Media Player Err Msg: This Device Cannot Play (103308)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Media Player
This article was previously published under Q103308

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to use Media Player to play a Sound clip (.wav file) or MIDI Sequencer clip (.mid file or .rmi file), you may receive the following error message:
This Device Cannot Play

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the driver for the sound card is missing or damaged.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use the appropriate method for your version of Microsoft Windows to remove and reinstall the sound card drivers.

Windows 95/98

To remove and reinstall sound drivers in Windows 95/98, please refer to your Windows 95/98 printed documentation or online Help file, or see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

133291 Windows 95: How to Install or Change an Audio Driver

Windows 3.1x

To remove and reinstall sound drivers in Windows 3.1x, follow these steps:

  1. Double-click the Main group in Program Manager.
  2. Double-click Control Panel.
  3. Double-click Drivers.
  4. If sound card drivers are not installed, proceed to the next step. If sound card drivers are installed, remove them. To do so, follow these steps:

    1. Click Remove
    2. When you are prompted to restart Windows, do so.
    3. Repeat steps 1-4.
  5. Click Add.
  6. Click Unlisted Or Updated Driver, and then click OK.
  7. Insert the driver installation disk provided by your sound card manufacturer, and then click OK.
  8. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish installing the sound drivers. For information on how to configure the drivers, please see the printed documentation for your sound card or contact your sound card manufacturer.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/2/2002
Keywords:kbenv kberrmsg kbprb kbsound KB103308
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.