How do I get rid of WMP 9 Beta? This POS is annoying the heck out of me!!

[Ronstang]

During a lapse of judgement I installed WMP 9 beta last night to see what all the hoopla is about, unfortunately it doesn't do all that my other media players will with the exception of one thing.......HIJACK MY DAMN SYSTEM!!! My file associations no longer work properly. After a brief test I decided that Zoom Player is much better for my needs with my DivX movies so I re-associated all AVI files with Zoom....but when you click on them they still open in WMP9! I checked, and all AVI files are set to open in Zoom Player....but they still open in WmP9. I have tried and tried and the only way to play my DivX files in Zoom is manyally.

How do I uninstall this POS and get it the heck off my system? I am so tired of MS apps taking over everything and removing all control form the user. If you delete it, then your files won't open becuase it reports that wmplayer.exe is missing....even though the fileas are associated with ZOOM! I do not know how to unistall this junk....it keeps coming back on it's own. I wnat WMP8 back.....it was also a POS but it wasn't a damn system terrorist!

Thanks

 

[singh]

I guess you forgot that it was a *BETA*version?

 

[Ronstang]

LIke that should matter in the fact that it hijacks the system....you can't tell me MS didn't do this on purpose. If you don't have any help to offer in getting rid of this POS then I don't need any crap comments about stuff I already know.

 

[HalfCrazy]

I was kinda woundering the same thing about this. So I searched on google.com and found you could use the Add/Remove programs within Win98 to uninstall WMP 9. But that won't work within WinXP and the only choice you got it to use the SystemRestore or Reinstall XP.

 

[Ronstang]

MS is becoming true evil incarnate....I will never install any of their crap on my systems again.....XP Pro is fine the way it is but I am not adding any more MS upgrades.

 

[c0rv1d43]

I really don't understand the issue here. I installed the WMP 9 beta download. This is what I saw. A choice between a Typical install and a Custom install. I think that choice is a no-brainer for anyone who has multiple players on her/his system -- no? (Actually, I can't remember the last time I chose anything other than a Custom install feature. When it's offered, it's there for a reason.)

Once I embarked upon the custom installation I was given a choice as to what types of files I wanted associated with the player.

Now that I have it installed I can go to Tools | Options, select the File Types tab and check and uncheck file types to my heart's content. If I turn off a file type there and go into another player and associate it with that file type, then go into Explorer and double-click on a file of that type, the other player comes up. Everything appears to work just as it is supposed to work.

And the player is a definite improvement over WMP 8 in every respect (at least for my taste). For one thing, the default settings are not invasive of privacy any more. You have to opt in to have the player individually identifiable online, for instance.

If you installed from the update site online, then I have no idea what the procedure was like. But I always look into the "more information" link for each update. When you do that for this beta you get taken to a place where you can download the installer. And you are told right up front that you have to use System Restore to uninstall it and revert to WMP 8.

- Collin

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
During a lapse of judgement I installed WMP 9 beta last night to see what all the hoopla is about, unfortunately it doesn't do all that my other media players will with the exception of one thing.......HIJACK MY DAMN SYSTEM!!! My file associations no longer work properly. After a brief test I decided that Zoom Player is much better for my needs with my DivX movies so I re-associated all AVI files with Zoom....but when you click on them they still open in WMP9! I checked, and all AVI files are set to open in Zoom Player....but they still open in WmP9. I have tried and tried and the only way to play my DivX files in Zoom is manyally. How do I uninstall this POS and get it the heck off my system? I am so tired of MS apps taking over everything and removing all control form the user. If you delete it, then your files won't open becuase it reports that wmplayer.exe is missing....even though the fileas are associated with ZOOM! I do not know how to unistall this junk....it keeps coming back on it's own. I wnat WMP8 back.....it was also a POS but it wasn't a damn system terrorist! Thanks

It says right at the M$ website that you use System Restore to revert back to WMP8 and get rid of 9.

BTW - there's a lesson learned here - never run Betaware unless you have a duplicate drive or system that can put you back to normal in a hurry.

 

[Ronstang]

I already figured out about using system restore to fix it....but normally I turn this XP feature off so it slipped my mind since I did not even realize it was activated. I understand the concept of Beta-ware....I guess I keep expecting too much of MS though.

 

[c0rv1d43]

I still don't understand your disgruntlement. MS provides you with the tools to properly protect the system and to restore it to pre-installation condition. If you turn off System Restore, one of the most powerful and useful features of the operating system which differentiates it from the old days when any old application could jump all over the OS and kick the living crap out it the registry and the registered file complement, and then install beta software from ANYONE (I'd trust most MS betaware over most non-MS betaware on this particular platform.) I just don't see that the fault lies with MS.

A lot of people turn off the other major protective feature of Win2K / WinXP, Windows File Protection, too. And then they hose their systems by installing something that replaces up-to-date system files with older versions and get mad at MS because the system goes toes up.

You're tinkering with your system, which you have a perfect right to do. But blaming the results of turning off the protection features on Microsoft, especially after all the crap they took from us about how easy it was to whack their operating systems in previous years, just doesn't make sense.

I, for one, am delighted that they have made the changes they've made to Windows. It has turned Windows from a fragile-but-versatile OS into a much-more-robust-and-more-versatile OS. My $.02 for what it's worth on today's market.

Regards,
Collin

 

[bjc112]

I just grabbed it to check it out, if you do the custom install, and only let it play the extensions you like, Its definately a step up from 8...

I would get rid of it, and try again...

 

[NFS4]

You're blaming Microsoft for your lack of judgement, forethought, the fact that they TOLD you that it was unsupported beta software, and your inability to leave MS's self-protective WinXP OS features alone? You deserve everything WMP9 dishes out on you!

 

[RVN]

Time for a format and fresh install IMO. It's time-consuming but far less abusive than being berated here.

 

[c0rv1d43]

Huh? I don't think anyone got abused or berated here, except maybe Microsoft. I think the idea here is to learn something from the experience rather than to repeat the same sort of mistake with another piece of software, thinking that it was the software installation that was at fault instead of considering the possibility that a different approach to the installation of ANY software might be a good idea. We don't have to put up with operating systems getting whacked by installations any more, and that means we won't be doing so many fresh installations to recover system function in the future. That's the good news. The proviso is that we have to keep ourselves from defeating the operating system's in-built ability to protect itself if we wish to avail ourselves of the advantages those protective features provide.

- Collin

 

[Mrburns2007]

SFC /SCANNOW in the command prompt will rid you of 9, you will need your cd.