Watching videos and listening to songs in Windows Media Player are fun for many computer users. Although this application is useful, it can sometimes reveal unwanted information such as your personal play list or previously watched videos. To prevent others from knowing what you're listening to or viewing, you'll need to take some steps. With a few suggestions, you'll learn how to delete Windows Media Player history.


Step 1
Open Windows Media Player on your current computer system. Once the application fully opens, there will be several menu items listed at the top. A few examples of the choices you'll have include "File," "View," "Play" and "Tools." As you click onto each one of these options, a drop-down list with more choices will immediately appear for you to browse through. If you don't see these menu items listed in Windows Media Player, right click an empty space next to the right or left arrow at the top. Place a check next to "Show Classic Menus" to make the items appear.

Step 2
Click the "Tools" link and view the drop-down options listed. From this displayed list, click the "Options" link to continue. A pop-up box will quickly appear with more choices. There will be several tabs with multiple settings on each one. Examples of some of the tabs include "Player," "Library," "Plug-ins" and "Privacy." Select the "Privacy" tab to begin deleting the Windows Media Player history.

Step 3
Look at the sections located on this tab and navigate toward the bottom area. In the "History" section, uncheck the "Save File and URL History in the Player" if there's a check already there. This function allows your complete history of previously played media to be stored and viewed.

Step 4
Click the "Clear History" button located to the right of this area. It will immediately clear your media playing history from Windows Media Player. To further get rid of more media information, press the "Clear Caches" button to delete the caches of your CDs or other devices. Press the "OK" button to close the "Options" dialogue box and finish the recent changes you've made to Windows Media Player.

Clear History Through "More Options"

Step 1
Clear the history of recently played files from Windows Media Player by clicking the arrow underneath "Now Playing." A drop-down list of commands will quickly display after doing this. Choose the "More Options" link to gain access to more settings in the application.

Step 2
Select the "Privacy" tab listed in the pop-up box to begin deleting previously played media files. This tab will be divided into several sections for your privacy settings. You'll be able to specify privacy settings, enhance content, offer customer feedback and change your history settings.

Step 3
Click the "Clear History" button located in the "History" section to delete information. Depending on how much data has been stored, it may take a few minutes to successfully complete the process. Each saved file or URL will be erased from the Windows Media Player and no longer accessible.

Step 4
Press the "Clear Caches" button to also get rid of stored information from CDs or other devices. When finished, click the "OK" button to exit the "Options" dialogue box. All of your new changes will take effect in Windows Media Player.

Whether you call them windows media players, jukeboxes, mp3 apps, music managers, or whatever - we all need a proggy to listen to our digital music with, so we decided it was time for the Online Music Blog media player shootout. For the sake of this article I am only going to discuss players you can get for free and I am not going to go into p2p apps.

So with that, lets dive right in. For my money there are are only 3 choices - Winamp, iTunes, or Windows Media Players - but I'll talk a little about RealPlayer 10 as well. All of these applications share baseline features - playing various media files, cataloging digital media, etc. We'll focus on things about them that are different.

Back in the day, we had Winamp, and it was good. Unfortunately the original Nullsoft team has all moved on and instead of the hacker cred that Winamp used to have back when Justin Frankel et all were on the job it is now just another corporate media player with a hazy future.

Winamp lost a lot of momentum that it had when it released a ( very ) bad Winamp3 - but with the release of Winamp5 they seem to be back on track - it is useable, responsive, and has a lot of plugins and skins created for it.

The major problem is that for all of it's features it is not much, if any, better then the two dominant media players that are tied to successful music stores iTunes and WMP. Additionally you have to pay $14.95 to get the pro version that add features that iTunes and WMP include for free. One of the bonuses of using Winamp is the ability to tune into all of the cool shoutcast radio stations.

iTunes is, of course, is the digital jukebox front end for the iPod and the iTunes music store from apple computer. The iTunes music store was the first to get pay for digital music downloads right and it still has the largest legal downloadable catalog on the net giving the iTunes jukebox a hefty advantage.

If you are using a Mac then it is a no brainer - you should be using iTunes as you media player, but even if you are using Windows iTunes provides an attractive alternative. The iTunes store is superior ( imho ) to the Windows Media based stores such as Napster and with the legendary Apple ease of use in full effect iTunes makes a great Windows based Jukebox. Noteworthy is the Apple Lossless codec that allows one to rip CD's to the ACC format that sound as good as the CD itself to our ears. On the negative side, the iTunes jukebox feels heavy on moderately powered PC's compared to Winamp or WMP. It runs a little slower, seems to use more resources, etc.

Last (of yea, except for RealPlayer... ) Windows Media Player 10 is one of Microsoft's best pieces of software and is some much better then the last generation of MS media players. The jukebox itself is stuffed with features such as its ability to monitor changes to your digital media files and update itself, simple sync and burn, ratings, and the auto tag features are all very nice.

One of the changes in V.10 is the ability to rip files if the format and with ( or without ) the DRM of your choice. You also get the ability to listen to Internet radio streams with WMP, and although they tend to be more corporate then the hip shoutcast radio you can still find some good music. WMP also features a lossless ripping of CD's but I was less impressed with the results then I was with Apples Lossless.

And finally there is RealPlayer. The free RealPlayer 10 is better then previous version although that is not saying much imho. It still takes over your file formats by default, tries to force you register, runs in the background (phoning home ?) unless you can find the settings to tell it not to - all of the problems that it has always have. I say stay as far away from Real as possible even if you can use "Harmony" to use your iPod with the Real store. While I may be being over critical of Real's jukebox - I do think that there are other alternatives that are less intrusive and have better feature sets.

All in all I think that either iTunes or WMP is a solid choice and far and away the best media players available. Winamp is a okay too as long as you don't need to rip music or burn it back to a CD - but it is worth the download and install just to listen to Shoutcast stations from time to time. Personally I use WMP at work and iTunes are home, so take that for what it's worth. I think that I like WMP a little better, but not so much that I would take the time to switch my iTunes set up at home.

To help you get up and running quickly, this section highlights the most frequently used tasks that you can accomplish with Windows Media Player.
• To show or hide the menu bar
• To play files
• To rip tracks from an audio CD
• To burn your own CD
• To add items to your library
• To create a playlist
• To set up automatic synchronization
• To browse the available online stores
• To switch between display modes
• To apply a skin

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:ezinearticles.com

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

Microsoft’s move clearly indicates that it is preparing to counter Apple’s iPhones that attract mobile phone users with its advanced music-playing capabilities.

"One thing that Apple has leveraged on is the music scenario, and I think that is something the operators and ourselves are partnering on, just to make sure that consumers can use live music in the best way," said Andy Lees , senior vice president of Microsoft's Mobile Business Communication, in a statement.

Lee foresees a huge potential in the mobile music market because there has been a sudden increase in the demand for music-enabled mobile phones. He believes they surpass other music gadgets like iPods in their ability to pull the crowd. Studies forecast that the market of music-enabled mobile phones will hit $11 billion in the next three years.

Microsoft has not disclosed the details of the improvements on the music features of the mobile phones. It is likely that the company will focus them around Windows Media Player for mobile phones. Also, chances are that the company will partner with other companies for over-the-air music stores.

Apple iPod, together with its online music partner iTunes, offers a music extravaganza to the music enthusiasts. Apple’s dominance over its competitors is likely to continue in the future. Apart from Apple, Microsoft also faces challenges from Symbiam, Research In Motion, and mobile Linux.

Earlier this year, Microsoft released the latest version of Internet Explorer Mobile with an aim to bring “desktop-grade” Web browsing experience to mobile phones. In addition, the company also announced the release of Windows Mobile 6.1, an update for its Windows Mobile software that includes new timesaving features, easier phone navigation and management, and increased security safeguards. Mobile phones with these features installed are expected to reach the market by the end of 2008.

“People want a single phone that’s flexible enough to meet their needs throughout their day, whether it’s connecting to work or your everyday life,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, in a statement.

“The innovations we’ve added to our Windows Mobile software ultimately make it easier to manage your world,” added Bach.

Microsoft expects to sell 20 million Windows Mobile licenses in its current fiscal year, which ends in June. With these improvements the company expects a 50 percent growth in its sales in the following fiscal year.

Putting movies on Zune is not difficult. In fact, using the zune software, it is very straight forward and easy.

The zune software allows you to sync your movies and video files from either itunes or windows media player. By default, when you connect the zune player to a computer, it will automatically synchronize between windows media player. It will then download your movies and videos files in the media library onto the zune player automatically.

The zune software is free to download. However you might want to take note of the specifications. Currently, it only supports Windows XP, home and professional, media editions as well as Windows Vista only. You can check the system requirements at http://www.zune.net

However, I do find the conversion process takes quite long even for small video files. Also, I tried the Zune marketplace where I can directly download the files on my Zune player. Unfortunately, sometimes the synchronization will fail and I will have to try 2 to 3 times before it will download properly. It’s most likely a bug and I think they will fix it soon.

Currently, the Zune player can support three video formats namely WMV, MPEG-4 and H.264. Most resolutions and bitrates are allowed since the zune software will automatically convert the videos files to be compatible for playing on the zune player.

If you want to play your DVD movies on zune, you will need a DVD to zune video converter since the zune software does not convert different video formats for you. I’m using the Cucusoft DVD to Zune converter and it works well. You can use other software to convert DVD movies to Zune.

If you do not want to do the conversion, there are two options. One is to download from Zune marketplace. It is similar to the itunes store where you pay per download. They also have a subscription service where they provide a certain number of points which is deducted when you download a movie, mp3 or video. There are some bugs with the zune software and the zune marketplace so I would not recommend using it for the time being.

The other option is to purchase a membership at a zune download site. These Zune download sites let you download unlimited numbers of movies, videos and mp3 for a one time charge or on a yearly basis. It is cheaper and I highly recommend it if you are a movie or music junkie.

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

source:enzinearticles

Windows Media Player 11 offers great new ways to store and enjoy digital media beyond music. It's easier than ever to access all of your video, pictures, and recorded TV on your computer. Play it, view it, organize it, sync it to a portable device for viewing on the go, or share with devices around your home-all from one place.

Storing and enjoying music, video, pictures, and recorded TV

Just as music enjoys its own listing in the Library pane, so do video, pictures, and recorded TV.
There are two ways to easily access these category views in Windows Media Player. You can click the music note icon just above the left navigation pane to reveal the drop-down list, or you can click the Library tab to get to the quick access menu.

Keep things organized

Each category now has its own list view in the navigation pane that is tailored to best sort and organize content. For example, just as the Music view offers the appropriate Artist, Album, and Song options, the Pictures view offers Date Taken, Rating, and so forth; the Video view offers Actors, Genre, and so forth; and the Recorded TV view has Series, Actors, and so forth. Other new features available in the music library, such as thumbnail and stacking views, and Instant Search capabilities, extend to each media category, providing a simple, uniform experience across Windows Media Player 11.

If you face any kind of problem with your computer then go for Computer Repair

Source: Microsoft

According to Bell, Ace operates on its mobile data network across North America and on GSM/GPRS networks internationally for voice roaming in more than 180 countries and data roaming in more than 100.

Ace offers familiar Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, as well as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player Mobile, and also displays Adobe Acrobat PDF documents.

Adel Bazerghi, vice president of products for BellMobility, said: "The Samsung ACE is a high-speed and high-performance smartphone that business professionals will rely on to be connected and productive, both at home and abroad."

Microsoft is releasing a major update to its Zune software and online service, and it couldn't have come soon enough.

Most of the headlines will probably focus on Microsoft adding downloadable shows, such as "South Park" and "The Office," to the Zune Marketplace for $1.99--sorry, that's 160 Microsoft Points. (No, they're still not adopting conventional currency. Argh.)

And in my discussions with the Zune team, they seem to be most excited about the new social features. For instance, your friends' Zune cards will now appear on your Zune device, where you'll be able to see what they've been listening to recently and even play those songs if you have a Zune Pass subscription. Of course, the playlist feature's always been really buggy for me--as I write this, the playlist on the right side of my profile here is 13 days old, and I've listened to many songs since then and synced several times. But I suppose these social features could eventually give Microsoft a leg up against the iPod, if they can get them all working properly and keep adding ways to discover new music. For instance, I'm not a Zune Pass subscriber, but I'd still love to be able to sample songs on my friends' playlists directly on my Zune (Microsoft says the content owners put the kibosh on this idea) and then download them wirelessly from the Marketplace (wireless downloads aren't yet available).

TV and social improvements aside, I'm actually happiest about the basic fixes that Microsoft is making to the Zune PC software. As I've mentioned--and CNET's Molly Wood recently wrote about--one of the biggest problems with Zune has been the software. The first version, based on the Windows Media Player and released in 2006, was actually more useful than the client they wrote from scratch and released a year later. In other words, the upgrade was, in some respects, a downgrade.

I haven't had a chance to test it yet--the software update will flow automatically to my PC some time tonight--but Microsoft promises the following :

Metadata editing--it'll be much easier for users to change things like artists' names and genres from within the Zune software. (This was my biggest complaint about the 2007 software update--I actually had to download another app, MP3Tag, to get the job done.)

Automatic playlists--you'll be able to create playlists (like "all songs added since 1/1/2008) that update automatically as you add new songs--a feature iTunes has had forever, and that Microsoft removed in the 2007 update.

Sort by genre--another removed feature that's been restored. Gapless playback on both the software (a longstanding iTunes standard) and the device itself (the latest iPods also have this, but the Shuffle and my 4th generation iPods don't).

Sync improvements--the software can now sync content to multiple Zunes simultaneously, and create separate sync lists for each device.

There are other improvements in the software as well, including better integration between the PC client and the online social community. As soon as I get the software, I'll post some hands-on impressions.

If you face any kind of problem with your computer then go for Computer Repair

source:cnet

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

To configure Windows Media Player 11 for CD ripping, open the Rip menu by click-ing the small arrow under the Rip toolbar button and then choose More Options. This displays the Media Player Options dialog box with the Rip tab opened.

There are a number of options here, but I am primarily concerned with Rip settings,which determine the file format Media Player will use for the music you copy. By default, Media Player will rip music to Microsoft's proprietary Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. I cannot stress this point enough: Do not-ever-use this format.

Here's the deal. WMA is a high-quality audio format, and much more desirable froma technical standpoint than competing options such as MP3 or Advanced AudioCoding (AAC), the format Apple uses for its own music. But because WMA is notsupported on some of the most popular music devices on the planet (read: the iPod),I advise against storing your entire collection in a format that could be a dead endin a few years.

So what do we recommend? We recommend the MP3 format, which is a de factoaudio standard that is supported by every single audio application, device, and PC onthe planet. Yes, MP3 is technically not as advanced as WMA, or even AAC for that mat-ter. But that's okay. Thanks to today's massive hard drive sizes, you can simply encodemusic at a high bit rate. The higher the bit rate, the better the quality. (And, not coinci-dentally, the bigger the resulting file sizes. But again, who cares? Storage is cheap.)

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.