Microsoft KB Archive/293081

= &quot;Windows Media Player Cannot Play This File...&quot; Error Message Trying to Play MPEG File =

Article ID: 293081

Article Last Modified on 8/6/2002

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows Media Player 7.0 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q293081



SYMPTOMS
When you attempt to play an MP3 stream in Windows Media Player 7 for Mac, you may receive the following error message:

Windows Media Player cannot play this file because the player does not support this file format.



CAUSE
This behavior can occur if you attempt to open a MPEG (.mp3) file that is located on a Web server.



MORE INFORMATION
Windows Media Player does not support playing .mp3 files that are located on a Web server. These files can be streamed successfully if they are located on a server that is running Microsoft Windows Media Server.

Web Site Protocol
This sample Web site address cannot play a .mp3 file properly in Windows Media Player for Mac:

http:// /myfile.mp3

Media Server Protocol
This sample address protocol can play a .mp3 file properly in Windows Media Player for Mac:

mms:// /myfile.mp3

NOTE: Replacing the &quot;http://&quot; protocol designator with &quot;mms://&quot; does not force Windows Media Player to play the requested file.

