Windows Media Player 10 error message on a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based computer: "A more recent version of Windows Media Player is already installed"

When Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 checks for automatic updates on a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based computer, you receive the following error message: Note This issue also occurs when you click Check for Player Updates on the Help menu in Windows Media Player 10.

This issue occurs if you previously installed the update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 that is documented in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 913800. For more information about update 913800, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Upgrade to Windows Media Player 11

To download Windows Media Player 11, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Method 2: Install critical update 926251

Critical update 926251 is available from the Microsoft Update Web site or from the Windows Update Web site. Microsoft Update offers the same downloads that are available from Windows Update plus the latest updates for Microsoft Office and other Microsoft programs. To set up or use Microsoft Update, visit the following Web site: Note This critical update is also installed by Automatic Updates. You can turn on Automatic Updates from the Microsoft Update Web site.

Download for another computer

To download critical update 926251 for another computer, use the Microsoft Download Center.

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
Download the 926251 package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9D0B7CFF-CF82-445F-B2BC-97ADEFD001AC&displaylang)

File information

The English version of this critical update has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.