Clicking on M3U link in Internet Explorer 8 does not play in Windows Media Player

[Nekeitha]

I have recently upgraded to the windows 7 operating system. I have noticed a very strange thing in the internet explorer 8 that I did not notice when I used to work with the windows xp. The thing is that whenever i click on any of the m3u file in internet explorer 8 it gives me a option saying to save this particular file. Earlier when I was using windows xp I did not have this problem. When I used to click on the m3u file it used to directly open with the windows media player. I have also checked that windows media player is set as a default player for all the m3u files. So why is this happening in the windows 7? Can anyone explain?

[REDBULL]

What you can do is when you click on that particular link and when you are given the option to save the file. Then go ahead and click on the save option. After clicking on the save option. You have to right click on that file and go to its properties. In the properties you will get various programs that you want that particular file to open with select media player as the option, then check the box which will be specified as always open with. So you have to check that box. Try this method it must work for you.

[Sheenas]

If you ask me I would say that there is some problem with the file association of the internet explorer. Well you have to check whether the play sound in webpage option is selected or not. If it is not selected then it will give you such problems. So in case you don’t know where that particular option is
1) Go to the internet options in the internet explorer.
2) After that go to the advanced and select multimedia and select the option of play sound in webpages.
So I would advise you to try with this solution it will definitely help you.

[Level8]

If none of the above solutions work for you then do try booting your system in the safe mode. I hope you are clear with the methods on how to safe boot your system. In case that also did not work then do reset the internet explorer settings this can definitely help you. According to me it must work the same way as it is working in the windows xp. so possibly you must try updating your system and see if it is able to solve your problem.

[Nekeitha]

Ok thanks for the suggestions. None of the above solutions worked for me. I don’t know what is the reason behind it. If I click any of the m3u file sin the desktop or in the system then it gets easily clicked and opened in windows media player. However the url of the m3u file does not gets opened in windows media player. Is it a kind of some bug in the windows media player or the windows 7. However I am not yet solved with my issue. If you have any other solutions then do share it with me.

[greenhart]

Yeah, I have a similar problem, on XP and Windows 7, something to do with IE8' security and/or WMP.
While MS get it sorted, iTunes works fine as a player for M3U. It's free, just don't forget to untick the options for everything other than iTunes, and set iTunes to be the default for M3U.

[nitesh mehta]

I agree with "greenhart" that it is some sort of bug due to which m3u file is not playing in internet explorer 8 browser, if only microsoft could release an update for same, it could have helped. But recently, after reading from different sites I came accross a workaround for this in which a user wrote how it worked, below is the full information:

Running the command prompt as the Administrator to run "setup_wm.exe" and running "regsvr32 wmp.dll" -- works and Those MP3 and M3U links start working!

I havent tried it yet, but hope that it solves the issue.