Windows Media Player keeps opening by itself. Every time I close it, it opens back up again.

Anonymous
2009-10-17T19:02:14+00:00

Also, while it is open, it keeps dominating the pc control by making it the active application every few seconds.  If I go to another window it soon reverts back to WMP as the active application.

This is a new computer.  It didn't happen at first, but started happening a few days after installing iTunes.  I realized I was still running Vista SP1 so I downloaded and installed SP2.  It ran for a while ok then after a few hours of running the WMP began opening again.

sometime it starts at startup, and sometime it starts after the computer is up and running.  The last time it began happening I was in the middle of another windows software update and was not actively working on the computer.  Just letting the update run.

It won't let me disable it with the task manager either.  As soon as I stop the application it opens right back up again.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video

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Anonymous
2009-10-19T16:02:48+00:00

Hello MikeNevers,

Thank you for your post.

Click 'Start' >Type Services in the search box

Click 'Services' with the gear icon

On the left, find the service for (Windows Media Player)

Double-click the service, and change the startup type from Automatic to Manual.

Please let us know if this did or didn't help to resolve your problem.

Cheers


Jason Microsoft Answers Support Engineer Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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Anonymous
2011-03-14T14:50:00+00:00

I searched my documents and settings map for viruses with the lastest AVG free version and it came up with a trojan horse infection and moved it to the vault. This solved the popping up of WMP :D! 

Furthermore the trojan was named "Trojan horse Agent2.BMMK"

Cheers and I hope this was helpfull to some ^^

EDIT: I also have the Lycosa keyboard but have never had a problem with the WMP pop-ups until today. Might have been the keyboard but then again everything went fine after the removal of the trojan.

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-11-03T14:20:15+00:00

    Mine is due to the Lycosa keyboard.

    If I try to use the WMPlayer it opens it behaves like having a stuck button advancing through the songs.

    Set the razer software default media player to one I don't have and it goes away for me. Turn it back and it immediately recurs.

    Mine is an intermittent fault so a few reboots later it goes away for a few months so I can set it back to WMPlayer.

    Tomshardware suggests it is dodgy razer harware rather than software but I am too lazy to pull it apart.

     (It is infrequent enough that I forget what causes it by the next time it occurs and I end up here).

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-11-10T14:07:01+00:00

    I found the following on the apple forum, this was causing itunes to constantly pop up. It seems to have to do with syncing when your device is connected.

    Plus the fix is only for iTunes 10.5 working with an iOS 5 device.

    If you are using the above two, then:

    Open iTunes. In the left hand side bar, there should be an entry for your device. Normally, you sync by clicking that entry and clicking sync. Instead, click on that entry, and then make sure that the "summary" tab is open. (scroll down) Near the bottom, there are some checkboxes. Uncheck the "Open iTunes when this iDevice is connected".

    You may also want to uncheck the "sync with this iphone over wifi"

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-11-17T16:59:06+00:00

    Hi

    THIS COULD BE YOUR ANSWERE!

    I had a similar problem with the latest version of iTunes which was driving me nuts! iTunes was starting up randomly and even would play a song! Like it had a mind of its own!

    However I was given the Piriform register cleaner (found at www.CCleaner.com ). I cleaned the regestry and deleted everything on my browser list. I have not had a problem since. Oh I should mention that once you have used the cleaner you should also defrag you computer.

    I am not advertising anything here and have nothing to gain but what I did worked so its up to you if you wish to go this way. Goodluck.

    Ian

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