Canibus, The email was from a known friend. There were 3 attachments which were pics of the friend and probably this one was also. No, I had not asked for the WMP skin. Just a fluke I guess. I'll do the reinstall tomorrow. Thanks. Sue

I found this in another forum. It may help you: 1. Open Control Panel/Programs and Features. 2. Click "Turn Windows features on or off" in the left pane. 3. Expand "Media Features", uncheck "Windows Media Player". Click "Yes" to continue, and click OK to quit. Then Restart. Note: If you turn off WMP, Windows Media Center will be turned off either. You may need to re-configure settings for Windows Media Center after re-enabling it. 4. Open "Turn Windows features on or off" again. Turn on the features "Windows Media Player" and "Windows Media Center". Restart. 5. Launch Windows Media Player, initialize the program.

What operating system are you using? If your missing that "About" feature, seems like something is wrong, open and close windows media player, reboot the computer, see if you can get that feature back. Windows Media Player 12 comes as part of Windows 7. "In Step 4, you have choice to choose selected file type to play as default with Windows Media Player. You need to click on "Choose defaults for this program" and then select file types that you want to associate with Windows Media Player." See link below,for more on above. Here is a link that might be useful: file types that you want to associate with Windows Media Player.

Here's an explanation lifted from a webpage: A codec is software that is used to compress or decompress a digital media file, such as a song or video. Content creators use codecs because a compressed file takes up less storage space on your computer and can be transferred across the Internet more quickly and smoothly. When you play a digital media file, Windows Media Player uses a codec to decompress the file. Codecs are used to create and play nearly all music or video files on your computer or on Web sites. Q.Why do I get a message that says my computer is missing a codec? A.You are probably trying to play a file that uses a codec that is not on your computer. When you try to play a file that uses a codec that is not on your computer, the Player tries to download the codec from a Microsoft server. If the codec is available, the Player installs it on your computer and then plays the file. If the codec is not available on the server (for example, because the codec wasn't created by Microsoft), the Player displays a message that your computer is missing a codec. If you are connected to the Internet, the message usually has a Web Help button that you can click for more information. If the Player can determine which codec you are missing, when you click that button, a Help topic is displayed that contains a link to WMPlugins.com, a Web site that lists a number of codecs that are available to download. The MPEG-2 and DivX video codecs and the ACELP.net and Ogg Vorbis audio codecs are examples of codecs that are not included in the operating system or the Player by default. Q.How do I find a codec? A.When trying to find the right codec for a particular file, you can use WMPlugins.com or other Web sites. Typically, you should start with WMPlugins.com first. Recommend that you use caution when installing codecs that aren't listed on WMPlugins.com or Microsoft.com. If your computer is running Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition or Windows XP, we recommend that you set a system restore point before installing any digital media components. This enables you to return to your original system configuration, if necessary. If you get a message that you're missing a codec when you try to play a file, click the Web Help button on the message. In the Help topic that is displayed, click the link to WMPlugins.com. If you know the name of the codec you want to find, you can go directly to WMPlugins.com Codec. If the codec is listed on WMPlugins.com, follow the instructions on the page to download and install the codec. Q.Does the Player always try to download codecs automatically? A.It depends on several factors. To ensure the Player can try to download codecs automatically, you must have Internet Explorer 3.02 or later installed on your computer, maintain Internet access while playing the file, and your Internet security should be set to Medium. In addition, if your computer is running Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, or Windows Server 2003, you must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group. Finally, do the following: On the Tools menu, click Options. On the Player tab, select the Download codecs automatically check box. If you use the Player in a work environment that is managed by a network administrator, you might be restricted from downloading and installing software from the Web.