FIX: MPEG-2 transport streams or certain variable bit rate WMV files may not play in Windows Media Player on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

You have a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. When you try to play Windows Media Video (WMV) content in Windows Media Player, you may experience one of the following symptoms:

• Windows Media Player may not play MPEG-2 transport streams from a network-attached storage device.
• Windows Media Player may take longer than expected to buffer content for certain variable bit rate (VBR) WMV files.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, it is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for installing this hotfix.

Restart information

You may have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

File information

The global version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

For all supported x86-based versions of Windows 7

For all supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Additional notes

The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and MUM files (.mum) installed for each environment are listed separately. MUM and MANIFEST files, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are critical to maintaining the state of the updated component. The security catalog files (attributes not listed) are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.