FIX: Internet Explorer may crash when a Web page reloads Windows Media Player several times on a Windows Vista-based computer

Consider the following scenario:

• You view a Web page in Windows Internet Explorer on a Windows Vista-based computer.
• The Web page embeds Microsoft Windows Media Player.
• The Web page reloads Windows Media Player several times.

In this scenario, Internet Explorer may crash.

This problem occurs because of a race condition that occurs when the Windows Media Player control is reloaded by Internet Explorer.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, it is intended to correct only the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, obtain the hotfix from the Microsoft Download Center.

Download information

Windows Vista, 32-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the Windows6.0-KB957301-x86.msu package now. (http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/8/A/F8A345A5-5EC6-4F0C-B3BD-4D29ADC709B8/Windows6.0-KB957301-x86.msu)

Windows Vista, 64-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the Windows6.0-KB957301-x64.msu package now. (http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/8/A/F8A345A5-5EC6-4F0C-B3BD-4D29ADC709B8/Windows6.0-KB957301-x64.msu)

Windows XP, 32-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the WindowsMedia11-KB957301-x86-INTL.exe package now. (http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/4/F/44F6659B-BEDA-4879-88DE-54A240086991/WindowsMedia11-KB957301-x86-INTL.exe)

Windows XP, 64-bit versions

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the WindowsMedia11-KB957301-x64-INTL.exe package now. (http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/4/F/44F6659B-BEDA-4879-88DE-54A240086991/WindowsMedia11-KB957301-x64-INTL.exe)

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for installing this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

Registry information

To use one of the hotfixes in this package, you do not have to make any changes to the registry.

File information

The global version of this hotfix 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.

To work around this problem, change the default visualization to a visualization other than the Alchemy visualization. To change the visualization in Windows Media Player, follow these steps:

1. Click the Now Playing tab.
2. Right-click the video window, and then click No Visualization.

Note You can also change the visualization to Bars to work around this problem.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.