06 October, 2014

Windows Media Player can't save playlist - solved!

Windows Media Player simplified logo.
Windows Media Player simplified logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
06-Oct-2014


Okay, I admit I have to put the date. Whenever I browse for solutions to problems that I encounter now and then, and find an article that seems to be the answer, I am very, very disappointed when I find later on, after reading and studying and all, the information and suggestions and solutions presented therein, that the article is already outdated!

Anyway, this one, regarding the solution to Windows Media Player not able to save playlist, is not going to be outdated - perhaps not for a very long time!

As I have said in my reply to a Windows forum, that problem didn't bug me even though I observed it for some time already. And why not? Because I have other players, like Media Player Classic Home Cinema, and VLC. Two classics that is readily available (and able) to take over Windows Media Player!

Until recently, that I had to run over a series of video tutorials, that I had to make Windows Media Player be able to save playlists, as I had to run the videos in sequence.

Now, the articles I found was in a Windows forum, and surprisingly, to the disappointment of the users airing the same exasperation and frustration over and over again, the situation was even made worse - because the suggestions and solutions offered by MS folks were, well, not fixing the problem, and what's more, there were more than one from MS who gave solutions that didn't work!

For example, they suggested to:
1. Run Windows Media Player Settings - didn't work
2. Uninstall/Reinstall Windows Media Player - didn't work
3. Delete the folder 'Media Player'

I simply listed the suggestions and omitted the details. And mind you, item #2 isn't one simple task. That entails restarting your machine!

Now, one user gave one suggestion, which is to select the folder where you'd keep your playlists and all, well, that worked! I would deduce from that step that when installing Windows Media Player, some defaults are set, and if users log in and use the computer, then that default would clash or conflict with the other users' settings. I was wondering why MS guys don't know that. Too much advises 'by the book'?

How is that solution executed?
1. Open up Windows Media Player.
2. If menu isn't showing, click on 'Switch to Library'.
3. Click on 'Organize > Manage libraries > Music' (you can do 'Video' afterwards).
4. Delete/Add as you desire.

What I did was delete whatever was in there, then selected my own folder for Music. Then Videos. Curious still, I assigned the folder 'Media Player' for my user account, the one that didn't work, as mentioned in item #3 above. Interestingly, it worked, when done from the Windows Media Player 'Organize' menu.

So there, it was that simple, but took some time to get fixed. I now can save playlists. Hurray!

Till then.

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