Microsoft Windows Media Player File Association Behavior Changes After You Install Windows XP SP1

Microsoft Windows Media Player file association behavior changes after you install Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). After you install SP1, Windows Media Player associates itself with file types only in cases where an upgrade from certain Windows-based programs occurs.

If there is a file association with certain Microsoft programs, Windows Media Player associates itself with that file type. This occurs because the installation of Windows Media Player is considered an upgrade. Programs that Windows Media Player takes file associations from include:

• Microsoft ActiveMovie Control
• Mplayer.exe or Mplay32.exe
• Soundrec.exe or SndRec32.exe
• Windows Media Player versions 5.2 - 8.0
• Microsoft NetShow 1.0 or 2.0
• Microsoft Deluxe CD player
• Microsoft CDPlayer
• Microsoft DVDPlayer or Dvdplaye.exe

File types that are associated with programs other than those listed in this article will not be associated with Windows Media Player.

For additional information about file associations, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

This behavior is by design.