can someone PLEASE help me get my WMPlayer to work?

[ima_sinnic]

I really REALLY would like to listen to Mike Malloy. I installed Windows Media Player 10 a few days ago and played a video that a friend sent with no problem. When I click on the WMP button on the Air America site, the player is there, but it does absolutely nothing. The Play button doesn't do anything. I tried copying the URL and pasting it into the player but got the message that "codecs are missing" or something (what the #%(*& is a goddam codec??) (the URL looked wrong, just airamericaradio.com/# ) I checked for updates but got the message that I have the latest version and there are no updates. I have all the options set to "Web proxy." I'm so sick of this #Q%(*& with WMP I could scream! I downloaded the goddam stupid thing because of "missing codecs" in WMP 9 --why the #()@*&% won't it just PLAY?? I'm running Windows XP and Mozilla Firefox, by the way.

[obxhead]

1. 10 was the first mistake IMO....

good luck, I've had nothing but problem with it....

[ima_sinnic]

2. I think I fixed the problem -- Firefox was blocking it

-- 10 played that video when 9 wouldn't, but I wasn't happy at all about having to "upgrade" to 10.

[obxhead]

3. I'm still using 9...

only when I have to. I'm not happy about using that much either, but I found a huge amount off "issues" with 10.

[BrewerJohn]

4. Wish I could help, I have an anti-MS rant though

WMP has got to be the single most bloated, buggy and just plain unworkable
program ever hatched by the Borg of Redmond, or anyone else.

I had WMP 8 running for a while and then, a year or so ago, it just stopped working.
Probably had something to do with my installing the latest service pack for Win2000
around the same time. I didn't have the time or patience to figure it out, though.
Instead, I eventually installed WMP 9, which worked for maybe a week, then the
"Media Library" completely broke. Can't save any links in it, can't even access it.
So it's pretty much useless for doing anything convenient, like saving the direct
links to CSPAN live feeds. And it crashes hard now when doing things that should
be easy, like opening CanOFun videos. Fortunately I have Media Player Classic

http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/

which is many times more reliable, very compact, and can play more types of files
and streams.

The method I use for listening to Air America is pretty geeky and involved, but has
the virtue that it just works. It involves non-official RealMedia codecs (codecs are
bits of program code that decode the formats of streamed media into digital audio
or video that your hardware knows how to reproduce) and the previously mentioned
Media Player Classic, together with the direct link to AAR's RealPlayer stream, which
takes a little work to get hold of. If you feel up to it, I can provide the details.