Stopping WMP 10 auto-update

[OvenMaster]

In WMP 10, there's a place where I am asked if I want to check for updates to WMP daily, weekly, or monthly. I've just kept clicking "No" when a reminder pops up. Just to see what happened when/if I said "Yes", it started to download WMP 11, so I hit Cancel as fast as I could. I've already tried 11 earlier this year and hated it, so I went back to 10.

How can I get WMP to not have that $%$@ popup asking if I want to update? If there was a "Check for updates: Never" radio button, I'd be picking that one!

Tom

 

[PC eye]

What I was forced to do here was simply turn off the automatic search for updates option found in the Control Panel. I also "HATED" WMP 11 as a piece of crap and won't even display any video while sound is still heard in Vista!

WMP 10 turned out to be the best one including the various codecs you used to have to chase around for! It will also run video cds as well as dvds and various video file types. When going to the MS update site use the custom not express option found there when checking the option software/hardware update links in the left column. That way you can easily "uncheck" the WMP 11 update while getting anything else you may need.

One other item is the option not to connect online when usinng WMP found in the settings. But then you run the player without seeing additional media content download or additional licenses needed options for any downloads. You simply run the player in Windows only.

 

[OvenMaster]

Turn off Automatic Updates? Done months ago.
Uncheck the WMP 11 update on the Windows Update page? Done months ago also.
I stream stuff a lot using WMP, so I guess I can't disable the auto-connect thing.

Nuts!

I was kinda hoping there was a registry hack to disable this stupid popup. I guess I'll just have to keep hitting "No" when it shows up.

Thanx anywho.

Tom

 

[PC eye]

There may be one still that will keep the annoyance from being seen there. But that will also prevent seeing WMP from automatically opened when playing something while browsing a site like a mov downloaded to a temp folder. For disabling the auro update notifier in the the older versions of WMP the following was seen.

"When Windows Media Player is used it will periodically check for newer versions via the Internet. This tweak allows you to turn off this checking and notification.
Windows Media Player 7.0, 7.1 and Media Player for Windows XP (8.0) Open your registry and find or create the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer. Create a new DWORD value called "DisableAutoUpdate" and set it to "1" to disable updates.
Windows Media Player 6.4 Open your registry and find or create the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer. Create a new string value called "EnableAutoUpgrade" and set it to "No" to disable updates.
Restart Windows Media Player for the changes to take effect." http://www.spywareinfo.com/newsletter/archives/october-2002/10282002.html

Being in Vista at the moment I can't see whether or not XP sees the same reg key shown there if that is for an older 98-ME, 2000 registry there. Vista lacks any of this from now seeing WMP built into the OS rather then being an option you can remove as well as see a newer version for in download form. If I reboot now I can give you a closer look at the XP Home side of things to see if this could work for XP with the newer versions like it seems it would.

 

[OvenMaster]

Windows Media Player 7.0, 7.1 and Media Player for Windows XP (8.0) Open your registry and find or create the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer. Create a new DWORD value called "DisableAutoUpdate" and set it to "1" to disable updates.

It works! The update radio buttons are greyed out, but the codec auto-download box is still checked.
I'm very grateful for this little hack! THANK YOU!
Regards from Tom

 

[PC eye]

Glad to see it worked out well since I was pondering on this for some time. Fortunately I use the free VLC player while booted into Vista since 11 there won't show any video at all presently. MS never came out with any visualizations anyways. One more loss for Vista! waaaa....!

I'll run the free player for mainly audio cds and tracks since that has a few of it's own visualizations included like WMP used to.

 

[windowsvista]

i love wmp 11

 

[PC eye]

Ok! OvenMaster along with myself and others will gladly let you keep it. How does that sound?

I've some other good complaints on the more or less Vista orientated WMP 11 with others eanting to see it removed in order to go back to 10. While still in beta I gave it a try and later when finished to come to the same conclusion.

As far as I've seen 10 is the actual best MS came out with todate and certainly the best for XP ove 11. But someone at ? didn't seem to want 10 to be successful and see XP go on and on and on and .... "oh my!... "