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Windows Media Player cannot play the file because the specified protocol is not supported

i am also having a problem with media player.  i have a internet site that i use to watch tv from. it uses media player as part of IE.  a few days ago my daughter did a hard reboot and now it will not play this site.  the site works on my laptop just fine.  i have used system restore several times and moved back over 1 month and nothing.  when i try to play a channel all i get is ok and a black screen it buffers and everything like it is going to play.  but just black screen.  when i check error message it says this  "

Windows Media Player cannot play the file because the specified protocol is not supported. If you typed a URL in the Open URL dialog box, try using a different transport protocol (for example, "http:" or "rtsp:")."

i have made sure all the network settings are checked and everything like this but still nothing.  i can use the windows media center but i do not like this i want it to work through IE aGAIN. 

I hope someone can help me so what do i do??

Answer
Answer

Hi,

If you encountered this error by clicking a link on a Web page, the link might not be valid.

A) If you encountered this error by typing a URL in the Open URL dialog box, try opening the file by using a different transport protocol (for example, "http:" or "rtsp:"). The following list shows the protocols that are supported by the Player and examples of the correct URL syntax:

• mms://server/filename (for example, a file with a .wma, .wmv, .asf, or .mp3 extension)
 
• http://server/filename
 
• rtsp://server/filename
 
• mms://server/sami.asf?SAMI=http://server/sami/sami_demo.smi (SAMI file)
 

B) If the Player supports the protocol that you used in the URL and you still can't play the content, verify that the Player is configured to use all of its supported protocols.

To configure protocol settings

1. In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options.
 
2. In the Options dialog box, on the Network tab, in the Streaming protocols area, select all the protocol check boxes (Multicast, UDP, TCP, and HTTP), so that a check mark is displayed in each.
 

Note that the supported protocols can be used only to stream digital media files. Windows Media Player cannot be used as a browser.

C) If the above fixes don't work, you can rename the networking information folder for the Player so that it can rebuild its networking information files after you restart it.

To rename the Player networking information folder

1. Close Windows Media Player. (To do this, on the File menu, click Exit.)
 
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
 
3. In the Run dialog box, type the following (exactly as shown):

%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Media

4. In this folder, rename the folder 11.0 to 11.0.bak. For more information about renaming folders, see To change the name of a file or folder.
 
5. Start the Player and try to stream the content again.
 

Diana
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
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Last updated February 19, 2024 Views 10,010 Applies to: