I am running Windows XP SP3. I have been using Real Alternative for years and never trusted RealPlayer after I saw how horrible it takes over your system.
Recently I installed Google Chrome because IE v.9 does not support XP and v.8 is buggy. Chrome installed RealPlayer as a BHO while I was @sleep at the wheel and then I started having problems playing .smi .rp and .rm files from my computer.
I uninstalled RealPlayer (BHO my @$$, Real installed the whole program), but it left a lot of stuff behind (d@mn those people, Real jerks). My MPC wouldn't play Real files at all (MPC - "unable to render file").
I uninstalled MPC and tried to reinstall Real Alternative 2.02, but it wouldn't allow me to select the core components for realplayer during installation.
After searching a bit on the internet, I found advice that directed me to go into my program files and Documents and Settings and delete the folders associated with RealPlayer, and also use a registry cleaner to try and clean up what RealPlayer left behind. This did not work for me either and I am still unable to install the core components for Real Alternative 2.02.
The only solution I have found was to install K-Lite Mega Pack 7.8 and install the MPC Home Cinema v.1.5, then intall Real Alternative 1.90 into the same folder where the Home Cinema is, but I unchecked the MPC player during the install and just let the drivers install into the MPC Home Cinema folder. Apparently, version 1.9 of Real Alternative does not look for RealPlayer garbage left behind as 2.02 does. But that wasn't all...
Then I had to go into MPC Home Cinema "options" and install the external filters for RealAudio, RealMedia, and RealVideo. Finally, I had to associate the formats with the MPC player. All that works and I can play Real files now, but I just can't install the updated core components in RA version 2.02.
Anyone else experiencing this issue? I am sure there is some RealPlayer crap hiding somewhere on my computer but so far I am unable to find it. There is a registry entry that some have found by searching "WoW64" which is thought to be a leftover by RealPlayer after an uninstall, but this value or key is not in my registry.
Originally posted by attar: Doesn't XP create a Restore Point at regular intervals - perhaps you have one that precedes the problem.
Well, I installed Chrome about 4 or 5 months ago along with the RealPlayer BHO. Yeah I could revert my computer to May or June of this year but not too excited about that.
UPDATE: I was using jv16 Power Tools and used its Registry Manager which has an Add/Remove menu utility... I scanned down the list in that and saw RealPlayer 12.0 still showing up there, so I deleted it and voila! I can now select the core components on the Real Alternative 2.02 installation. That alone probably wouldn't have solved the problem but along with all the other housekeeping I had to do to get RealPlayer off my system, it all finally worked.
