Windows Media Player gives an error "We can't open Whatever.mp3. You don't havepermission to access the file." even though I have permission


MrYossu

Well-known member
Member
Local time
8:57 PM
Posts
113
OS
Win11
I have a folder of .mp3 files which I play regularly. I have a script that will create a .wpl file, save me the huge effort of selecting the files, right-clicking and choosing Play 😎.

Fairly often, when I create a new .wpl file, and double-click it, WMP gives me an error like the one shown in the title. When it does this, it usually does it for every file in the playlist.

Now I do have permissions, I play the files regularly. Often, if I double-click each file individually (yawn), WMP opens them, and then the playlist will work fine.

However, I just created a new play list, and even doing this doesn't help. WMP refuses to play the files.

Anyone any ideas? Thanks
 
Windows Build/Version
22H2 (0S Build 26100.3194)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    Aorus X570 Elite
    Memory
    96Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    2047MB NVIDIA NVS 510
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PB278 (2560x1440@59Hz), DELL S2721DS (2560x1440@59Hz), F22 (1920x1080@60Hz), DELL E2311H (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Hard Drives
    931GB Force MP600 primary drive
    931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EALX-759BA1 data drive
    5589GB Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA)) external backup
    Other Info
    See http://speccy.piriform.com/results/a0tsEUMm6hE5R4aEwpTCg3a for full specs
HI.

So it’s a Playlist related issue? Doesn’t happen when you click on a random song in File Exploer to open in WMP?

  1. Open up the in-app settings for media player (if you cant find it, click the house icon at the top corner)

  2. Then depending on if your problem is with audio (Music) or video (Movies) click the appropriate "Add folder" option.

  3. Navigate to where your playlist file is stored on your PC, and once you are in the folder that contains the file you are trying to play, click "Add this folder" (the folder may look empty, that is because the program only looks for folders, not mp3 or other files)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5039
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
Hi again. Can you see what version of Media Player it is?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5039
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
HI.

So it’s a Playlist related issue? Doesn’t happen when you click on a random song in File Exploer to open in WMP?

  1. Open up the in-app settings for media player (if you cant find it, click the house icon at the top corner)

  2. Then depending on if your problem is with audio (Music) or video (Movies) click the appropriate "Add folder" option.

  3. Navigate to where your playlist file is stored on your PC, and once you are in the folder that contains the file you are trying to play, click "Add this folder" (the folder may look empty, that is because the program only looks for folders, not mp3 or other files)

Thanks. That seems to have fixed it for this playlist. Is there any reason that I shouldn't do this for my top-level Music folder, as opposed to having to go through each subfolder and add them individually?

Hi again. Can you see what version of Media Player it is?

112501.9.0

Thanks again
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    Aorus X570 Elite
    Memory
    96Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    2047MB NVIDIA NVS 510
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PB278 (2560x1440@59Hz), DELL S2721DS (2560x1440@59Hz), F22 (1920x1080@60Hz), DELL E2311H (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Hard Drives
    931GB Force MP600 primary drive
    931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EALX-759BA1 data drive
    5589GB Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA)) external backup
    Other Info
    See http://speccy.piriform.com/results/a0tsEUMm6hE5R4aEwpTCg3a for full specs
Is there any reason that I shouldn't do this for my top-level Music folder, as opposed to having to go through each subfolder and add them individually?

I can’t think of any reason not to.

Glad you got it fixed to some point
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5039
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
WMP is one of the worst multimedia (be it music or video) players for Windows, so would recommend - using one of the many other options/alternative - especially since some of the best are free. Music wise, would recommend something like...



or


...to name a few.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WinDOS 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    Intel & AMD
    Memory
    SO-DIMM SK Hynix 15.8 GB Dual-Channel DDR4-2666 (2 x 8 GB) 1329MHz (19-19-19-43)
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia RTX 2060 6GB Mobile GPU (TU106M)
    Sound Card
    Onbord Realtek ALC1220
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung PM981 NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB / 1x Seagate Expansion ST1000LM035 1TB
WMP is one of the worst multimedia (be it music or video) players for Windows
Yeah, I'm coming to that conclusion myself. Even the previous version (so-called "legacy" now) was better than the new one, and that's saying something!

Will take a look at those, thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    Aorus X570 Elite
    Memory
    96Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    2047MB NVIDIA NVS 510
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PB278 (2560x1440@59Hz), DELL S2721DS (2560x1440@59Hz), F22 (1920x1080@60Hz), DELL E2311H (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Hard Drives
    931GB Force MP600 primary drive
    931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EALX-759BA1 data drive
    5589GB Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA)) external backup
    Other Info
    See http://speccy.piriform.com/results/a0tsEUMm6hE5R4aEwpTCg3a for full specs

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom