SillyDog701

[DiscoFever]

Thank you Don and Alice for all the Valuable Information. I'll pass on the Active X plugin.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4

[Alice]

DiscoFever,
You're welcome.

Fulvio,
Regarding http://kb.mozillazine.org/Windows_Media_Player

* The plugin for Firefox 1.0.3 does not come pre-configured to only run the WMP controls, so if you have Firefox 1.0.3 or 1.0.4 it is recommended that you edit activex.js and replace it with the text below to enable only Windows Media Player to run (unless you need to run other ActiveX controls). activex.js is located in the \defaults\pref\ subfolder of the Installation directory.

pref("general.useragent.vendorComment", "ax");
pref("security.xpconnect.activex.global.hosting_flags", 9);
pref("security.classID.allowByDefault", false);
pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CID6BF52A52-394A-11D3-B153-00C04F79FAA6", "AllAccess");
pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CID22D6F312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95", "AllAccess");

Here are the contents of my original activex.js file as copied from the mozactivex-ff-10.xpi

pref("general.useragent.vendorComment", "ax");
pref("security.xpconnect.activex.global.hosting_flags", 9);
pref("security.classID.allowByDefault", false);
pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CID6BF52A52-394A-11D3-B153-00C04F79FAA6", "AllAccess");
pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CID22D6F312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95", "AllAccess");

I took a look at my current C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\pref\activex.JS file and saw that it now includes an additional line, repeated multiple times:

pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CIDFE0BD779-44EE-4A4B-AA2E-743C63F2E5E6", "AllAccess");

I'm guessing that the new AOL Media Playback installation (which I ran multiple times in Mozilla 1.7.8 and Netscape 8.0 displayed as Firefox, trying to get the AOL and Netscape music links to work, before I realized that the ActiveX control was needed) must have added that line to Firefox. I checked in Netscape 7.2 C:\Program Files\Netscape\Netscape7.2\defaults\pref\activeX.js and saw the same thing there.

I know that last line is necessary for the AOL music videos, since when I removed the line, the music links didn't work. Once I added the line back, the music played.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4 (ax)

[Fulvio]

You covered just about everything, except that AOL has been using ActiveX in their IE-based program. But, the twist is that they use the Nullsoft format, and not Windows Media Player for its embedded player. Having been with AOL for years, I got the idea that they were doing just that. AOL introduced the Nullsoft format, perhaps, a couple of years ago, and it was horrendous with good videos and out of sinc audio.. I don't know what you have but, I have this: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Nullsoft\ which drives their Video and Audio. See about Nullsoft
And, Winamp is still alive and kicking. I am one of the few people who had paid forNullsoft sofware. The company was bought by AOL about year 2000.
See About Winamp. It is a Nullsoft product.
As for the plugin files, they are still quite useful, as I use Winamp to stream audio .pls or .mp3 files.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511

[Alice]

But, the twist is that they use the Nullsoft format, and not Windows Media Player for its embedded player.

I was editing my post as you were answering... Like I said, know that last activeX.js line is necessary for the AOL music videos, using the Fx1.0 version of the activeX plugin, since when I removed the line, the music links didn't work. Once I added the line back to the activeX.js file, the music played and Task Manager showed the AOLMEDIAPLAYBACKCONTROL.EXE process running..... I found multiple copies of that .exe file, in these folders:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Nullsoft\ACTIVEX
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Nullsoft\ActiveX\2.0
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Nullsoft\ActiveX\2.4

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4 (ax)

[Alice]

P.S.: You're right, Fulvio, the AOL Media Playback uses the NullSoft WinAmp activeX control, not Windows Media Player.

I did a registry search on FE0BD779-44EE-4A4B-AA2E-743C63F2E5E6 (the class ID from the newly-added activeX.js line) and got a number of hits; for example, here's a portion from one of the keys I exported:

[tt][HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{FE0BD779-44EE-4A4B-AA2E-743C63F2E5E6}]
@="IWinAmpActiveX Class"
"Version"="2.4"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{FE0BD779-44EE-4A4B-AA2E-743C63F2E5E6}\Control]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{FE0BD779-44EE-4A4B-AA2E-743C63F2E5E6}\InprocServer32]
@="C:\\PROGRA~1\\COMMON~1\\Nullsoft\\ActiveX\\2.4\\AmpX.dll"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"[/tt]

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511

[Fulvio]

I did not bother with the registry, because I have a registry cleaner, which I am using very slowly. But, AOL sure left a mess, although I thought I had removed all their software. At this point, I am staying put. They are, probably, using v.2.4. My 2.0 file is two years old.
I have to say one thing, that oneever worked with the Nullsoft end came up with a good product. The original video set up was so bad that most beta testers had given up, and the project was shelved.
I am not a guy who goes after videos, but I was happy to see this work (not in Deer Park, which is not compatible with most extentions), but I may be wrong.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8b2) Gecko/20050531 Firefox/1.0+

[Alice]

I just noticed that there is a new Firefox 1.0.4 ActiveX plugin version available at http://www.iol.ie/~locka/mozilla/plugin.htm#download

I just downloaded and installed it in Firefox 1.0.4. The content of the included activeX.js file is similar to the 1.0 version, as follows, and doesn't need to be edited:

[tt]pref("general.useragent.vendorComment", "ax");
pref("security.xpconnect.activex.global.hosting_flags", 9);
pref("security.classID.allowByDefault", false);
/* Windows Media Player */
pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CID6BF52A52-394A-11D3-B153-00C04F79FAA6", "AllAccess");
pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CID22D6F312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95", "AllAccess");[/tt]

I added the following to the end of the activeX.JS file, for the (AOL Media Playback) NullSoft WinAmp activeX control :
[tt]/* NullSoft WinAmp AOL Media Playback */
pref("capability.policy.default.ClassID.CIDFE0BD779-44EE-4A4B-AA2E-743C63F2E5E6", "AllAccess");[/tt]

I also saw on the same download page that there is now a Firefox 1.0.3 ActiveX plugin "respin"version that includes an activex.js policy file that only hosts the Windows Media Player controls.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4 (ax)

[Alice]

Update:
The AOL Media Playback software needed for the song links at http://music.aol.com/archive/main.adp has been updated again and no longer requires the ActiveX plugin.
See:
http://sillydog.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10017
Firefox now plays AOL music (?)

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050915