How to Fix Windows Media Player Errors

Does your Windows Media Player crash and freeze up when you open it? Windows Media Player is the most popular media player out there for one simple reason – it’s included with every edition of Microsoft Windows operating system. The fact that this media player is so popular doesn’t meant that it’s the best. On the contrary, WMP is heavy on system resources, can slow down your computer, and can even put your privacy at risk. But the worst bit is that Windows Media Player often encounters errors that make it unusable. So, here are some tips that will help you fix Windows Media Player errors.

If you find that the player slows down your computer and it takes ages to go from one song to another, the problem might lie with various enhancements. Chances are that your hardware isn’t sufficient to support all of them and allow all of them to work seamlessly. There are two possible solutions for this problem – you should update your audio card driver or simply disable all Windows Media Player enhancements.

Updating your audio card driver is pretty simple. All you need to do is check your PC or laptop manual to find out which audio card you are using and then go to the card manufacturer’s website. There you’ll need to find the right driver (be very careful and double check model name and other information), download it and update it using the Wizard in the Device Manager. Drivers are updated by right-clicking on them in the Device Manager (found through the Control Panel) and following the instructions.

If updating drivers manually sounds complicated, you can always use a driver updater, such as Driver Agent.

How to disable Windows Media Player Enhancements

If updating your audio card driver didn’t help much, then you should disable various Windows Media Player enhancements. Here is how it’s done:

1. Click on the Start button and go to ControlPanel
2. Open Sound and go to the Playback tab
3. Now double-click on Speakers/Headphones and click on the Enhancements tab
4. Select the option to Disable all enhancements
5. Click OK and you’re done

In addition to disabling enhancements, you can also disable visualization to speed things up. To do that, simply open Windows Media Player, right click on an empty space within the player window, go to Visualizations and select No visualizations. Your player should be more responsive and run faster now.

Repair Windows Media Player Errors

Sometimes when you update Windows Media Player, errors can start occurring and the new version would install in a proper manner. This usually happens because old registry settings prevent the new ones from working correctly. Luckily, this issue is easy to fix. All you need to do is repair registry errors with a trusted registry cleaner of your choice. Make sure the registry cleaner comes from a reputable developer and has all the necessary backup options.

These simple tips will help you fix Windows Media Player errors and speed up your computer at the same time.