The Windows CD Player

[Tim Hueller]

Can anyone tell me why the Windows CD Player doesn't work
in Windows XP?

To clarify, I'm not talking about Windows Media Player. I
am talking about the little program
called "cdplayer.exe". I prefer that program because it
plays the cd audio through the audio cable instead of
going straight to the hard drive first, as Windows Media
Player does for cd audio.

Now, I have copied the program file for the CD Player to
another location on my hard drive in case I decide to go
back to Windows XP. I did this, because it's my guess
that Microsoft may have purposely put a version of CD
Player that doesn't work in Windows XP to force everyone
to use Windows Media Player.

Or does this all depend on something else that only pre
Windows XP OS's have?



Tim

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

As far as I know, you can only use cdplayer.exe in Windows XP if you did an
upgrade install of XP over 98, ME or Win2k.

 

[Tim]

My question has not been answered. I hope somebody out
there knows the answer.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Probably because whatever is required to run it exists in Windows 9x. If
you do an upgrade install, those components are brought over but they don't
exist in a clean install of XP. XP is vastly different under the hood from
9x.

 

[Tim]

I must have been wrong for assuming this was obvious, but
here goes:

I have had Windows XP on this computer before. It was an
upgrade from Windows 98 (first edition). I went BACK to
Windows 98 because I hated how I was forced to use Windows
Media Player (minus downloading other media players). I
tried the Windows CD Player over and over, and it never
worked. It never even displayed the fact that there was a
CD in the cd-rom drive. I even changed the File Type
Associations over to cdplayer.exe, and still nothing.

Is it because this is just the way Windows XP is? Or is
there a workaround? I was on the phone with a friend when
he said the following, so I may have misheard him, but he
said "Windows 98 has an MCI Layer, and Windows XP does
not. That's most likely why", or something to that effect.


All I know in this case is that I hated not being able to
use my CD Digital cable in Windows XP, so I stayed with
Windows 98. Using the CD Digital cable means a LOT less
CPU usage.


Tim

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

I'm not sure if this is the reason but in Windows XP, you cannot directly
access the hardware as you can in 9x. I assume, CD Player, based on what
you've described does that and if that's the case, that might be the reason.
You can have real mode drivers in 9x, you can't in XP, the device won't
work. The MCI layer was likely made to work with real mode drivers but I
tend to think this is a symptom and the deeper cause is how XP allows access
to the hardware.