MSN Video won't play

[dinkyconway]

Hey,

I can't get MSN Videos to play, though other media will play. Have been working with MSN tech sup but no solutions have worked. We have XP Home Edition, have the latest version of Windows Media Player, have done everything the tech sup suggests:

verify active scripting, activeX and Java not blocked
MS Internet Explorer security set to medium
ActiveX enabled
JavaScript allowed
DirectX corruption
disabled the firewall and checked again, no go
reinstalled Internet Explorer, no go
reinstalled Windows Media Player, no go
Changed settings in ZoneAlarm, no go
Turned ZoneAlarm completely off, no go
Did several virus scans, tried to clean system, no go

Here it gets sort of confusing... We got a new firewall (ZoneAlarm), then we got high speed access. It was working (I'm using the www.rockstar.msn.com website as my test, but the problem exists anywhere you get MSN Video) at first, but then it stopped working. (Still can see videos that don't use MSN Video.)

I found out my husband downloaded the XP SP2, so thought that was the cause... uninstalled it and the MSN Video worked... the first time I ran a video that is. Then we got locked out again. So I reinstalled the SP2, and still could not get in. Rechecked all the scripting etc mentioned above too... still no video.

HELP!! I have no idea what to try next!

[OldGrayGary]

Hi dinkyconway

Just to see - try this:

1) from the Start/Run box, type in the command "sfc /scannow" (you will need either your Windows XP CD, or you might have to point System File Checker (sfc) to the Windows .cab files on your hard drive [often in C:\Windows\Options\Cabs]. This step is to make sure no system files need refreshing.
2) Visit Windows Update, and install the update under "Optional" [it does NOT show up as a "Critical Update"] that originally shows in the list as "Windows XP Update" -- you have to click on the plus (+) sign in front of it to see the details -- The one you want updates media players to be able to play DRM-protected content. [DRM - Digital Rights Management]
3) Keep visiting Windows Update, after each session of updates install, to make sure that there are no Critical patches that need installing (sometimes they have to "patch the patch"
4) test your video.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[p.s. ... just as a side note, there's a recent update for ZoneAlarm, though I doubt that it was the problem (I have ZoneAlarm on this PC, as a matter of fact)]