"Registered File Types" "Opens with" What if a common type is not "registered?" Advanced?

[Guest]

I sent a family member as short MPG file (<1MB) as an attachment to an
e-mail. He could not open it. I told him to search for some other MPG file
that might be on his HD, and see if it opened. He said the found file opened
with Real Player. But it seems that there is no obvious way to choose which
app opens an attachment. He and I apparently have different MPG-2 decoders,
and trying to walk him thru it with my having what must be different
versions of apps and utilities and plug-ins was a failure.

So I phoned him and thought that I would have him set Windows Media Player
as the function to play MPGs. I walked him thru Windows
Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/File
Types. After his list populated, he found that there was not an entry for
MPG; the sorted list had entries before and after where MPG types would be.
I think this is strange, but I thought I would help him enter a type not
already in the list of types. I failed. Clicking on NEW took me into
unknown territory, which I do not know how to navigate.

What results in a specific file type being registered? How could "MPG" not
be registered by default?

I do not want to phone him again until I know how to help him. When I do, I
will ask him if for certain he has Windows Media Player installed, but I
have been presuming so as I thought that it was a default in the Win XP OS
installation.

Can you give me a reference to how to make Windows Media Player the function
that opens MPG files that are attached to e-mails, by correctly nagivating
the Folder Options possibilities? Or by any other navigation?

 

[Alan Edwards]

Windows Media Player-Tools-File Types tab
Check the box for mpeg

....Alan

 

[Guest]

My system does show both. But why does my sister's not list "MPG"
Would it not be there by default?

 

[Guest]

My sister has confirmed that there is no entry for MPEG either.

Now where do we go?

 

[Michael T]

My system does show both. But why does my sister's not list "MPG"
Would it not be there by default?

You might want to compare the settings, codecs, etc. for the two computers.

Go to Help > About Windows Media Player.

Click on the link "Technical Information" at the bottom.

This will/should take you to a webpage that displays all of the binaries,
codecs and services for the version of WMP installed on your computer.

 

[Alan Edwards]

Are you telling her to look in WMP?
In my WMP 11 it is actually Tools-Options-File Types tab under file
type "Movie file (mpeg)"

....Alan

 

[Alan Edwards]

My WMP 11 shows only one, Movie file (mpeg) under
Windows Media Player-Tools-Options-File Types tab

Are we talking the same area?
(Explorer-Tools-Folder OptionsFile Types shows MPE,MPEG,MPG but that
is not the area I mentioned)

....Alan

 

[almostbob]

your sister allowed real stupid to be installed, media file types have
different names, mpeg mpg is likely listed under R in the file types list
for "Real Player mpeg file"