WMP 12 - The data area passed to a system call is too small.

[Benjaminosauras]

I'm having a few issues with my fantastic Microsoft software.... ( )

Ever since I installed Windows 7 on my PC Windows Media Player has never worked. I reinstalled it via the "Programs and Features" function in the Control Panel. Although safe to say I don't believe it's a real reinstall, and it still doesn't work.

I've done research on the error message but no-one else seems to have it associated with WMP. And the fixes provided to the other errors haven't worked/aren't applicable. Seems to mostly be a Windows Server 2003 problem.

The error I get is;

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe"

The data area passed to a system call is too small.

Whilst I hate Windows Media Player, and have survived over a year without it, I've just upgraded to a brand new Xbox and wouldn't mind streaming some music to it but obviously I can only do that through WMP. Media Center won't pick it up either. Gives me an error saying that parts of Media Center aren't installed properly whenever I try to add music.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. This has been bugging me for ages now!

[CWB]

yeah man , as much as i like WMP as well ...

you might try here :

http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/

[Benjaminosauras]

Thanks for the reply dude but I tried the fixit. Seems to be limited to about 8 problems per application. Anything outside that box seems to be out of Microsofts reach. I even got the helpdesk to remote desktop my PC and fix it. He bimbled around for about 10 minutes doing essentially nothing, then said he couldn't help.

I don't even want to use it to play music that's the retarded part. Just want music on my Xbox because that's what's hooked up to my sound system. Ah well.

[Coldheart]

Whilst I hate Windows Media Player, and have survived over a year without it, I've just upgraded to a brand new Xbox and wouldn't mind streaming some music to it but obviously I can only do that through WMP.

Actually there are several media streaming programs available; some free, some that cost.

There's one in particular I used to use but haven't in a while. It's called TVersity, and as I remember it was really good. Lots of features (even the free version) and customisable options, a good user interface, and above all fast and reliable. Worth a try if you're having problems with WMP. A free media centre solution that once configured correctly, should come in really handy.

Hope this helps.

[AdvancedSetup]

This error message has been seen and reported before in other products besides the media player.

Here are just a few

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...KB;EN-US;822779

Vista - Error:The data area passed to a system call is too small

http://www.vistax64.com/general-discussion...-too-small.html

The data area passed to a system call is too small

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums...07-6c1fbbb3812e

the data area passed to a system call is too small

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums...f3-7dc20e9c0ac1

On the topic of media players the two below are excellent choices. I use both of them myself as well as WMP as there are always times when one player will play them and the others won't due to who and how people create their media.

VLC: open-source multimedia framework, player and server

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

The KMPlayer

The KMPlayer is a versatile media player which can cover various types of container format such as VCD, DVD, AVI, MKV, Ogg Theora, OGM, 3GP, MPEG-1/2/4, WMV, RealMedia, and QuickTime among others.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_kmplayer/

[CWB]

yessir ... i agree with advancedsetup on using VLC .

i believe i tried KMPlayer (some time back) , but it was a bit much for what i needed to do so i didn't keep it for long .

[Benjaminosauras]

I don't actually want to use WMP to play music. It's solely for the link to my Xbox. Through the network I thought the only way the xbox could pick up music was through WMP network sharing?

@AdvancedSetup.

Thanks for the links, have actually browsed through those amongst many others but none of the solutions/suggestions there helped my error. I haven't seen one association between that error and WMP at all. :/

[AdvancedSetup]

Because I don't think it actually is a WMP error. I think it's more a generic Windows error.

STEP 01

Run a full disk check

How to Run Check Disk at Startup in Vista

STEP 02

Backup the Registry:

Modifying the Registry can create unforeseen problems, so it always wise to create a backup before doing so.

• Please download ERUNT from here
  
• ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT) is a free program that allows you to keep a complete backup of your registry and restore it when needed.
  
• Double click on erunt-setup.exe to Install ERUNT by following the prompts.
  
• Use the default install settings but say NO to the portion that asks you to add ERUNT to the Start-Up folder. You can enable this option later if you wish.
  
• Start ERUNT either by double clicking on the desktop icon or choosing to start the program at the end of the setup process.
  
• Choose a location for the backup.
  
  • Note: the default location is C:\Windows\ERDNT which is acceptable.
    

  [*]Make sure that at least the first two check boxes are selected.

  [*]Click on OK

  [*]Then click on YES to create the folder.

Note: if it is necessary to restore the registry, open the backup folder and start ERDNT.exe

STEP 03

Make a System Restore Point

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/697-s...int-create.html

Then try the following.

STEP 04

Remove and Reinstall Windows Media Player

1. Go to control Panel
   
2. Choose Programs (not uninstall)
   
3. Choose Turn Windows Feature On or Off on the left of the screen
   
4. Find Media Features
   
5. Expand the item and uncheck Windows Media Player then press OK
   
6. Restart the computer and then go back and put a check mark back on Windows Media Player to reinstall it
   

Let us know if that helps at all or not please.

[Benjaminosauras]

I'm running ERUNT already and made the SysRes and ERUNT backup before I reinstalled WMP.

From what I've read the Windows Feature On/Off program doesn't actually full reinstall it's merely just virtual.

[AdvancedSetup]

It modifies registry keys and removes files so not sure how virtual that is. As you're well aware of from doing your own searching there is no single found cause or fix for this and in almost every case the person that has managed to fix it has formatted the drive and reinstalled windows. I'm merely attempting to provide potential items to try before going that route.

You could also try temporarily uninstalling your Anti-Virus and see if that helps, if not then reinstall it and update it.