=en

You will now see a webpage with plenty of options, be sure to have a look around and see if there are any other Microsoft technologies that may interest you, there are also many great articles which can be used in troubleshooting Windows Media Player.

You will want to look along the left hand side of the navigation bar and locate the header "Download Categories". You will see a option that says "Windows Media", click this.

Now you are at the Windows Media Download page, click on Windows Media Player 11, which is the top option on the screen. You will now need to validate your copy of Windows to gain access to this download.

The Windows Geniune Advantage tool was introduced in order to combat pirated copies of Windows, the site requires you validate your computer, otherwise you will not be able to get access to the download.

Once you have succesfully validated your copy of Windows, you will be returned to the download screen, you will now notice that the button which says validate has been changed to download.

Click on this link.

The download will begin, the file isn't too big so it shouldn't take too long to download even if your internet connection is pre DSL or just extremely slow, be sure to shut some open windows in order to speed up the download process.

Once downloaded the setup file will appear on your Windows desktop or where you store your downloaded files by default. To check where this is

In Firefox:

Click Tools
Then Options

You will then see by clicking the main tab located on the top row of icons, there is a download section this informs you where your download is.

In IE:

The download area is defaulted to the desktop so just head straight there to locate the setup file.
So now you have located the Windows Media Player setup file, double click it to commence the setup process.

When you start the first window you will come across will be another validation window, however don't despair this doesn't mean your copy of Windows is invalid, it is simply a secondary backup check for the folks at Microsoft, just to be on the safe side.

Click I accept on the license agreement page, if you decline it the setup will not be able to continue.

Then setup will begin, the software will now be installed on your system and will be ready to use momentarily, this process completes upgrading Windows Media Player 10 to 11 for you in a flash. The setup is very useful in the fact is create a 'System Restore point' for your Windows Machine just in case anything goes wrong, you can simply use the System Restore tool to take settings back to how they were.

If you are facing any kind of problem with your computer then go for Computer Support

source:windowsmediaplayerupdates

In this article I will give you some explanation as to why Windows Media Player cannot be removed from Windows Vista, now Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest operating system and with their push for more entertainment options within the operating system the decision was taken to keep Windows Media Player stuck into the memory!

When Windows Vista was first released back in January 2007 and the key thing that Microsoft had really pushed in my opinion besides the new security layer was the new fresh look to all media, including Windows Media Center.

Windows Media Player 11 was drastically improved throughout initial beta release of Windows Vista, and overall I can say that the software is very well crafted on the Vista Platform.
Now this whole business of Windows Media Player being the default media player in the Windows operating system has actually got Microsoft into trouble for being anticompetive against others in the market such as Real and iTunes.

In fact a recent ruling from the European Commision made sure that Microsoft offer a new version of Windows Vista, called Windows Vista N. Now this version simply has no Windows Media Player 11 included.

But the one point I wanted to make was for the legitimate users who are having problems with Windows Media Player 11, now I was helping a user just recently and they were explaining to me how they were missing some .dll files (for those of you who may not be familiar with .dll don't worry it just meant nothing was going to work). So anyway my usual recommendation naturally would have been to say "Reinstall Windows Media Player to collect those .dll files back into the Windows Registry".

Now the most promising thing I can reassure you is that Microsoft let's you install any other media software you want, so you will never be stuck with just Windows Media Player on your system, but hey for most of you I am sure it does a great job with your media files.
So the main reason Microsoft really wouldn't let you uninstall it was simply because they saw a large percentage of the market using it heavily, and in my opinion this is what made them keep it on.

If you have or face any kind of problem with Windows Vista or Windows Media Player then go for Microsoft Help.

source:windows-media-player-updates

Rolling back to a previous version of Windows Media Player 11 is a feature of the Windows operating system and cannot be removed entirely. However, in Windows XP, you can roll back to the version of the Player that was previously on your computer.

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to perform the following procedure.

1. Disconnect any portable music or video devices that might be attached to your computer.

2. In Category View of Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs, and then click Remove a program.

3. At the top of the list, select the Show updates check box.

4. In the Windows XP - Software Updates section, click Windows Media Player 11, and then click Change/Remove.

5.In each of the two confirmation dialog boxes that appear, click OK.

6. When the rollback process is complete (it might take several minutes to complete), click Restart.

7. In Category View of Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs, and then click Remove a program.

8. At the top of the list, select the Show updates check box.

9. In the Windows XP - Software Updates section, click Windows Media Format 11 Runtime, and then click Change/Remove. If you installed a non-US English version of Windows Media Player 11, the instructions in the dialog boxes that are mentioned in steps 9, 10, and 11 might appear in English.

10. In the first confirmation dialog box that appears, click OK.

11. In the second confirmation dialog box that appears, select the Do you want to continue with the rollback? check box, and then click OK.

12. When the rollback process is complete (it might take several minutes to complete), click Restart.

13. In Category View of Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs, and then click Remove a program.

14. Click Microsoft User-Mode Driver Frameworks Feature Pack 1.0, and then click Remove.

15. Follow the instructions that appear in the Software Update Removal Wizard. If the Wudf01000 confirmation dialog box appears, click Yes to continue. When the software removal process is complete (it might take several minutes to complete), click Finish.

If you remove Windows Media Player 11 and the Windows Media Format 11 Runtime, and then encounter error C00D271D ("A problem has occurred in the Digital Rights Management component. Contact Microsoft product support."), you might be able to resolve the problem by installing the Windows Media Format 9.5 Runtime. For information about installing the Runtime, in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, see article 891122, "Update for Windows Media Digital Rights Management-enabled players." You might not be able to roll back to a previous version of the Player if the hidden folder $NtUninstallwmp11$ is deleted from your computer. Some non-Microsoft programs (such as CCleaner) delete this folder in an attempt to remove unwanted files from your computer.

source: enzinearticles