How do I make Win Media Player the default for Powerpoint?

[Hilltopper]

In the past I have always been able to insert a video clip into my PPT slide.
I've not done that for several months and now when I try I get an error
message "PowerPoint couldnt' insert a movie from the selected file. Either
the file is non-standard, or QuickTime is not installed properly". IN the
past, PPT didn't use Quick Time, it used Windows Media Player. I have
downloaded updates for QT, it sitll didn't work. I uninstalled QT to see if
it would revert to Win Med Player, it didn't work. I uninstalled an
reinstalled Office XP-Pro, still didn't work. I reinstalled QT, still didn't
work. I can open the mpg files with Win. Med. Player outside PPT. After
reinstalling QT, I can open the mpg files with QT, however I get no sound.
But, I still can't insert the mpg file into the PPT slide. I've tried to
insert a .AVI file as well, but I get the same error message. I thought that
whatever causes PPT to default to QT could be changed to Win. Med. Player,
maybe that would fix the problem. But, I don't know how to do that? Any
help would be appreciated. I guess I really don't care with application it
uses Win. Med. Player or QT if just one of them would let me insert the file.
I forgot to tell you...I'm running Win XP Pro and Office XP Pro 2002

 

[Austin Myers]

Step one uninstall QuickTime and promice to never install it again.

Step two, download and re-install Media Player.



Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Hilltopper]

Austin,
Thanks for your help. I did as you suggested, but I still get the same
error message when I try to insert a mpg file. What now?

 

[Austin Myers]

Did yoiu download and install Windows Media Player? (Using what is already
on your system will not work.)

 

[Hilltopper]

Austin,
I did not uninstall Windows Media Player, but I downloaded it again and
installed it from the .exe file. Do I need to uninstall it 1st?

 

[Austin Myers]

A fresh install of Windows Media Player normally resets changes made to the
system settings but it sounds like this isn't one of those times. :-(

Can you tell me what other types of media software you have installed on the
machine? Players, editors, etc.


Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Hilltopper]

I hope I'm answering correctly...this is what I think you're asking: I have
windows Movie Player, Real Player, MovieStar 5, Studio 8, Gateway Rhapsody,
DVD Player, MusicMatch, HP Phtot & Imaging, InterActual Player, Microsoft
Photo Story 2, Creative Play Center, Smart Sound, HP Memories Disk. While I
was looking at my applications, I noticed that I have an Icon for Win. Med.
Player in 2 places. One is in my accessories and one is just as an
application. I checked the properties on both icons and they show the same.
(In case that makes any difference,,,)
Thanks again for you help. I really would like to get this fixed!

 

[Austin Myers]

Trying to find a "nice" way to say this.

Installing all of these various players and applications have changed your
system settings in untold ways. Depending how they were installed, in what
order they were installed, and any changes you have made has surly made a
mess of you registry and media settings. (The worst offender in my opinion
being Real.)

I can't give you a step by step way to fix it because I don't know what
steps or in what order you made them to get here. My suggestion is to use
your system restore (see Windows help) and try restoring back to a point
where things do work properly.

If that fails you have two choices that I see. Manually trying to edit your
registry, something I discourage if your are not experienced in doing so, or
backing up important data, wiping the hard drive and doing a fresh install
of Windows.

There is one more alternative. You may download a utility called "mmview"
from:
http://mmview.llt.biz/

This utility allows you to examine the various codec's, dlls, and ocx
components installed on your machine and how they are set up. With it you
can delete/disable/redirect media functions, however I CAUTION that this is
not something for the inexperienced as it can make the problem much worse.
(In most cases there are hundreds of entries.)

I wish there were a better answer...




Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Hilltopper]

Austin,
Thanks for your help. I'm not even sure how I got some of these
applications. Do you think it might resolve my problem if I uninstalled the
ones that (as far as I know) I don't use? I have Norton backup on my system.
Do you think if I used it to look at the activity dates on these application
and uninstall in order beginining with the most recent I might get back to
where I was?

 

[Hilltopper]

OOPS...I said that wrong...I mean I have Norton GoBack...