Cannot Stream Media in Windows Media Player for Windows XP (303275)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Media Player for Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player for Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q303275

SYMPTOMS

You may not be able to stream media or there may be a delay when you are streaming media from the Internet while using Windows Media Player for Windows XP. This problem occurs only if you are using the built-in Internet Firewall Protection or Internet Connection Sharing tools and if you are attempting to stream media from a server that requires User Datagram Protocol (UDP), or if you have specified UDP in the player.

In this scenario, you may receive the following error message:
Windows Media Player cannot find the specified file. Be sure the path is typed correctly. If it is, the file does not exist in the specified location, or the computer where the file is stored is offline.

CAUSE

This problem is a known issue in the Internet Connection Sharing and the Internet Connection Firewall components in Windows XP.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, try multiple sources to stream the same media if available, such as HTTP, TCP, Multicast, and so forth. In addition, make sure that the other protocols (Multicast, TCP, and HTTP) are selected in the player:
  1. Open Windows Media Player.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  3. On the Network tab, make sure that the appropriate check boxes are selected (Multicast, TCP, and HTTP).

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/13/2006
Keywords:kbinfo KB303275
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