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Windows - Frequently Asked Questions

• Stream is buffering, skipping, or cutting out
• Can't connect
• Can't connect - NETSCAPE users
• No Sound
• Firewall Configuration
• Web Proxy
• Sound Card Configuration
• Linux users, Why Windows Media?
• Windows Media Support and Resources page
• Windows Media Player FAQ's - Windows 98
• Windows Media Player FAQ's
• Windows Media Player FAQ's Version 6.4
• Windows Media Player FAQ's Version 7 and 7.1
• Determine what version of Windows Media player is installed on your computer

Q. The audio sounds choppy, or cuts out and rebuffers frequently.
A. Buffering occurs when your computer is not receiving streaming data fast enough; the buffering, or cutting out, occurs when the player tries to catch up.

• Slow dial-up connection: Dial-up Internet connection speed varies. For example, if you are using a 28.8 modem, you may not have a full 28.8kbps connection. The reality is, if your Internet connection is 30Kpbs or slower, you will experience buffering.
• You may need to adjust your buffering setting. To adjust the buffering:
  • Open up the default Windows Media Player program. The "default" program is usually found as an "icon" on the desktop of your computer, or through the "START" menu on your taskbar.
  • Go to the View menu and select Options.
  • Click the "Advanced" tab.
  • Double-click "Windows Media Source Filter" and increase the buffer time to 15 or 30.
• Internet congestion. During peak hours, even on a high speed line, the stream may sound choppy or cut out due to interference caused by general Internet congestion in your area.
• Available LOCAL bandwidth is shared between all open browser windows, applications, and the player. To see what proportion of your available bandwidth you're using: Right-click on the Windows Media Player status bar and view statistics. Closing other windows and applications may help.
• The temporary files a browser uses have completely filled its allotted memory size. Restarting your computer, deleting the temporary files, clearing the memory cache, or increasing the memory size may help.
• Sound card conflict: Not all sound cards (especially low cost OEMs) are compatible with all streaming media players. Incorrect sound card drivers may cause problems with compressed audio. Many users unknowingly live with bad drivers for a long time because all of the system sounds included with the Windows operating systems are uncompressed audio files, which will often play correctly even with bad or mismatched drivers. You can test your sound card's compatibility at the Windows Media Player page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/support/faq/SUPFAQMPlayer.asp#drivers.
• Some Netscape 4.x browsers are more tempermental than others. NN 4.03, 4.08 and 4.5 are less compatible with Windows Media Player.

Q. Can't connect or content won't play.
A. A variety of factors may cause this type of problem.

• Make sure you have Windows Media Player v. 6.4 or higher. HINT: Order of installation is important. Make sure you installed the browser first, then Windows Media Player.
• Make sure you hit the play button. The stream does not start automatically, you must click play.
• Local congestion: local (on your computer) bandwidth is shared between all open browser windows, applications, and the player. To see what proportion of your available bandwidth you're using: Right-click on the Windows Media Player status bar and view statistics. Restarting or closing other windows and applications may help.
• The stream is temporarily off line.
• If you've been able to connect before and have not made recent changes to your system, try restarting your computer.
• The stream could be "blacked out", meaning the station does not have the rights to stream content they are currently airing. You might hear nothing, or hear content that does not match what is playing on air.
• Firewall issues: You could be behind a firewall that has not had the appropriate ports opened for streaming, particularly if you're trying to connect from work. Talk to your system administrator about opening the appropriate ports on the firewall to allow streaming.
• Check your Protocol settings. The default settings are correct. To check, go to View -> Options. Then click on the Advanced tab. Double click on "Streaming Media (Windows Media)" and a new window will open. In the middle of this window, you'll see the Protocol settings. Make sure they're all checked (TCP, UDP, etc).
• Windows Media Player settings to check:
  • Open the Windows Media Player directly. Click on Tools, Options, Formats
  • Make sure there is a check mark in the following File Formats (others need not be checked):
  • (in top to bottom order)
  • Windows Media
  • Windows Media Audio File
  • Windows Media audio/video File
  • Video File
  • **NO need to check "Audio File"
  • Movie File (Mpeg)
  • Click Apply, OK, then restart the player.

Q. The player appears to be playing but I don't hear sound.
A. The stream could be "blacked out", meaning the station does not have the rights to stream content they are currently airing. You might hear nothing, or hear content that does not match what is playing on air.

• If you've been able to connect before and have not made recent changes to your system, try restarting your computer.
• Make sure your speakers, volume, etc, are on.

Q. Configuring your browser's helper files/extensions for streaming.
A.  Also make sure that the video/x-ms-asf, .asx. and .asf helper files/extensions are associated with Windows Media Player. Go to Preferences -> Navigator -> Applications and make sure that video/x-ms-asf, .asx. and .asf file types are associated with Windows Media Player. For further assistance configuring your browser, check the your browser's Help section.

Q. I'm using the Netscape browser. I just installed the Windows Media Player, but I still can't listen.
A. Make sure you hit the play button. The stream does not start automatically, you must click play. Also, unfortunately, the Windows Media Player plug-in for Netscape is NOT always automatically installed when you install Windows Media player. The Netscape Plugin is available from the Microsoft site. The Netscape plug-in installer program is listed under the second drop-down menu, "Windows Media Tools and Services". You'll need to download this file to your desktop (it'll have an .exe file extension) and double click to run this installer. It will install the Netscape Plug-in for you. Once the plug-in is installed, you will need to restart your browser. NoteThe plug-in architecture in Navigator 6 has been completely redesigned by Microsoft, which breaks compatibility with existing plug-ins. We are aware of the issue. No workaround is available at this time. The Windows Media Plug-in remains compatible with earlier versions of Netscape Navigator and other browsers. Also see http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/support/faq/SUPFAQMPlayer.asp#netscape on the Microsoft site.

Q. What I hear on the stream is not the same as what I hear on air.
A. The station may not have the rights to stream content they are currently airing, for example, Car Talk. The station may have chosen to substitute alternate content in their stream.

Q. Why was Windows Media format chosen?
A. Windows Media was judged to be of the best in quality at low bit rates, ease-of-use and price (Real Audio licenses are expensive) . Microsoft provides their server software free of charge, and the server software requires virtually no maintenance. The player is also shipped with Windows OS desktop packages, making it easier to use for novices. We are considering offering other formats in the future (RealAudio in particular), as we realize Linux (Unix, Solaris, *nix) users are excluded (although Microsoft has said that a version will be available soon.)

Streamin MP3 technology is gaining acceptance among mainstream internet users, but the server technology requires a higher amount of care and maintenance than we are able to provide. We continue to evaluate new options as they emerge.

Q. Does this work for Linux?
A. Our apologies for your frustration, unfortunately, Microsoft does not offer Windows Media Player for Linux at this time.

How to receive audio from behind a firewall

If you are behind a corporate firewall, you might have trouble viewing streaming media content. To overcome this problem, you will need to connect to the broadcast site from outside the firewall or ask your MIS department to open port 80 which supports audio and video streaming. If you continue to experience problems, follow these steps:

• Start the Windows Media Player
• Select File/Properties/Advanced
• Verify that at the bottom of the page the HTTP option is checked
• In the Server field enter the name of your proxy server
• In the Port field enter 80
• Select OK and close the Windows Media Player

If you don't find an answer to your question here, please review Microsoft's:

• Windows Media Support and Resources page
• Windows Media Player FAQ's