Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2011 November 8

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November 8

Windows Media Player as default

I used to have Windows Media Player as the default CD player on my Windows 7 system. Now somehow itunes took over that. I want to get it back to Media Player but I can't figure out how to do it. I looked in the Control Panel under Programs and didn't see Media Player. How can I get media player back as the default to play CDs? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 01:40, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Try the "AutoPlay" control panel. -- BenRG (talk) 05:00, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Pretty sure you can right-click the CD icon in the 'Computer' window and use "Open with" to set a different default program. If the standard right click doesn't give you the 'Open with' option try a Ctrl-right-click or Shift-right-click. Sorry, can't remember for sure and am on machine with no optical drive so can't check. --jjron (talk) 10:23, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

(1) AutoPlay doesn't show Windows Media Player. (2) Right-click doesn't show "open with" (only Open). Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 14:28, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

And in the control panel, programs and features, turn windows features on or off, media features, Windows Media Player IS checked. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 14:36, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Try opening the drive in Explorer and right-clicking one of the .cda files and using "Open with". This displays on my Vista box. --Phil Holmes (talk) 16:00, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Itunes was set as the default for .cda files so I unchecked that, but in the "other" programs to open with, Windows Media Player is NOT listed. It is as if WMP is gone. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 18:03, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

If you can start WMP, go to Tools/Options/FileTypes and select everything you want to play (or use the Select All button). If you can't even find WMP to start it, it should be freely downloadable from Microsoft, and the installation should ask about file associations while it is running. --LarryMac | Talk 18:38, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

I can't start Media Player anymore. I can't find a place to download it because I'm already supposed to have version 11 (I did see a d.l for older versions and older operating systems.) Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 18:42, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Win7 uses WMP12. Search your computer for wmplayer.exe, that's what shows up in the task manager when I start WMP on my Win7 machine. Alternately, try this page, it might let you download the "Media Pack" - depending on the required validation. --LarryMac | Talk 19:06, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

The webpage talks about Windows 7 N and Windows 7 KN - what are those? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 22:09, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

I found that exe file and it starts WMP, but under Organize/options I don't see anything about setting it as the default, and I don't see any other options. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 22:14, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

N is a special European version without WMP; KN is a similar Korean product.[1] --Colapeninsula (talk) 10:43, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

OK, let's approach this from a different angle. Under Control Panel / Programs, click on "Turn Windows features on and off". Then click the plus sign next to Media Features and make sure WMP is checked. If not, check it, then hit OK. You will probably have to restart if you've toggled that setting. Then go to Default Programs, which should be on your start menu (if not, it's also under Control Panel / Programs). Then select "Set your default programs". Hopefully WMP will appear in the list on the left. If it is there, select it and the click "choose defaults for this program". You can put a check mark next to cda and any other extensions you'd like to reclaim. --LarryMac | Talk 14:51, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

Resolved

It was checked, but I unchecked it, rebooted, then I checked it and WMP showed up. Just to be save, I rebooted again, and then I set the defaults and it works again. Thanks. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 16:58, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

Linkedin invitations

Over the past week and for the first time ever I've gotten a bunch of linkedin invitations in my email. These are from people I know, not friends but business associates, three of them, completely unrelated to each other, all somehow writing on the same day. Accordingly, I am guessing that these are not "real" invitations. Instead, I am guessing that Linkedin has done something like institute a program that searches a member's email contact list and automatically sends out these invitations, probably without the person's permission except by some fine print in the terms of service allowing them to take such liberties. Anyone else experience this suddenly this week or know something about this?--108.27.102.123 (talk) 15:53, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Linkedin and Facebook both have "import your contacts" options, by which means members allow those services to vacuum their Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Google mail, or other webmail service, or upload a contacts file generated by Outlook or Thunderbird or whatever, and import these wholesale to the service. Anyone with half a brain then goes through these and removes all the incidental ones (all those one-off purchases and ex-girlfriends and stuff) - but then anyone with much regard for their own or their friends' privacy doesn't allow a service (that derives all its value from building a social graph with other people's relationship in it) such massive and indiscriminate access to their private information in the first place. So I think that explains why you got invitations for people you don't feel very connected to (and I think much of the blame rests with the people themselves - Linkedin isn't quite so indiscriminate). As to why they've come in a big bunch - I think that's a consequence of how people use services like this: they tend to neglect it for a while, and when prompted into action by one invitation or message they log in and do stuff. Plus the whole "friend of a friend" idea that both services rely on to generate new introduction suggestions means that you're likely to get invitations from related people close together. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 16:58, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

LinkedIn's explanation of what they do with the contact information that someone has mass-imprted is here -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 16:59, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for the response. The link is helpful. It still doesn't explain why I suddenly got these all on the same day, which is quite a coincidence. Given their policy, this is what I am extrapolating probably happened. Even if Linkedin doesn't send these invitations without a member's permission, as they say, they probably recently sent a notice to members advertising the option and these three people, after being prompted, all clicked yes on that day, which would explain the singularity of the timing.--108.27.102.123 (talk) 17:35, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

There's a chance this could be some kind of scam, such as attempted phishing. If you follow the links in the emails, make sure they're going to the genuine LinkedIn site and not a forgery. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 17:46, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Yes, that's very possible. Malware also scoops up people's contact lists, which can then be used to send one person on the list email masquerading as someone else on the list. It's an astute piece of social engineering: they know you're unlikely to be taken in by an email from Luba in Lviv, but Alan in Accounting may be more persuasive. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 00:11, 9 November 2011 (UTC)