# Useless so called "free" and "easy" file



## PaulS (Jun 15, 2002)

OK, so I want to watch WAK's London Video [smiley=dude.gif]The PC I'm on at the moment has WMP, but no sound card, that's ok, I'll watch it with the "sound down", like on the telly.... I have BB so I download WAK's file all ok, thats a result in itself Â 

Windows media player doesn't like .ram files ..... sigh Â  Â Can it be converted from .ram to something else, possibly, seems far to complicated to try Â [smiley=computer.gif]

OK. I'll download a 14 day "free trial" version of real player. So I log on - actually it's not free, it's just that they won't charge you if you cancel within 14 days ..... sneaky bastards Â  So you have to go through all the hassle of giving them your credit card details and making notes so that you don't forget to cancel later (I already have realplayer on my home PC, but no BB, so I don't want to pay for it TWICE do I....

Eventually it accepts this information - tells you to click for the download. Bugger all happens....  click on various other download sites all over the world and eventually manage to get something downloaded from Singapore of all places!

You then try and unzip/run the program but it comes up with some f*****g useless bit of information - "file error contact your administrator". As if they are going to know what the problem is....

I suppose I could download WAK's file onto a CDR, and watch it at home, but I have no burner on this PC.... :

It would have been easier to actually drive to London and do the meet, rather than relying on this so called easy "plug and play" IT crap....Sometimes I just feel like heaving the whole friggin' lot out of the window.... [smiley=smash.gif]


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## KevinST (May 6, 2002)

Ummm - there is a _free_ realplayer on the site - no CC details required at all !

http://uk.real.com/freeplayer_r1p.html
On the right hand side.


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## PaulS (Jun 15, 2002)

> Ummm - there is a _free_ realplayer on the site - no CC details required at all !
> 
> http://uk.real.com/freeplayer_r1p.html
> On the right hand side.


Yep, tried that too. PC just sits there, does bugger all, and eventually reports some sort of time out. I think it's a firewall somewhere, that needs 'adjusting' .... I get my 'sniffer' out and start diagnosing the problem :

I'll put in a request for sys ops to modify it ... usually takes about a Month for anything to get done though ....


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## jgoodman00 (May 6, 2002)

I agree completely.

I think realplayer is a joke, & try to avoid it always. The free download is made as difficult to find as possible, & worse still you get constant tray items, & reminders. You have to go out of your way to stop this crap, which I think is terrible. I generally try not to install it. At least media player is relatively unobtrusive in its operation...


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

I'd forgotten just how annoying that is. Bloody reminders 

Shockwave, Realplayer just piss off.

Trouble is Windows Media player doesn't sem to support many vid bits. It doesnt support BBC Radio web broadcasts even.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

I'll try to stick to WMF in future. Real used to be easy but I guess not any more.

I'll have a go at creating a WMF version...I do prefer it.


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

Have to agree with majority, I hate RP! Had an error whilst trying to stream Waks vid, so decided to upgrade to a more recent free version. Still doesn't work (still get an error) and now I've got little pop-ups and messages and trays and all sorts of sodding crap!!!  Will remove it I think.


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## PaulS (Jun 15, 2002)

I've got realplayer at home - came as part of my mStation MP3 system. Don't you just love the way it 'walks all over' any other MP3 software and installs itself as the default player...... (yes I know you can 'custom' install it, but they make it too complicated to bother with - I just un-installed it after the mStation software went in) Some of these friggin' software companies even delete the 'uninstall' option!!

All I want to use is Winamp MP3 player (excellent and easy to use) and Windows Media Player Â [smiley=bigcry.gif]

Suppose I'll have to RTFM Â :

Can someone remind me to cancel Real players wonderful 'free' offer in 2 weeks time :


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## sattan (Sep 10, 2002)

Also - what I found with realplayer is that as well as 'walking over the other MP3 players' even if you go into it and tell it not to associate itself with my MP3s, it accepts that and they work with windows media player/winamp/whatever for a while but about 15mins later it re-registers itself as the default player!!!!!! grrrrr.


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

there's a setting in RP that allows RP to check and maintain that it's always the default player, even if you manually change it.


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

If anyone wants the new Windows Media 9 and has a normal dialup, I have the CD if anyone wants it. IM me with a mailing address.
Rob


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## phil (May 7, 2002)

It's probably worth mentioning that when you installed real player it installed a load of other crap without telling you which is sending your personal information to random people on the internet. 
Allegedly.


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