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Troubleshooting - Microsoft

(common Microsoft Internet Explorer and Media Player issues and solutions)

  1. What is the Windows Media Player?
  2. Every time I go to play the video, I get a GPF (General Protection Fault) Error.
  3. Windows Media Player screen is green with pink, wavy lines. What do I do?
  4. Windows Media Player Buffers in the middle of a video and/or the video seems really choppy.
  5. Setting the Windows Media Player to function Behind a Proxy or Firewall (not for people with modems or other kinds of direct connections to the Internet).
  6. Whenever I try to view a video, it tries to connect to the server...then it says "Closed."
  7. I downloaded the Windows Media player, but every time I try to play a video it says, "The specified stream type is not recognized."
  8. I have a T1 or cable connection, but whenever I try to watch a video, it is Choppy or the Frame Rate is much slower than the audio rate.
  9. My Internet security settings do not allow the New Decompressor to be installed.
  10. In Windows Media player, every time I try to play a video it says, "The specified stream type is not recognized," the colors appear strange, or I see the video fine but I don't hear anything.
  11. In Windows Media Player, I clicked on a video and it asked if I wanted to download and install a new codec. What should I do? Or: I installed a new codec and now I'm having problems watching or hearing the videos.
  12. Every time I try to open a video, it says the File/Path is incorrect.

  1. What is the Windows Media Player?

    Windows Media Player when installed into your web browser offers streaming media in many different formats such as audio and video. CLICK HERE to get the latest version of Windows Media Player.


  2. Every time I go to play the video, I get a GPF (General Protection Fault) Error.

    This kind of error usually pops up due to a software conflict or improper install of system level software. Try the latest update for Windows and Internet Explorer.


  3. Windows Media Player screen is green with pink, wavy lines. What do I do?

    To fix this Media Player problem, try to disable YUV flipping. Here are some step-by-step instructions:

    1. Open a stream in the player.
    2. Click "File" and choose "Properties".
    3. Choose the "Advanced" tab.
    4. Select "Video Renderer" from the list of filters in use and click the "Change" button.
    5. Select the "Direct Draw" tab.
    6. Remove the checkmark next to "YUV Flipping".
    7. Close and restart the player and that problem should be alleviated.

  4. Windows Media Player Buffers in the middle of a video and/or the video seems really choppy.

    Change the Windows Media Player buffer for better performance.

    The buffer is related to the amount of video you download before it actually begins to play. Increasing the buffer may enhance streaming performance, especially if you have a 56K modem.

    1. In the Windows Media Player, right click on the video.
    2. Select "Properties".
    3. Choose the "Advanced" tab.
    4. Highlight "Windows Media Source Filter".
    5. Click the "Properties" button.
    6. Increase the "Buffer" to 30 seconds.

  5. Setting the Windows Media Player to function Behind a Proxy or Firewall (not for people with modems or other kinds of direct connections to the Internet).

    Some schools and offices have firewalls or proxy servers which are between your computer and the Internet. If this is your case, you need to make sure that your player is set up to pass through the firewall. In the Windows Media Player, right click on the video. Select "Properties". Choose the "Advanced" tab. Highlight "Windows Media Source Filter". Click on the "Properties" button. Click on "Configure Proxy Settings," then enter the name (or IP address) of your proxy.


  6. Whenever I try to view a video, it tries to connect to the server...then it says "Closed."

    To find out more information on what the error is, right click in the viewing window of your Windows Media player after it says "closed." Select "Error Details" from the menu. This should give you more information on what the problem is so you can find the correct help topic here.


  7. I downloaded the Windows Media player, but every time I try to play a video it says, "The specified stream type is not recognized."

    Are you running Windows NT? It has been determined that NT users who do not have permission to install software will see the media-player installation run and appear to work, but in reality the codecs don't get updated. This causes problems. See your network administrator for proper installation.


  8. I have a T1 or cable connection, but whenever I try to watch a video, it is Choppy or the Frame Rate is much slower than the audio rate.

    If you have tried increasing your buffer size and made sure you have the proper bandwidth selected, then most likely this is caused by your having either outdated hardware (a Pentium or lower), an outdated operating system (Win 3.1), an outdated browser (Netscape 3, IE3) or not enough memory, video ram, etc. The Windows media codecs are optimized for Pentium III and run fine on Pentium II, but on a Pentium or lower they choke completely. Also you need a decent amount of system resources, RAM, VRAM etc. to get good results.


  9. My Internet security settings do not allow the New Decompressor to be installed.

    This is caused by the Windows Media player's attempt to automatically install a newer version of the codec needed to play the video. Before you click to watch the video, set your browser's security in the preferences (or Internet options) to low. Then click to watch the video, and you should not get this error. After you have watched the video, you can set your browser security back to medium or high and watch all the videos you want since Windows Media player will have properly installed the newer version of the codec.


  10. In Windows Media player, every time I try to play a video it says, "The specified stream type is not recognized," the colors appear strange, or I see the video fine but I don't hear anything.

    You might need the newest Windows codec (the compression algorithm for the media file). When you first attempted to install Windows Media Player, you may not have had the necessary permission to install software, or your Internet security may have been set to medium or high. This will prevent the codecs from being properly installed. Change your Internet security to low during the installation process, or see your network administrator for proper installation.


  11. In Windows Media Player, I clicked on a video and it asked if I wanted to download and install a new codec. What should I do? Or: I installed a new codec and now I'm having problems watching or hearing the videos.

    If you try to view a video and your computer asks you if you want to install a new codec, check your security settings before selecting "yes".

    In Internet Explorer, in either the "View" or the "Tools" menu, find the "Internet Options" dialog box and open it. Click on the "Security" tab in this window. Make sure that your security setting for the Internet zone is set to "Low" before installing the new codecs. If you select "Yes" to add a new codec, you MUST restart your system for the new codec to function properly. If you installed a new codec, but did not follow these instructions, you may now be having problems.


  12. Every time I try to open a video, it says the File/Path is incorrect.

    This can be caused by a number of problems. If every video you try to watch on our site returns this error, it is a temporary problem caused by a server problem. During regular business hours, this should only take a few minutes to fix once we are aware of the problem, so check back soon and everything should work. On the other hand, if you only receive this error for one particular video, then it is possible that the video file has been corrupted, and we would appreciate your feedback so we can fix it.

    Send us an email at support@asenseofhumordriving.com