asx files launching blank pages in version 1.5

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datawhat
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asx files launching blank pages in version 1.5

Post by datawhat »

I'm seeing a bug poping up again in v.1.5 that was fixed in previous Firefox releases:

If you try to launch an asx file (like a sound sample from <b><a href="http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?userid=xc0Et1iCCK&EAN=606949339326&ITM=3"target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></b>'s site) it launches a new blank browser window with <b>smp.dll (video/x-ms-asf Object) - Mozilla Firefox</b> as the title.

I'm pretty sure this was an old issue that was corrected in previous releases, but has seemed to rear its ugly head again.

Are there any work-arounds?

Or is this a known bug that will be resolved in upcoming updates?

Any input from developers would be helpful.
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Post by Guest »

I'm bumping this entry since it's been a month since I posted and would still be interested in any ideas anybody has.
old FatJohn
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Post by old FatJohn »

Works for me. Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.8.0.1) Gecko/20060111 Firefox/1.5.0.1

Could this be a firewall issue? Please post your UAS too. (help > about)
datawhat
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Post by datawhat »

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.1) Gecko/20060111 Firefox/1.5.0.1

I don't know that this would be a firewall issue...I've heard other people complaining too.

This is the page I usually see it on:
http://tapestry.allmusic.com/

Any of the little "Play" buttons do that "White-Out" to the entire page.

FatJohn? Do you see the same thing on that page? Or does it work for you?
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craigevil
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Post by craigevil »

Sounds more like a problem with media player plugin not working properly.

The allmusic page works just fine for me.
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trolly
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Post by trolly »

Ack. I get a blank page but WMP9 plays fine.
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datawhat
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Post by datawhat »

Yeah, the sample plays, but wipes out the whole page.
I'm running Windows Media Player 10.00.00.3990 (whew)

CraigEvil, are you actually getting the sample to play and maintaining the same webpage?
datawhat
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Post by datawhat »

Another version (1.5.0.3) and this is still a bug.

Are there any other places where I could post this request?
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Vectorspace
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Post by Vectorspace »

It is because of the way that the WMP plugin works.

When you click a link to a file that Firefox has a plugin for, Firefox will load the plugin in the current page to play the file instead of offering to download it.
This is how Acrobat Reader works when it displays a pdf file in the browser.

The Windows Media Player plugin does not allow itself to be called like that. Firefox will call the plugin (hence the blank page) but the plugin will not display the file - it will load the whole file then automatically hand it off to the default external media player.

You can stop Firefox from using the plugin to play the file though Tools > Options > Downloads > View & Edit Actions
Find the entry for asx files (and any others you want to download instead of open inside the browser) and set what you want to do with it (open with default program, open with specific program, etc.).
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datawhat
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Post by datawhat »

Wow.
You are totally totally right.
Thanks, that was driving me crazy.

Does Firefox automatically default to this plug-in?
I don't remember ever selecting that manually.

Would it make sense to have the default setting for asx files to launch the actual Windows Media Player instead of the plug-in? I don't see the value of the plug-in for this function since it launches the full application anyway...it just seems to add another step in there.

Thanks again.
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Vectorspace
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Post by Vectorspace »

Firefox populates the download actions with the file types associated with its plugins. While it may not make sense for it to launch certain plugins like this (like the WMP plugin), the only solution would be for Firefox to have specific settings for specific plugins which may or may not ever be present.

It'll never happen.
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datawhat
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Post by datawhat »

Well thanks.
At least there is a work-around now.

I appreciate it.
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Vectorspace
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Post by Vectorspace »

There always was a workaround - you just have to know where to look for it... :)
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datawhat
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Post by datawhat »

The steps if anyone else comes a'lookin:

There is an issue that occurs when Firefox tries to launch ASX audio samples using the default Windows Media plug-in. Firefox appears to "white-out" the page you were on as it launches the audio file.

This appears to be an issue with how Firefox handles the Windows Media Player plug-in with ASX files, which first surfaced in the release of Firefox 1.5. I hope that this issue will be resolved someday, but until it is, here is a fix.

In Firefox;

1) open the "Tools" menu
2) click on "Options..."
3) click on "Downloads"
4) click on the "View & Edit Actions" button
5) click on the field header labeled "Extensions" (to order the list by extension)
6) scroll down and click on the entry for "ASX"
7) click on the "Change Action" button
8) select the top radio button labeled "Open them with the default application"

Repeat steps 6-8 for every instance of the ASX extension in the list.

When you are done, click "Close" then click "OK" in the options window.

Now asx file requests will launch the actual Windows Media Player right away, instead of launching the "blank page"

...and that's what I did on my summer vacation
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Vectorspace
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Post by Vectorspace »

datawhat wrote:There is an issue that occurs when Firefox tries to launch ASX audio samples using the default Windows Media plug-in. Firefox appears to "white-out" the page you were on as it launches the audio file.

This appears to be an issue with how Firefox handles the Windows Media Player plug-in with ASX files, which first surfaced in the release of Firefox 1.5. I hope that this issue will be resolved someday, but until it is, here is a fix.
The issue is whenever you click a link to any file type associated woth the WMP plugin, if you have the plugin. The issue is not caused by how Firefox handles the plugin, but by how the plugin responds to being called by the browser for a link to a file instead of for an embedded file.
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