QuickTime Sucks
Do you play sound files from webpages? Tired of the way the QuickTime Player breaks up your web surfing experience by jumping to a whole new page just to play a quick clip? Then you've come to the right place.
Starting with iTunes 6, you are also forced into a mandatory Apple QuickTime install. The problem is the QuickTime Player sucks! QuickTime jumps you to a whole new page to play a sound file, takes forever to load, and often doesn't buffer correctly, leading to those annoying stops and stutters, even with short files. (And then you have to hit your browser's "Back" button!) And I won't even mention the QuickTime Player's small, difficult-to-use controls.
Love the iPod, hate the blue "Q."
If you're like me, you love to continue surfing a page while your sound file loads and plays! Well now you can, as outlined here:
- Once installed, Quicktime associates itself with mp3 files, and becomes your default player and browser plugin for these files. Even opening QuickTime and editing the preferences doesn't undo this. So forget QuickTime all together at this point. And forget associating mp3 files in Windows Explorer. There's an easier way.
- Instead, open up your good ol' Windows Media Player. Chances are this was your default player before the iTunes/QuickTime install. You can open Windows Media Player by clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Windows Media Player.
- Next, from the Windows Media Player dropdown menu, select "Tools," then "Options," and select the "File Types" tab. Look for the box marked "MP3 Audio File." If it is unchecked, check it. Important: If it is checked, uncheck it and then check it again. Now click "Apply."
Voilà! Now you can use Windows Media Player to play sound files from webpages. You can resize it, stick it up in a corner, and let it do its job while you continue surfing!
One note: The next time you open a piece of QuickTime content, you may get a message like this: "Some of the MIME types previously associated with the QuickTime plugin are currently associated with other applications. Should I restore these MIME type associations to QuickTime?"
Of course the answer to this question is "No" (unless you wish to repeat this entire process again). It's also a good idea to check the "Do not prompt in the future" box, so QuickTime doesn't nag you every time it opens.
Was this helpful to you? Comment on it!
posted by Mike at 9:01 PM
37 Comments:
I too hate Quicktime. Glad I'm not the only one :-)
To get rid of Quicktime all together, I now use VideoLan Client. Here is the link: VLC media player.
VLC can also be used to replace the Quicktime plugin in Firefox (maybe in Internet Explorer too?)
Thank you for your solution!! I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of that stupid quicktime in my browser. Even after checking my settings in Windows media player, I couldn't figure it out because the box was already checked for mp3 files. Who knew I had to uncheck it then check it again. I really didn't think this would work when I read it, but it did!!!!
Thanks again
Dannielle
Thanks. The tips to re-enable Windows Media Player after installing iTunes was right on. I can't wait to regain control over my computer preferences.
Thanks and regards, Layne
Thanks for the help. Quicktime had hijacked me and I couldn’t figure it out since mp3 was checked in WMP. I followed your instructions and did the simple uncheck—recheck—apply trick and that did it. Great tip! Thanks
brian black
Thanks for the webpage dude... it was about time someone made one about this stupid plug-in and how to kill it. It was such a joke having to put up with the blue Q... even for a lousy MIDI file!
Bye!
Hi Mike
Your tip for restoring the browser setting for MP3 is appreciated. It is
really annoying as applications becomes more and more sticky and invasive.
Regards,
Peter Knudsne
Hi Mike
I was unable to get this procedure to work on my Windows XP machine with Firefox until I opened the QuickTime settings under the Browser tab, selected MIME settings, and de-selected the mp3 files (and everything else that I could).
Thank you for your help, Quicktime only stuttered on my machine and was very annoying, but if it's not there iTunes won't work.
Bruce Naylor
Mozilla Firefox users can also disable QuickTime and still keep iTunes!
Here's how to disable QuickTime in your Mozilla Firefox browser in three easy steps:
1. Go to Tools > Options > Downloads > Plug-Ins... and disable the "MP3 Format Sound" Plug-In by checking the "Enabled" checkmark so it becomes a dot.
2. Click on an MP3 embedded in a webpage, like the MP3s at www.kickassclassical.com. A box will open asking what you want to do with the file.
3. Select Open With > Other... and find Windows Media Player, which is probably under C: > Program Files > Windows Media Player > wmplayer.exe. Make sure you check the "Do this automatically for files like this from now on." box. Hit "OK."
Now you can still be an iTunes user but not have the annoying QuickTime player play your MP3 files. QuickTime sucks!
Thanks for the tip. I was getting error messages when I tried to play the clips through Quick Time. I feel liberated! Great site BTW
Tony
Excellent tip--thanks!
THANK YOU!!!
I would have never figured that out on my own.
Nice One, I thought there was no solution to this one. I too just bought an IPod and Q Time made a mess of my system.
Thanks!
Richard
Thanks,
It was very helpful
Olivier
Thank you very much for the wonderful relief from that awful program. I really did not know how bad it was until I made the switch. Bless you for releasing us from our bondage!!
Okay, so I stumbled upon this help page from google. I got through my firefox settings a little differently. I didn't want to use WMP because it blows. So, to change it to whatever the hell you please, go to tools/options/downloads/ downloadactions/view&edit actions
Then locate the mp3 extension and change it to open with whatever you like. Booyah! Up yours apple!
This post has been removed by the author.
Deleted my previous comment because I tried the check/uncheck thing again and this time it worked.
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't understand what you people are complaining about. When I click on the mp3 links, QuickTime plugin opens up in a blink of an eye, plays the tune and when I hit the Back button I immediately get back where I was.
Is it too much of a hassle to reach for the Back button? Then get a mouse that has multiple buttons and configure one of them to be the browser Back button.
It obviously cannot be that you want the tune to open up in a separate application, which needs time to start up and you need to switch to another window to control the player and then either close the player window or switch back to the browser. That would be much more trouble than just pressing the Back button.
So I continue to be puzzled....
Could it be that your systems are a bit broken or something...?
This doesn't help firefox saving MP3 files though. I click a MP3 link hoping to get the save screen but the blue "Q" appears instead.
thank you so much!!
I hate quicktime too!!
I have been uninstalling it and re-installing it for far too long!
why dop these friggin programs interfere so damn much?!?
THANK YOU. Firefox took some work, but I found the fix under Tools/Options/Content - File Types - Manage... (Firefox Version 2.0.0.3). I believe that an earlier post had a different path to this area -- if you have version prior to 2, you might look at that path.
You will have to change the 'action' for each file type. QT had arrogantly assigned itself to just about everything.
The WORST software I have seen in the last 30 years. I rank QuickTime up there with the more damaging viruses and spyware. Norton, McAfee and WebRoot should have this in their repair sets.
I had to disable quicktime stuff through firefox in vista, somewhat time consuming but worth it to get rid of QT crap.
I fully agree that QuickTime sucks and makes a perfect example of how to NOT code a video/audio player. If you want to disable the annoying qttask.exe (the little QuickTime thing that starts whenever Windows does), just do this:
Start >> Run
Now type in "msconfig" without the quotes. Click the Startup tab and uncheck the box beside qttask.exe so it will never bother you again either.
Here's what it's come down to for me. QuickTime's settings prohibit you from
disabling streaming QuickTime video in the browser plugin. Firefox's
about:plugins lists every plugin as Enabled: Yes even though there's no
documented way to disable them (unlike, say, iCab on the Mac where you can
disable plugins).
Deleting npqtplugin.dll from C:\Program Files\Mozilla\Firefox\plugins will
make Firefox abandon QuickTime, but, if you ever go near the QuickTime
settings (for any reason) QuickTime detects that you deleted it from Firefox
(!!!!!!) and puts the DLL back for you. This bypasses Firefox's own
limitation feature that will let you ignore QuickTime (or any plugin) below
a deliberately fake version number, e.g. QuickTime below 99.0.
I'm at a complete loss. I want QuickTime on the PC to play movies, but I
don't want it installed in Firefox 2, as it keeps crashing Firefox. I can't
remove QuickTime from Firefox as QuickTime won't have any of that. (It's the
most arrogant shit I've ever seen, although from my perspective I'm angered
that Apple try hard to ensure I can't install QuickTime without iTunes, as
iTunes is pretty vile too).
So, what on earth can I possibly do?
The only solution left: open both npqtplugin.dll and QuickTimePlugin.class
in JujuEdit, Select All, delete, save. (The .class file is worthless as I
don't have Java installed either).
Now for the fun part: with both files selected, Properties, Security, remove
inheritance, new permissions, for Everyone, +read -write. Now, I have a
totally useless copy of QuickTime that Firefox itself will ignore safely,
and QuickTime's settings can't ...
Hm. OK, it still managed to replace my file. Windows's default security
modes suck, let me try with -delete, too ...
OK, I can set the permissions to -delete, and even I can still delete the file.
I know I've cured some problems before like forcing a custom Winamp media
file icon by write-protecting the Registry (!) as well write-protecting
parts of the the hard drive, but this one will take some more fiddling ...
I don't think I can name any software more astonishingly awful than
QuickTime. You're a Windowsie, so you may not even be aware of how bad it
was on the Mac -- system crashes, consistently stuttery music playback in
complete deference to every other man and his dog managing to write a decent
music player for Mac OS 9 ....
*sigh* Back to playing with security permissions .... :P
-Daniel
OK, only with every security flag on Deny does Win2k permit delete blocking
of a 0-byte file (larger files are OK).
QuickTime settings cannot do anything.
Except:
a) Hitting OK crashed Explorer
b) QuickTime overruled ALL my security permissions and replaced Firefox's
QuickTime DLL
This is f---ing absurd.
-Daniel
You can also remove the QuickTime plugins using the method described here:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Quicktime#Resetting_the_Quicktime_browser_plugins
So far it's worked fine for me!
Holy CRAP this is good news! THANK you! Qwiktime and itoons are worse than a virus. I CALLED Apple when I couldn't find an email link. I wanted to ask them for this very solution. AND, what gives apple the right to hiack a browser setting without even asking a user for permission during install? THIS should give you some insight into how apple operates. The low-lifes I spoke to DENIED itoons installs qwiktime as the default player. They actually laughed at me on the phone! Arrogant asses. Made me glad Bill developed Windows so we're not putting up with THAT crap from the OS owners!
amen brother. just recently quicktime decided it didnt want to function properly, so i figured id just uninstall it and reinstall it, hoping it would fix the problem.
hah! the p.o.s wouldnt even uninstall! it would get close, then the progress bar would go backwards and give me a "fatal error" message. luckily i went to program files, deleted the entire QT folder, and tried the uninstall again. it worked.
viva la WMP!
Great help...thanks!
Thank you for this fix!
I'm tired of a blank window that stops playing the moment I use the back button so I can get back to the page I loaded the music from.
My version of Firefox (2.0.0.13)uses:
Tools/Options/Content (instead of Downloads).
But your original fix did the trick without going into Firefox.
Again, many thanks Mike!
Nothing worked for me until I used the Firefox--> Tools/Options/Content method. Apparently this is the ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL and no other settings mean a damn thing. Quicktime's mime settings mean NOTHING. Useless, overreaching software.
Thanks a lot for your advice, but it didn't work for me. Before I got I-Tunes, when I downloaded mp3s, they would download as Real Player files. I liked that. I wouldn't mind if they were Windows Media Player files either, although I'd prefer them to stay RPs. But now when I try to download mp3s what happens instead is that they load as Quicktime files and don't even store themselves on my PC.I'm even using Quicktime Lite, which is supposed to fix this type of problem. Is there a way for me to keep I-Tunes (and the downloads I've purchased) and still get free mp3 downloads? Thanks again.
Ken: First get Firefox, then follow the changes to Firefox given above. If you prefer RP, then select it as the default player. Or, you could just select save to disk.
Thank you for this!
Apple and Stevie "Wonder" Jobs have been slowly intruding and encroaching on my system over many months now.
He doesn't/they don't want to spend the time and money to develop a respectable video player, so what do they do? Tie Quicktime in as a mandatory download so you have to overload your system if you want the brilliance and flexibility of iTunes.
Then he sneaks [they sneak] QT in as the default video player and hide it from start-program controls such as Startup Cop.
Sinister, sinister. Now I wouldn't use it even if it were to BECOME a good player. Evil is as evil does.
Mike, you saved my ass! Gracias.
Thanks dude. Appreciated.
Worked for me! Thank you very much. (Phil)
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