Please help with mp3s not playing
 

Something strange is happening. A couple of mp3s I have are not playing in WMP. So I tried running them in mplayer2 and they work through there. Will reinstalling WMP help to fix that problem?

I get the error message about not being compatible (but it's an mp3) or something wrong with the codecs, but the files work in mplayer2.

If yes, the problem with that is so much of my music that is in the WMP library doesn't seem to be saved anywhere else on my computer, I don't know why. And if I uninstall WMP and reinstall it, I'll lose those files...which I REALLY don't want...anyway to get around that?

Also, since I installed mp3player software onto my computer, the icons for my music files have now changed to the icons for that software instead of the WMP icon. I've uninstalled that mp3player software but the icons haven't changed back...what's going on there?

If someone could help me I'd really appreciate it, it's driving me crazy not being able to do anything about it. I also can't copy those files that wont play in WMP onto a disc...so I can't do anything with them =(

1. wmp is a playlist player. It doesn't have its own library. So, wherever the songs are when you add them to wmp is where your song files are. I'd recommend moving your music to your Music folder before adding them to wmp. Unless you just want to burn them. Otherwise if you move or delete any of the songs after adding to wmp, wmp won't be able to play them b/c it won't know where they are.

2. To change default for files see Setting default audio program & this will change their icons.

3. Why you can't play some songs with wmp but can with mplayer2? Not sure. It does sound like a codec issue unless you made the mistake of no. #1 above. Have you updated your codecs. Are they really mp3 files or mp4 or m4a or ogg vorbis or something?

Hey,

thank you so much for replying.

Some of the songs on the WMP library are saved in My Music, others have gotten on there after being ripped from CD's, so they're not saved in My Music. Is there a way I can copy all the music from the library into another folder or can that not be done because it's just one huge playlist?

Thanks for the icons thing, I'll go through that thread in a minute and try and sort that out, just wanted to get back to you first to see if there's any more you can tell me...I'm so hopeless with computers :(

When I run the mouse over the files that wont play, it does say that they're mp3s, but doesn't give other information about them, artist, title etc. like it does with my other files in the WMP library. I've tried downloading those two particular songs a couple of times incase it was a corrupted file but that didn't work.

I don't know anything about codecs, I don't remember changing anything...do I need to update them or something? And how do I go about that?

So sorry for all the questions! It's so annoying not being able to do anything with these files and I really don't want to lose all those songs in my library if I have to reinstall WMP...

OK, I just changed the icons back and now they open with WMP...but now they don't play, there's no sound unless you turn the speakers right up and then it's really really quiet and very muffled...what's going on now? LOL.

I'm not a wmp specialist. I rarely use wmp. Other programs can do just the same things & even more perhaps. 1. dBpowerAMP, - 2. WinAmp, - 3. Quintessential (QCD), - 4. iTunes
* Good tagging tools: http://massid3lib.sourceforge.net/
And some of those can also burn cd's such as winamp & iTunes.

It's odd you can't get a good volume. In many mp3 programs, you can increase the volume & also equaliser settings via the id3 tag. So that when you go to play it back next time, it sounds louder.

Normally my volume is fine, but when I changed them all back to play with windows media player the sound went AOT which is a huge bummer because now I can't change it back and the files are now bad.

Thank gawd I'm getting broadband soon because I'm going to have to d/l them alllll over again. Fun Fun LOL.

Thanks very much for your help, I think I'll use another program from now on, like WinAmp or something. :D