Files changed from MP3 to WMA

[LarryR]

Hi,
I am hoping you can help with me another problem ! In trying to listen to a music track on the web, I downloaded Winamp, listened to the track and then uninstalled Winamp. However, when my wife logged on, she discovered that all her MP3 files had been changed to WMA files and when she right clicks on them, the option to play with Winamp comes up amongst others, although it should be uninstalled. My files were not affected, nor is the "open with Winamp" option available on my side, although it does offer something called "enqueue with Winamp" and "add to Winamp playlist". I have used a registry cleaner to no avail!! Can anyone offer a suggestion as to how to get my wife's files changed back to MP3(before I am divorced) and maybe how to get rid of the remnants of Winamp?? Thank you

[bob3160]

Although this is a little outdated, it may still be of some use to you:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=51699
Good luck.

I can personally recommend jetAudio and installing it and allowing it to become your default player,
would reassign the file association to jetAudio.

[FreewheelinFrank]

A Google search for 'remove item right click context menu' brings up a tool and some registry hacks. Here are the first three:

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/contextmenueditor.html

http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_tips1174.html

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article02-026

I've never heard of Winamp changing MP3 to WMA, unless you ran some sort of file-converter plug-in.

The Winamp forum might be a better source of help.

http://forums.winamp.com/

[DavidR]

Whilst it might reassign the file associations in the registry, what it won't do is change the file types from wma back to mp3.

In winamp the file association would have been for mp3 files to be played on winamp. Uninstalling or switching media players 'shouldn't' change the file extension/type that is an entirely different issue and one that is very strange.

What would happen would be more like when you clicked on an mp3 file, if there was no association to a media player, it would prompt what program to open, you would choose your new media player and tick the always use this program, etc.

So as I said it shouldn't change the file extensions from mp3 to wma, why is beyond me and I think you may have to manually change the file extensions back to mp3. There are some bulk renaming tools out there which may be able to do this (try download.com, majorgeeks.com). 

But you would need to have all the wma files changed to mp3 and if there were any wma files in the first place then you could inadvertently changing them to mp3, giving the same problem but in reverse and that is why media players shouldn't automatically change file extensions.

[bob3160]

media players shouldn't automatically change file extensions

It is definitely not an automatic function that was performed by WinAmp.

jetAudio also will not change any extensions. It is however capable of converting files.

If removing WinAmp has raised havoc with your ability to play media files,
installing jetAudio can reassign these files to a very capable media player.

[rhuds13]

You could also try this converter: http://www.koyotesoft.com/indexEn.html
I have used for a while and works fine.

[LarryR]

Thank you everybody. It is sorted !! I don't understand how or why but it is done ?? So thank you again

[DavidR]

Glad that you have it sorted now.

A belated welcome to the forums.