Streaming videos from AOL

Resolve error messages that you encounter while streaming from the Internet in Windows Media Player.

Answers refer to Windows Media Player 10, unless otherwise noted.

More advice

Error message: "Windows Media Player cannot perform the requested action at this time."

Usually, this error indicates that the proxy settings for Windows Media Player are not configured properly.

To verify that your proxy settings are correct

1.

In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options.

2.

In the Options dialog box, on the Network tab, verify your settings in the Streaming proxy settings area. If you don't know what your proxy settings should be, select a protocol, click Configure, and then in the Configure Protocol dialog box, select either Autodetect proxy settings or Use proxy settings of the Web browser. (The latter setting is available for the HTTP protocol only.)

3.

Repeat step 2 for each protocol that is displayed in the Streaming proxy settings area.

In some cases, this error can occur if the Player tries to receive the stream by using the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), but for some reason it can't. You may be able to fix the error by turning off this option in the Player.

To turn off UDP streaming

1.

In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options.

2.

In the Options dialog box, on the Network tab, in the Streaming protocols area, clear the UDP check box.

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Error message: "Windows Media Player cannot play the file because the specified protocol is not supported. If you typed a URL in the Open URL dialog box, try using a different transport protocol (for example, "http:" or "rtsp:")."

Windows Media Player can't play the file because the specified protocol is either not supported by the Player or not supported by the server.

If you encountered this error by clicking a link on a Web page, the link might not be valid.

If you encountered this error by typing a URL in the Open URL dialog box, try opening the file by using a different transport protocol (for example, "http:" or "rtsp:"). The following list shows the protocols that are supported by the Player and examples of the correct URL syntax:

mms://server/filename (for example, a file with a .wma, .wmv, .asf, or .mp3 extension)

http://server/filename

rtsp://server/filename

mms://server/sami.asf?SAMI=http://server/sami/sami_demo.smi (SAMI file)

If the Player supports the protocol that you used in the URL and you still can't play the content, verify that the Player is configured to use all of its supported protocols.

To configure protocol settings

1.

In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options.

2.

In the Options dialog box, on the Network tab, in the Streaming protocols area, select all the protocol check boxes (Multicast, UDP, TCP, and HTTP), so that a check mark is displayed in each.

Note that the supported protocols can be used only to stream digital media files. Windows Media Player cannot be used as a browser.

If the above fixes don't work, you can rename the networking information folder for the Player so that it can rebuild its networking information files after you restart it.

To rename the Player networking information folder

1.

Close Windows Media Player. (To do this, on the File menu, click Exit.)

2.

Click Start, and then click Run.

3.

In the Run dialog box, type the following (exactly as shown):

%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Media

This step opens the following folder on your computer:

SystemDrive:\Documents and Settings\UserProfileName\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Media

4.

In this folder, rename the folder 10.0 to 10.0.bak. For more information about renaming folders, see To change the name of a file or folder.

5.

Start the Player and try to stream the content again.

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Error message: "The server received invalid data from the client control connection."

In many cases, this error can be fixed by doing one of the following:

Windows Media Player can't receive the stream by using UDP. Turn off UDP streaming by following the instructions in the first question.

You are running Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall and your Norton program is not configured correctly. For more information, see Cannot listen to Web radio stations after installing Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall.

This problem can also be caused by other firewall, ad-blocking, or proxy software that interferes with communication between the Player and the streaming media server. Consult the software documentation or the manufacturer's Web site for possible resolutions for this error.

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Error message: "Windows Media Player cannot play the file. If the file is located on the Internet, connect to the Internet. If the file is located on a removable storage card, insert the storage card."

Your Internet connection is blocked. This could be caused by your computer's firewall or Windows Media Player may be set to work offline.

To confirm that the Player can connect through your firewall, you should review your firewall documentation and make any necessary adjustments.

To see if the Player is set to work offline, click the File menu in the Player to verify if a check mark is displayed next to the Work Offline command. If it is, to clear the check mark and enable the Player to connect to the network, click Work Offline.

Note that if you are trying to play the file from a computer in your office, your corporate network administrator may prevent the Player from accessing the Internet, even if you remove the check mark next to Work Offline. In this case, contact your network administrator for more information.

If you want to continue to work offline but allow Windows Media Player (Windows Media Player 9 Series or later) to connect to the Internet when it needs to, you can do the following:

1.

In the Player, on the Tools menu, click Options.

2.

In the Options dialog box, on the Player tab, click Connect to the Internet (overrides other commands).

For earlier versions of the Player, in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, see article 317101, "Error Message: Windows Media Player Error C00D10B3 - Unable to Access the Network."

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Error message: "Windows Media Player cannot play the file because a network error occurred. The server might not be available. Verify that you are connected to the network and that your proxy settings are correct."

This error occurs for one of the following reasons:

The Web server that stores the file is not available. (For example, the server is busy or not online.) In this case, you can try to play the file again later, when the server is available.

Your computer is not connected to the local area network (LAN) or to the Internet. Connect to the network or Internet, and then try again.

The proxy settings for the Player are not configured properly. See the first question for more information.

Your firewall is preventing the Player from connecting to the Internet, or the Player is set to work offline. See the previous question for more information.

The Web page from which you are trying to stream content requires that cookies be enabled. For more information about changing the privacy settings in Internet Explorer to enable cookies, see Microsoft Internet Explorer Help.