Problem

During playback I only hear the audio but do not see video.

Possible Solution

You may be using an older Window Media Player.
To check your version go to Help > About Windows Media Player. If your version is not Windows Media Player 9 or higher go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/player.aspx to download the latest version.

Problem

Why does my video look choppy or pause during playback?

Possible Solution

This can be due to Internet congestion. Try to play the video at a later time or at an off-peak time such as, early in the morning or late at night.
Turn down (or turn off) video acceleration. To do this go to Tools > Options, and go to the Performance tab. Adjust the setting under the dialog box Video Acceleration.
Check for updates to your video card driver at the manufacture's website

Problem

Why does the Player disconnect sometimes after it starts playing content?

Possible Solution

This can be due to Internet congestion. Try to play the video at a later time or at an off-peak time such as, early in the morning or late at night.

Problem

Why doesn't my video appear unless I maximize the window, put another window in front of it, or something similar

Possible Solution

Check for updated drivers to your video card at the manufacture's website.

Problem

I'm using a Macintosh computer and my video won't load or I get a missing plug-in error, what should I do?

Possible Solution

We suggest Macintosh users upgrade to Windows Media Player 9 to play videos.

Problem

I get a "missing plug-in" icon.

Possible Solution

Your browser is not configured with the Windows Media Player plug-in. Most non Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers (i.e.: Netscape, Mozilla) need their plug-ins downloaded and installed manually to play Windows Media Player. The easiest is to use the most current version of Internet Explorer. This is because the correct Windows Media Player plug-ins for the Internet Explorer browser is installed by default.

An outdated version of Windows Media Player is installed. To check your version go to Help > About Windows Media Player. If your version is not Windows Media Player 9 or higher go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/player.aspx to download the latest version.

Problem

Why does it take so long for content to start playing?

Possible Solution

This can be due to Internet congestion. Try to play the video at a later time or at an off-peak time such as, early in the morning or late at night.
Due to congestion on the Internet, Windows Media Players are set to buffer for 5 seconds (default) before playback starts. This reduces interruptions and rebuffering caused by heavy network congestion. You can adjust this setting in your Windows Media Player by going to View > Options > Advanced > Streaming Media (Windows Media) > Change.

Problem

When I play a video file the video area of Microsoft Windows Media Player is green or displays random pink and green flashes?

Possible Solution

This can occur if there are problems with your video driver. Contact the vendor of your video adapter to inquire if a driver update is available. To work around this issue, Microsoft recommends you take the following steps:

In Windows Media Player, click Properties on the File menu.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click Video Renderer, and then click Properties.
Click the DirectDraw tab, and then click the YUV Flipping check box to clear it.
Click OK, click OK again, and then click Close.
Quit, and then restart Windows Media Player. Test to determine if the issue is resolved by playing a video file. If the issue is not resolved, continue to step 7.
In Windows Media Player, click Properties on the File menu.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click Video Renderer, and then click Properties.
Click the DirectDraw tab, and then click each check box that is selected to clear it.
Click OK, click OK again, and then click Close. Quit, and then restart Windows Media Player.

Problem

When I try to play a movie in Microsoft Windows Media Player, I receive the error message Mplayer2 caused an invalid page fault in module kernel32.dll. My computer also doesn't respond or Windows Media Player displays only a black screen instead of the active video content?

Possible Solution

An incompatible display adaptor or display adaptor driver can cause this behavior. To fix this you must obtain an updated driver for your display adaptor. Device drivers are provided by your hardware manufacturer and in most cases are available for download from your hardware manufacturer's Web site. If an updated display adaptor does not resolve the problem, you can try to work around it by following these steps:

In Control Panel, double-click System
Click the Performance tab, and then click Graphics.
The Hardware Acceleration slider has four settings: Full, Most, Basic, and None. Select the proper setting.
Restart your computer. If you still receive an error message, redo the steps 1 through 3 and choose another setting.

How do I check my connection speed?

Possible Solution

Windows Media Player will automatically detect your connection speed by default and does not need to be set manually. If you need to change this setting go to Tools > Options, and click the Performance tab. Go to the dialog box Connection Speed and click the radio button next to Choose connection speed to pick the appropriate connection speed for your computer.