"Windows Media Player Cannot Play This File..." Error Message Trying to Play MPEG File (293081)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 7 for Mac
This article was previously published under Q293081

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to play an MP3 stream in Windows Media Player 7 for Mac, you may receive the following error message:
Windows Media Player cannot play this file because the player does not support this file format.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if you attempt to open a MPEG (.mp3) file that is located on a Web server.

MORE INFORMATION

Windows Media Player does not support playing .mp3 files that are located on a Web server. These files can be streamed successfully if they are located on a server that is running Microsoft Windows Media Server.

Address Protocol Formats


Web Site Protocol

This sample Web site address cannot play a .mp3 file properly in Windows Media Player for Mac:

http://myserver/myfile.mp3

Media Server Protocol

This sample address protocol can play a .mp3 file properly in Windows Media Player for Mac:

mms://myserver/myfile.mp3

NOTE: Replacing the "http://" protocol designator with "mms://" does not force Windows Media Player to play the requested file.

REFERENCES

For additional information about supported protocols in Windows Media Player 7 for Mac, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

295066 Description and Availability of Windows Media Player 7 for Mac

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/6/2002
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb KB293081
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.