Problem with m3u files

User Help for Mozilla Firefox
adaywayne
Posts: 193
Joined: November 10th, 2004, 12:51 pm
Location: New Jersey

Problem with m3u files

Post by adaywayne »

When I try to play audio clips from most sites, I get the following error message.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4899/erroruh7.jpg

I am using Firefox 1.5.0.6 and do not have the problem when I use IE6

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you
NewMozUser29A
Posts: 2005
Joined: August 11th, 2006, 5:35 pm

Post by NewMozUser29A »

http://hanna.pyxidis.org/tech/m3u.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3U

These links explain about the 'm3u' plain text file 'playlist' and how they need to be associated to a specific media player.
adaywayne
Posts: 193
Joined: November 10th, 2004, 12:51 pm
Location: New Jersey

Post by adaywayne »

Sir, I appreciate your explanation of what m3u files are, but can you help me solve the problem I explained? Also, why don't I have the problem when using IE?

A typical problem page wouold be: <http> Can you, or anyone else using Firefox get the udio samples tp play?
Thanks again.
Arnie
adaywayne
Posts: 193
Joined: November 10th, 2004, 12:51 pm
Location: New Jersey

Post by adaywayne »

NewMozUser29A
Posts: 2005
Joined: August 11th, 2006, 5:35 pm

Post by NewMozUser29A »

I'm sorry I thought those links were self-explanatory.

m3u files are plain text files that contain a 'play list'. They have to be 'associated' with a relevant media Player (WinAmp, WMP etc) and unless you have previously chosen to run such a play list in Firefox it does not yet know which one you have installed and want to use.

I have that link music playing right now since when I clicked on 'play all songs' a Firefox window ask me did I want to open it > default player > then a list of appropriate programs I have to choose from. In that list there is also a check box to indicate if I want Firefox to do that with all such files in the future.
adaywayne
Posts: 193
Joined: November 10th, 2004, 12:51 pm
Location: New Jersey

Post by adaywayne »

Thank you for your patience. Since I don't listen to music on my computer I do not use (or even know how to create) "playlists".

However, a search revealed that many people have the exact same problem. The solution that worked for me is >Tools>Options> Downloads tab>'View and Edit Actions' button and then select an installed player to play the m3u files. CReating this association in Control Panel>Folder Options> File Types works for IE but not for Firefox
Thanks again.
Arnie
NewMozUser29A
Posts: 2005
Joined: August 11th, 2006, 5:35 pm

Post by NewMozUser29A »

It works exactly like that in Firefox and is very simple as I described what happened step by step when I clicked on 'play all songs' in Firefox. It directed me to create an association - that will now show in my Tools>Options > Downloads settings. :)
adaywayne
Posts: 193
Joined: November 10th, 2004, 12:51 pm
Location: New Jersey

Post by adaywayne »

Yes it does but, unfortunately, it doesn't explain where and how to create that association. My assumption was that it meant via the Windows XP control panel.
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Alice
Posts: 2628
Joined: April 23rd, 2003, 11:47 am

Post by Alice »

adaywayne,

When I tried opening a link to an m3u file, Firefox asked me what to do, with the first option being to open the file with the default application, WinAmp.

If you got an error about an associated helper application not existing then it sounds like you already had an entry in the "View and Edit Actions" Download Actions window for .m3u files which was no longer valid; otherwise, there would have been NO .m3u entry in Download Actions and Firefox would have asked you what to do with the file, like it did for me

Just a guess but, maybe you had a Firefox Download Action set up for .m3u but later uninstalled the associated player?
Alice Wyman
adaywayne
Posts: 193
Joined: November 10th, 2004, 12:51 pm
Location: New Jersey

Post by adaywayne »

Alice, that seems like the most likely explanation since Firefox did not give me the option you mention. Good thinking. And yes, I had uninstalled Real Player and replaced it with Real Player Alternative.
Arnie
User avatar
Alice
Posts: 2628
Joined: April 23rd, 2003, 11:47 am

Post by Alice »

Thanks for posting back.

I've seen other people report file-opening problems after uninstalling applications that were set to open a certain type of file as a Firefox "helper application". Either changing the download action, as you did, or removing the entry for the filetype from the "Download Actions" list should fix the problem.
jrcagle
Posts: 25
Joined: September 10th, 2004, 7:21 pm

Post by jrcagle »

I would like to piggy-back on this issue, if I may, because I'm getting the same message here in a different context. We have a networked application (GradeQuick) that used to be installed locally on each machine. That application sends files to a 3rd party (www.edline.net) for storage, and when the files are retrieved, they come back with a certain file type -- .egc -- which is a Web version of GradeQuick's native .gbk file type.

Fx is unable to associate .egc with the correct binary on Win2K ONLY. Here's my procedure:

Go to Tools --> Options... --> Downloads --> View & Edit Actions

Scroll down to the file type EGC, select Change Action --> Open them with this application. I then browse to the network share that contains the GradeQuick binary, and double-click it.

Fx displays the correct icon in the edit box, but lists "None selected" as the application. And, in keeping with that message, it refuses to open the file.

IF I am running as administrator, I can get IE to properly open the file type. IF I am running as a user, I get errors with both IE and Fx.

IF I am running as admin, I can download the .egc file and correctly associate it with GradeQuick. But IF I am running as a user, I can only associate it on a one-time basis (i.e., the association is not correctly stored in the registry, since the user cannot write to the registry).

None of these problems occur in WinXP; both IE and Fx ask the user to choose an application, and the user can browse to GradeQuick and select it permanently without difficulty.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Befuddled
Jeff Cagle
jrcagle
Posts: 25
Joined: September 10th, 2004, 7:21 pm

Post by jrcagle »

The issue is "fixed" now for Fx (although not for IE). The trick is as follows:

Go to Tools --> Options... --> Downloads --> View & Edit Actions

Scroll down to the file type EGC, select Remove.

The next time it tries to open a file, do NOT accept the Egc File (default) option, which would load the handler, except that the handler doesn't work correctly. Instead, I have to browse directly to the GradeQuick executable (WGRADE32) and bypass the handler entirely.

Grr...

Jeff Cagle
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Alice
Posts: 2628
Joined: April 23rd, 2003, 11:47 am

Post by Alice »

Jeff,

Thanks for adding your solution to a similar problem so that others can benefit.
MacAl
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Post by MacAl »

I'm having problems with .m3u files using FX 1.5.0.6 on a Macintosh. I would like to have the files open automatically with Quicktime, but FX tries to open them with iTunes. The dropdown menu next to the iTunes choice provides no other aplplications from which to choose. It's iTunes or download and save file.

I opened Preferences / Downloads / View & Edit Actions. The extension ".m3u" is NOT in the table. I tried to add it to the table, but the only actions offred are Remove and Change Action. There appears to be no way to add an action.

When I use Safari, the same .m3u files open automatically with Quicktime in a new tab.
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