18 Nov 08 History of Windows Media Player
- Windows Media Player History
- Versions of Windows Media Player
- The look of Windows Media Player
- Windows Media Player registry tweaks
- Windows Media Player Downloads
Windows Media Player History
Windows Media Player is the main media application designed and used in Windows operating sytems. Since its inception on Windows 3.0 back in 1991 Windows Media Player has been used and enjoyed by millions of people all over the world.
Windows Media Player also includes the ability to rip music from and copy music to compact discs, build Audio CDs in recordable discs and synchronize content with a digital audio player (MP3 player) or other mobile devices, and enables users to purchase or rent music from a number of online music stores.
Versions of Windows Media Player
Below are a list of the different versions of Windows Media Player, along with the year it was released;
| Version | Original release |
|---|---|
Microsoft Windows |
|
| Windows Media Player 12 | October, 2008 |
| Windows Media Player 11 | October 30, 2006 |
| Windows Media Player 10 | October 12, 2004 |
| Windows Media Player 9 Series | January 27, 2003 |
| Windows Media Player for Windows XP(Version 8) | October 25, 2001 |
| Windows Media Player 7.1 | May 16, 2001 (98, Me and 2000) |
| Windows Media Player 7.0 | July 17, 2000 (9x, NT and 2000)September 14, 2000 (Me) |
| Windows Media Player 6.4(mplayer2 for 2000 and XP) | November 22, 1999 |
| Windows Media Player 6.1 | June 25, 1998 |
Windows CE / Windows Mobile / Pocket PC / Other handheld devices |
|
| Windows Media Player | April 2000 |
| Windows Media Player 1.2 | July 2000 |
| Windows Media Player 7 | December 12, 2000 |
| Windows Media Player 8 | June 2002 |
| Windows Media Player 9 Series | June 23, 2003 |
| Windows Media Player 10 | May 9, 2005 |
| Windows Media Player 11 | 2008 |
Mac OS |
|
| Windows Media Player 6.3 | July 17, 2000 |
| Windows Media Player 7 | July 24, 2001 |
| Windows Media Player 9 Series | November 7, 2003 |
Solaris |
|
| Windows Media Player 6.3 | July 17, 2000 |
The Look of Windows Media Player
Over the years the Windows Media Player has gone through some aesthetic changes to upgrade the look and feel of the player. Here are a couple of images showing the progress of Windows Media Player over the years;
Windows Media Player 6.1
Windows Media Player 9 Series
Windows Media Player 12
Windows Media Player Registry Tweaks
You can tweak/edit your Windows Media Player through your Regedit, here are some registry tweaks for your media player;
Enable DVD Features
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/MediaPlayer/Player/Settings
- Create a new string and call it EnableDVDUI
- Set the value of it to yes
Lock the Media Player’s String
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Policies/Microsoft/WindowsMediaPlayer
- Create a new string called DefaultSkin
- In the value field type in the skin’s name
- Create a new DWORD called SetAndLockSkin
- Set the value to 1
Remove the Radio Bar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Policies/Microsoft/WindowsMediaPlayer
- Create a new DWORD called NoRadiaBar
- Set the value to 1
Remove Find New Station
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Policies/Microsoft/WindowsMediaPlayer
- Create a new DWORD called NoFindNewStation
- Set the value to 1
Remove Media Favorite
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Policies/Microsoft/WindowsMediaPlayer
- Create a new DWORD called NoMediaFavorite
- Set the value to 1
Windows Media Player Downloads
Microsoft has all types of downloads and plugins available for your Windows Media Player. You can download everything from new versions of your media player to special compatibility components.
You will be able to search through the big list of downloads Microsoft has for the media player, click the link below to access the downloads.
Windows Media Player Downloads
Tags: Windows Media Player
