media player

Bryan M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I came across a very humorous video file about the experiences of using a Macintosh computer. The video is a spoof on those Macintosh commercials which were aired on TV a little while back. A typical scenario features ... big corporate executives who are frustrated by using a Windows PC at their workplace. In the end of it all, the execs in the commercial say that they prefer to use Mac's because they're simpler to use. Anyway, it's something to that effect. I thought you might enjoy this video and pass it on to your readers. " My Response: I viewed the ... (view more)

In yesterday's issue of the Infopackets Gazette, Jerry D. asked if there was a way to erase the history which contains the names of all previously loaded files in Windows Media Player. The feature is also known as the "Most Recently Used", or MRU ... file history. Unfortunately, there is a downside to the MRU feature. Although MRU saves time by allowing users access to recently used data, it also compromises privacy: anyone who can gain access to a shared PC can also see what files have been accessed recently. I personally did not know the answer to Jerry's dilemma, so I used searched ... (view more)

Recall -- Last week, my mother asked me if there was a safe alternative to using Real One Player. She writes: " My church offers previously-recorded sermons in the .RM format, and I use Real One Player to play these files. Regrettably, the free ... version of Real One Player comes bundled with adware, and now my computer has advertisements and 'suggestions' popping up on my desktop! Is there a freeware alternative to Real One Player? " Unfortunately, I didn't know the answer ... so, I asked Infopackets Readers for help. Below are some of the suggestions I received. Jeff 'the pianist' ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jerry D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I hope you can help me! I [would like to know how to] delete the 'Play List' from my Windows Media Player. I think I have version 9. Do you know how can I delete it? " My Response: I wasn't sure how ... to go about doing this, so I did some research using Google and found 2 viable solutions. Both suggestions I found came from reputable sources. Solution #1: Modify values the Windows Registry Close Windows Media Player (if it's running). Click Start -> Run, and type in: regedit.exe Open up the branch HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ ... (view more)

Last week I generalized how one might go about systematic PC troubleshooting. In particular, I received a question from Thomas V. who was having problems with his Internet Radio (via Windows Media Player) and his CD ROM drive which both produced ... intermittent silence. Thomas suspected that the issues might be one in the same. I suggested otherwise, based on a familiar problem with TCP / IP packet loss that can result in Internet Radio lag. Since this matter is common, I further theorized that these two issues were most likely not related. But, wouldn't you know it? I received emails from ... (view more)

Do you trust Microsoft? Is Bill Gates the Antichrist? While a new computer user may not know a thing or two about Microsoft, its trustworthy practices, Bill Gates, and the Windows operating system -- the usual response from most experienced computer ... users is: "no way," and "yes!" I guess the first thing that comes to my mind regarding antitrust and Microsoft is the Netscape scandal: most people refer to it as the browser war . I suppose this antitrust scandal is most pertinent because of all the media attention it received at the time. It pretty much set the wave for other ... (view more)

Woops! It looks like Microsoft has goofed again. If you haven't been watching the news lately (maybe you don't get CNN?) -- Microsoft has released a security bulletin ( Q320920 ) regarding a critical flaw in Windows Media Player which can allow an ... attacker to gain unrestricted access to your system. Who is affected? Anyone who is using Windows Media Player version 6.4, 7.1 or Windows Media Player for Windows XP (version 8) should download a software patch to their system immediately. Side note: A software patch is piece of software that fixes a program (which is also software). In this case, ... (view more)