IE7 (Vista 32 bit) Can't/Won't open MPG/MPEG Files

[Riffrafter]

I'm running Vista Home Premium (32-bit) and installed a codec pack to try
and improve on Vista's ability to play certain video files. After
installing, IE7 will no longer open any links for MPG or MPEG files. Other
file formats seem to open the media player just fine as usual. I
uninstalled the Codec pack (Vista Codec Pack) but that didn't help. The
actual MPG Codec is fine as files play with no problem directly from the
media player (WMP 11) if d/l'd first, and they also open/play fine from
Firefox. When clicking on a link that I see the following:

"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

Most likely causes:
You are not connected to the Internet.
The website is encountering problems.
There might be a typing error in the address. "


I've tried making sure that the file associations are correct, checked my
proxy settings, made sure Internet connections was checked in Media player,
etc all to no avail. I've also checked and the codecs are installed in WMP.
I've also googled this until my eyes bled - no help.

How can I make IE remember how to open an MPG/MPEG file?

Thanks in advance.

-Riff

 

[kirk jim]

dont use codec packs!!!

Do a system restore to a time before you installed the pack,
then download the following cobination that works very well

real alternative
Quicktime alternative
koepi xvid
and gomplayer to play all the rest that media player cant.

Also keep this in mind, since they will be releasing a version for vista
soon: divx http://www.divx.com/

In the meanwhile gomplayer can play everything if you install the real alt.
and quick alt I have below.

Links :
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alternative.htm

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Koepi_XviD.htm
or http://www.koepi.org/xvid.shtml

www.gomplayer.com

 

[kirk jim]

Er... if you are planning on downloading and using iTunes, then that comes
with quicktime bundled so you can skip the quicktime alternative in that
case. If you have no plan on installing iTunes, install the quicktime
alternative.

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Click Start > type "Internet Options" > hit Enter

This should open the Internet Properties dialog > click 'Advanced' click the
"Reset" button under "Reset Internet Explorer settings', this will make IE
like new again.

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

Why would you set those values? The OS should set them perfectly as
"video/mpeg". You should generally not touch those.

Beyond that, "x-" is deprecated and reserved for experimental types, and
"ms" implies vendorness which isn't applicable to MPEG. So video/x-ms-wmv
means Video type: Experimental by Microsoft file type WMV.

Please don't set these. They should be
video/mpeg

You should not adjust any set "Content Type" on the system without really
good reason. =)

Thanks!
-Zach

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

Oh totally - I'm interested in an amicable relationship here, and there's
nothing in your pack that jumps out as technical badness to a quick
once-over. I'm here solely interested in stability and Things Workin', so I
think we're on the same page. =)

The hack you presented wasn't correct, though-- it should be:
===
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpeg]
"Content Type"="video/mpeg"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpg]
"Content Type"="video/mpeg"
===

Capische? I'm not certain who's resetting those to something strange (I'd
be interested to know and get them to stop that), but the above are the
correct values. Setting Content Type to alternate values could potentially
trigger anti-spoofing logic in certain contexts, so it's relatively
important to get those right or at least cohesive within a given association
environment. =)

-Zach

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

Ah - I see what you're trying to do here - you're just trying to bypass the
issue by triggering a security exception: given what you're saying, you're
deliberately inducing an anti-spoofing launch path.

I wouldn't really recommend that. If there's a add-on or handler that's
interfering here, it would be best to root-cause that as opposed to this
work-around. =\

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

You're talking about the "Path" value? The SwapTo code I wrote (it's a
test/deployment feature of negligible value - but since it's being picked up
by 64bit fans, is doing exactly what it was written for) didn't set that.
Without that, there are cases where the "old" 32bit player would be
used/picked up. So when you update via SwapTo:32 or SwapTo:64, you need to
explicitly set the path to. Otherwise when executing wmplayer.exe against
execution start path %programfiles% or %programfiles(x86)%... =)

-Zach

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

Again, in my experience, the swapto code functions fine without the
registry edit.

It doesn't, though - I believe the specific scenario you would notice is
clicking in on an HREF to a media file - you really do need to set the Path
here. It's fine if people don't want to do that, but it won't work
cohesively without that, end of story. =)

I think the reasons users report it didnt work is that
they dont realize the big picture. Its only changing the default player
(DVD play etc), not the file associations the user created before the
swap. example: mkv file is set to open with WMP under the 32bit
default. The user then swaps to the 64bit player expecting everything
that used to open the 32bit player to now open the 64bit player but
double clicking an mkv file still opens the 32bit player.

That sounds like MKV wasn't registered in the player registration scheme
that's been around since Win98 days. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,
Software\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer allows for extensibility of
registration. Should be pretty straight-forward.

back to the original topic. I now have knowledge of the cause and the
resolve and also need to take fault for the cause. Its some left over
code from when the codec pack was designed for XP. The following is set
by my current release but will be changed for future releases to cleanup
the mess I created and eventually removed completely because its purpose
was only to set a default icon.

redundant setting:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpg]
"Default"="mpg_auto_file"

Why would you set that ever? mpg_auto_file specifically means that no
association was found so the user clicked on it and the shell automatically
regenerated the association based upon that explicit interaction. None of
the media types should ever need an Auto association here... =)

in Vista this should be:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpg]
"Default"="WMP11.AssocFile.MPEG"

Since that controls the association, it's best to not set that without being
really certain what the user associativity state is - if they're using some
3rd party for MPEG playback, for example, it's best to keep them happily
using that. =) I would only set that if it's unset that if I were you, and
even then the SystemFileAssociations should probably already have a back-up
association there.

I'm at a point now that i wish i could edit out my suggestion above to
temporarily fix the issue so its not 'out there', but this board doesnt
allow the edit.

No worries - anybody interested should be able to see the subsequent
follow-ups and corrections.

Best,
-Zach