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[Mnemonic]

Note: This is not related to WME. I just post it here because I have no better place to put it


The problem

Windows 7 includes Windows Media Player 12. This version separates the library view and the "now playing" view and it stores previous window position separately for each view. However, it doesn't remember window state of the "now playing" view. As a result, even if you maximize the window, close it, and later open some video file from Windows Explorer, the WMP window is never maximized.
I like my Media Player window to always start maximized, and judging by people's response to WMP12, I'm not the only one. I consider this behaviour a bug in WMP12.


The solution

I've written a simple utility, which ensures that WMP12 always starts maximized. You can download the installer here:

http://dead-code.org/download/download_wmp12fix.php

The installer installs the utility and makes sure it's executed every time Windows 7 starts.


What does it do?

This utility monitors the registry key which stores previous window state of Windows Media Player. Whenever this key changes to non-maximized (typically when you quit WMP), this utility restores the key value to maximized.
It uses the registry change notification API, so it doesn't have any negative impact on your PC's performance.


Known issues

When you uninstall the utility, it keeps running until you reboot Windows.


I hope someone will find it useful.



Disclaimer: The software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied. In no event will the author be liable to you for damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of your use of or inability to use the Software, even if the Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

[Jyujinkai]

who even uses windows media player or media center? I guess you do.. but you may be the only person in the entire world

[RaptorrX]

Hello Ive downloaded the file and tried to install but get a strange error report "This Program Requires Windows NT version 6.01 or later" I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate 7600  RTM on AMD 6000+ CPU ,4 gig of ram running at 3.2 gig Hz do you know of a solution for this problem?

[Mnemonic]

Well that's strange, because Win7 *is* Windows NT version 6.01. Anyone else encountered the problem?

[Daghead]

This worked flawlessly for me. Thanks so much!!!

(MS, wtf)

...wait, it had worked perfectly when I played a few videos earlier. Now its not working. Weird.

...ok, it seems to malfunction only with my .flv files.

[the_Gipper]

Thank you very much for investing your time and energy to tackle the problem. I did download your program, and it works – and it works not. I posted this thread over at the Shark007.net forum to describe my problem, but maybe you can help better, after all, you already did so once before:


WMP 12 maximize bug

Hiya all
 
(I hope this is the correct place to post and I shouldn't have gone to Settings Application)
 
I use the Shark007 Codec Pack for Windows 7 together with Windows Media Player 12 within Windows 7 Starter. Since (when opening files through Windows Explorer) this player has a weird bug of refusing to remember the previous window size and always starts out as a small window instead of maximized and since there really is no option to change that in the player's settings, I downloaded this utility:
 
http://dead-code.org/download/download_wmp12fix.php
 
(description at http://forum.dead-code.org/index.php?topic=3929.0).
 
But while for some files
 
– .wmv, .mpeg, .mov, .mp4, .avi, .wav, .mp3, .aac, .m4a, .3gp –
 
this workaround works just fine, others
 
– .rm, .rmvb, .flv, .ogv, .ogg, .flac –
 
still lead to non-maximized windows when double-clicked.
 
Since QuickTime files didn't play before installing the Shark007 Codec Pack, if I remember correctly, I don't think it's a matter of native support by Media Player 12 or not.
 
I noticed, however, that the context menus that open when right-clicking files look slightly different, depending on whether the player window maximizes upon opening a file or not:
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Play
Add to Windows Media Player list
7-Zip
Scan with Microsoft Security Essentials...
Open with
etc.
 
(for the files that open maximized)
 
versus
 
Play
Open
7-Zip
Scan with Microsoft Security Essentials...
Open with
etc.
 
(for those that continue to open in small windows)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I've no clue as to why that is or how I could make them look the same (I did, however, check the box "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" for all of the files in question and have restarted the computer several times since).
 
So, what's the solution here, after all, there must be one, mustn't it?
 
(I don't want near-maximized windows or fullscreen mode, but true maximized windows everytime I double-click a media file.)
 
Thanks a bunch for your help (I'm quite the noob, so please keep it simple)
the_Gipper

(http://shark007.net/forum/Thread-WMP-12-maximize-bug)

[Mnemonic]

Sorry, I have no idea why it would work for some codecs and not for others. WMP12 is doing some strange voodoo with the application window; I noticed sometimes the movie pane can be focused, and still the window frame is inactive etc. Not my area of expertise, I'm afraid.

[the_Gipper]

OK, thanks for your reply, anyway.

It's really a pity, I mean, how long has WMP 12 / this bug been around now? Meanwhile, even your proposed fix is over a year old, has no one ever brought that issue to Microsoft's attention? It's annoying as hell, why aren't they acting?

Oh well...

But thanks again for trying to do something about it.

[shi-an]

YOU sir should take over the Microsoft programming division. You are a much better programmer than they are. Seriously microsoft should pay you a wad of cash so that they can implement your program into a windows update; WMP was actually a really good media player... until this "bug".

Anyway I made an account just to say thank-you, so thanks!

[ruudboek]

Thanks so much! Do you perhaps also a version of that tool, that makes it resize to full screen instead of maximized?
I have looked everywhere, it simply does not seem to exist.

[ruudboek]

Never mind, if anyone wants to know, i have found a solution.
Simply modify this registry entry to this:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{ed1d0fdf-4414-470a-a56d-cfb68623fc58}\LocalServer32]

Modify the Default string value to this "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /Play /Fullscreen

By the way, this only works for Windows 7 32-bit.
For it to work on Windows 7 64-bit, you need this key:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{ed1d0fdf-4414-470a-a56d-cfb68623fc58}\LocalServer32]

By the way, this works only for the movie formats that Windows Media Player supports by default.

[stargazer1682]

It doesn't seem to work when I try to play a dvd.  It still does what it does before, MP can be maximized when originally opened, but as soon as I tell it to play the DVD that's loaded, it switches to a smaller, un-maximized screen; which can be maximized, but it has to be done manually every time, even with your fix.  Any solutions for that?  It's really annoying.  It's bad enough I had to download a plug-in so the DVDs would resume from where they left off, if they're stopped; which occasionally has to be reinstalled, because windows for some reason forgets about it....

[jferr3]

Wow thanks so much for coming up with this the fucking thing works like a charm.

[julio99]

Note: This is not related to WME. I just post it here because I have no better place to put it


The problem

Windows 7 includes Windows Media Player 12. This version separates the library view and the "now playing" view and it stores previous window position separately for each view. However, it doesn't remember window state of the "now playing" view. As a result, even if you maximize the window, close it, and later open some video file from Windows Explorer, the WMP window is never maximized.
I like my Media Player window to always start maximized, and judging by people's response to WMP12, I'm not the only one. I consider this behaviour a bug in WMP12.


The solution

I've written a simple utility, which ensures that WMP12 always starts maximized. You can download the installer here:

http://dead-code.org/download/download_wmp12fix.php

The installer installs the utility and makes sure it's executed every time Windows 7 starts.


What does it do?

This utility monitors the registry key which stores previous window state of Windows Media Player. Whenever this key changes to non-maximized (typically when you quit WMP), this utility restores the key value to maximized.
It uses the registry change notification API, so it doesn't have any negative impact on your PC's performance.


Known issues

When you uninstall the utility, it keeps running until you reboot Windows.


I hope someone will find it useful.



Disclaimer: The software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied. In no event will the author be liable to you for damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of your use of or inability to use the Software, even if the Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

   I have used this fix on both of my laptops,(x86 & x64) and it works flawlessly. Don't know what I'd do w/o it. Microcrap doesn't seem to want to listen to it's customers as this topic has been brought to their attention I'm sure. Probably didn't take too much to reconfigure the code to get this fix and they have people who work on WMP all the time and have neglected to fix this. Oh well, so much for my bitching and moaning. Thanks a million for the tweak. Don't know why everyone hates on WMP so much. I know there's a lot of other Media Players around, but I've had issues with them also so to each their own I guess. If you install the proper codecs in your machine WMP plays just about everything. Thanks again my friend 

[Noisemaker]

Just to add my thanks as well. Figured it must be some stupid setting somewhere in the system or Control Panel. But querying the net - yikes! MS dropped a few balls on this Win7.

The other thing I hate, and maybe there's a fix for this as well - having to constantly select 'Type' from a list when I go to Sort something in a folder. I do a lot of audio work, and inevitably wind up with Wavelab .GPK (peak) and .MKR (marker files strewn throughout. Up to WinXP I could simply right click/Sort By/Type, and volla! All GPK and MKR stuff would go to the top where I could quickly highlight and delete them.

But this bit of "Right Click - Sort By - Select From List - Type - OK - Right Click - Sort By - Type" It sounds like something right out of the movie Brazil or something? I'm off to join Harry Tuttle's gang if that keeps up at Central Services, er - I mean 'Microsoft'!