I used to be able to play M3U streams (like those from MP3.com), but am no longer able to do so. Instead, the connection works, but no songs show up in my playlist. How can I fix this?
First, try connecting to a stream that uses the PLS format. Most of the streams at Shoutcast.com are in this format. If those streams work, and you are still unable to connect to the streams at MP3.com (in M3U format), you are experiencing a problem that seems to be related to newer versions of RealPlayer. Sometimes, RealPlayer seems to muck up something in the Windows registry so that it no longer knows how to find the MP3 files that an M3U stream tells it to play. This is why your program opens but no songs appear in the playlist. Since the confusion is in the registry, this problem affects all audio programs on your computer (including RealPlayer). Luckily, there is a fairly painless way to rectify this mess. Simply download and install the latest version of Windows Media Player. If you don't want to change the programs that you currently have associated with certain file types, you can uncheck those file types during the Windows Media Player installation and it will leave your current settings as they are. Whatever was messed up in the registry will be fixed after the installation (and you'll be able to use Windows Media Player to play some streaming video and movie files that can't be played with other players).