Need Help With Window Media Player

Windows media player has decided it doesn't like my music. If I start the program with any external drives connected the computer it immediately stops responding.
So I unplug them and replug them after the program starts. It keeps running fine. I go to play my music, and it tells me that it can't find them

Windows Media Player cannot find the file. If you are trying to play, burn, or sync an item that is in your library, the item might point to a file that has been moved, renamed, or deleted.

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Now I would at this point, think that I had accidentally renamed the I:\ which is where it keep my music. But as a quick check I right click on the song and select "Open file location." And LO AND F^%$^#@ BEHOLD it takes me to the folder, and even highlights the song.

If i double click on the song at the file location, it gives me the above error.


The problem started a week ago. Last saturday me computer gave me not one, not two, but twelve BSoDs. It hasn't done it since, virus, malware, spyware and disk defrag, and disk cleaning showed nothing out of the ordinary.

So any one have any clues why WMP is giving my a doublethink on the location of my music and the sudden assult of BSoD?


GOD VISTA SUCKS! they need to take the quality checker that let it pass and throw him from a scenic mountain vista.

ETA: Checking the files in Media Player (A separate program they give ya) Showed that the songs aren't even corrupted, cause it plays them just fine. I would just abandon WMP but MP takes the whole screen and refuses to let you used it minimized.

Clair Dickson said:

Blue Screen of Death is most often a hardware problem. In fact, most Blue Screens come from a fatal-stop error related to a hardware failure.

At least, such is the history of BSODs. They are not software problems, but hardware. Which, my guess, you have a hardware failure or conflict in your computer. These can happen "suddenly" just as you can one day find that your car doesn't start in the morning.

Now, the problem is troublshooting the hardware failure. It could be a controller on your MoBo, could be the MoBo, could even be the external device. Try eliminating possibilities. I'm assuming the devices are USB. Try having just one plugged in, see what happens. Try for all devices. Try switching ports.

Oh, yeah, check the Device Manager for hardware conflicts/ problems (look for little yellow icons.) And also check the Event Viewer for problems. Windows usually logs the problems it has, including error codes. The error codes can be googled to find what they relate to. (Unless the failure is in the core of the computer, before it even reaches Windows.)

Vista is not responsible for your hardware issues anymore than Ford is responsible if you run over a nail. =)

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Its a laptop. I did check it already and there are no hardware conflicts or errors.

Clair Dickson said:

Have you tried the hardware on another computer? Not all things end up flagged in device manager or event viewer (unfortunately.) Hardware can fail without windows even knowing what's going on. BSOD is hardware-- a windows error message is a Windows error.

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I know, thats why i went to linux in the first place. I only came back because i rediscovered my love for games.

Have you rolled back to a previous version of Windows Media Player (or tried a different Media player as suggested above.)

Can you access the information on the drive through Windows Explorer (My Computer) or not?

Does it matter which USB port you're plugged into? (I've had single USB ports fail. Got one at school that only works to give you an error. =/ And laptops can have hardware failures same as a desktop.)

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I can access it from explorer, and it didn't matter what drive it was plugged into. thats why it was so annoying. However, i found that if i start media player and let it sit for about half an hour with the drive in it works. I'm going to replace it since i don't like waiting for half an hour.

If you want me to stop offering ideas, just tell me. I apologize if I mistook a rant for a request for help.

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No no, i love your help. It wasn't hard to mistake it for a rant, since it was a rant/cry for help.



I thought BSoD's were a failure in the kernal that the kernal can't repair, so it closes as a safty messure rather than screw stuff up badly.

I tried it around. The drive works on
Moms laptop
family desktop
teachers computer
school computer
school laptop
My linux computer (Fedora Core 7)
It did not work on my friends laptop. But when i plugged the power one into mine it did so that was his computers problem, since it couldn't power it. (it is a power sucking little beast, has two chords, one for info and one for power.)

All of the above computers were using various models of WMP and were on a few different Win. XP.

It also did not run on my uncle's uber machine running ubuntu. or his acer laptop with ubuntu. I think it just doesn't like ubuntu though.


Oh, You asked for my computer stats.

Model, HP G50
Processor AMD QL-60 Dual Core
OS Windows Vista Home Premium (Service pack 1 if you need that)
WMP 11
portable hard drive in question: SimpleTech Bubble Gum. (it was thirty bucks and 250 gigs with a two year warranty. Just could not pass that up)

Any thing I missed?

thank you i was just about to do that, now that i've calmed down.

Now media player is working only when it wants to. Sometimes when i start it, it works fine. Others, not at all.