How do I get web media to stop playing in the media pane?

How can I get Internet Explorer to stop playing online media in the browser window media bar?

This question was answered on December 6, 2002. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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A recent (feature?) that was added to the latest version of Internet Explorer is the ability to play movies and music from the web in a special media pane (pain!) that opens as a default.

If you would rather have the Windows Media Player pop up and play the file instead (the old school way!), here's the fix:

1 Open Internet Explorer and click on the Media button in the button bar.

2 The Media pane will appear on the left side of the Explorer, look towards the bottom of it and click on the 'Media Options' command.

3 Click on the 'Settings' option, then remove the checkmarks from both the 'Play web media in the bar' and 'Ask for Preferred Types' options.

About the author

Posted by Ken Colburn of Data Doctors on December 6, 2002

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