Any advice? Uninstalling RealPlayer disables my computer sound/speakers

Computer Help and Discussions Software
1

Hello - I am not that knowledgeable about computers, but I'm trying to keep mine as "healthy" as possible. Please bear with me if I don't use the right terminology to describe what my problem is! :-)

I've been using CC for about a year with no problems -- thank you for this helpful free software.

A few days ago through the main windows uninstall process I uninstalled RealPlayer because 1. I don't do music on my computer anyway, 2. their insidious software keeps stretching its tentacles into everything and putting it back onto my start menu and popping it up on my internet screen even though I keep telling it to stop bothering me.

After the uninstall, I ran CC and it found numerous (maybe 40) files related to RealPlayer to delete (which I expected), but after I deleted them via CC, my computer's sound also stopped working.

After doing everything possible in the computer's Help "troubleshooter" for restoring sound/volume (nothing worked), I studied this forum for how to reinstall to the registry what was deleted through CC, and through a process of trial and error (deleting small sets at a time until the sound stopped working again), I got it down to 1 Realplayer file that seemed to be causing the sound to stop working when I deleted it through CC. Restoring it to the registry via the CC backup file then promptly allowed my speakers to work again.

My question is: Is there anything I can do to unglue this RealPlayer fragment from my computer's sound control? I don't want Realplayer, but I do want sound on my computer, and thus am very annoyed at RealPlayer for hijacking my speakers.

Thank you,

NS

Here is what comes up in the CC issues scanning report:

The 1st file is the original file that I deleted which made my speakers/volume stop working. When I restored it to the registry, the speakers/sound worked again. I've done this about 4 times now and it happens each time.

The 2nd file is what newly appeared in the issues scanning report after I restored the 1st to the registry to get my speakers to work again.

Problem: Open with application issue

Data: ?c:\program files\real\realplayer\realplay.exe? ?%1?

Registry key: HKCR\DBC.MPEG.1\shell\open

Problem: Open with application issue

Data: Applications\Realplay.exe\shell

Registry Key: HKCR\Applications\Realplay.exe

2

You could try going into "Set Program Access and Defaults" and see if WMP is set as default.

Just may jog something from there.

3

thank you mr. d.,

great idea! it seems to have worked -

i set the thing to choose WMP instead of the "use whatever there is at the moment" option,

then i did the CC issues deletion of the two final, sneaky realplayer files,

and so far (two shut-down&turn-ons later) the speakers are still working, sans sneaks!

i will make a follow-up post if anything changes with my sound/speakers over next few days.

...i have since realized why i had realplayer in the first place - i sometimes listen to repeats of BBC radio programs on the internet, and it seems they require realplayer - but i did not reinstall just for that.

ns