Help!

[Jeanex]

I've just downloaded and installed Winamp 3. I use Windows ME. I am not at all technical. A friend told me to use Winamp. I've searched for answers all over this site - but I don't even understand the questions! Can someone help me in a very simple, easy to understand way - with these questions?;

1. How to I get Winamp to play a song? I have windows media player and when I try to download a song to play the computer uses it instead of Winamp.
2. What are skins? My friend has a skin and told me to download it. I did but I don't know what it is and I don't know what to do with it or why.
3. How do I get Winamp to save a song I download so I can play it again without going online to fetch the song again?

That's about all I can handle. I just want to use Winamp to play songs.
If you want to help - remember, I'm a real dumb user.

Thank you so much.

[Nunzio390]

Welcome to the forums, Jeanex

You've started a new thread in the "soon-to-be-archived-for-legacy-support-only" Winamp3 Tech Support forum. Winamp3 is a dead project (over a year old) and the Winamp3 download will most likely be removed from Winamp.com on Monday, December 15th (in just 1 day). I really suggest that you uninstall it right now and instead install the latest release candidate of Winamp 5.0.

Your friend told you to get Winamp, and that is good. But you do not have Winamp. You never downloaded it. Instead, you downloaded and installed Winamp3, a completely separate product. More specifically, you have Winamp3 v.10 installed. The latest Winamp version is Winamp v5.0, which you do not have installed.

To avoid confusion, Winamp and Winamp3 are and always have been two different Nullsoft media players / products)...

Winamp = Winamp 0.x | Winamp 1.x | Winamp 2.x | Winamp 5.x <-NEW
Winamp3 = Winamp3 <-OLD (and a discontinued "dead" project)

So, completely uninstall Winamp3 and then download and install Winamp 5.0. When you download Winamp 5.0, go ahead and download a current release candidate of Winamp 5.0 (until the final public release comes out, at which time you can upgrade). The LATEST release candidate of Winamp 5.0 is now available. This will "probably" be the last one offered for download in the forums until Winamp Final is officially publicly released.

Get it here > Winamp5 Full RC 666

OK. In the Winamp 5.0 installer, leave all checked "boxes" checked (as per defaults). Good. You've just uninstalled Winamp3 and have installed Winamp 5.0 Full RC666.
First thing, before we answer any questions, to be safe and to avoid any problems, completely empty your internet cache...

Internet Explorer:
Tools > Internet Options> General tab > Temporary Internet Files > "Delete Files" button

Netscape:
Edit > Preferences > Double-click "Advanced" to expand it > Cache > "Clear Disk Cache" button

Now to answer your questions...
_____________________________________________

1. How to I get Winamp to play a song? I have windows media player and when I try to download a song to play the computer uses it instead of Winamp.

You need to make sure file type associations are taken away from WMP (Windows Media Player) and also correctly reassigned to Winamp 5.0 ...

Make sure Winamp 5.0 is closed (not running). Open Windows Media Player. Once it opens, de-select the file types that you would rather have Winamp 5.0 play: Tools > Options > File Types tab

UNcheck the media file types that you no longer want WMP to play and instead want Winamp 5.0 to play. Press the Apply button and then the OK button. Close WMP.

Open Winamp 5.0. In Winamp 5.0, select the file types you want it to play:

Press CTRL+P for Preferences window > General Preferences > File Types

Under "Associated File Types" select/highlight the file types you would like Winamp 5.0 to play from the list. If you want Winamp 5.0 to be your "default" media player, then press the ALL button (suggested - actually, do this).

Make sure that the checkbox to the left of "Restore file associations at Winamp start-up" is also checked. To the right, under "Winamp Agent", make sure that the checkboxes to the left of "Enable Winamp agent" and "Maintain file associations" are both checked. The Winamp Agent will prevent other players (eg: Windows Media Player) from stealing back file associations.

Close and then restart Winamp 5.0 to allow all changes to take effect
_____________________________________________

2. What are skins? My friend has a skin and told me to download it. I did but I don't know what it is and I don't know what to do with it or why.

Skins change the appearance of the Winamp player.
Winamp3 skins (now referred to as "Modern" skins) can be found here.
Winamp Classic skins can be found here.

You can use either Modern or Classic skins with Winamp 5.0. After downloading a skin, right-click anywhere on the Winamp 5.0 main console window and select Skins > select a skin of your choice from the list to switch to that skin.
_____________________________________________

3. How do I get Winamp to save a song I download so I can play it again without going online to fetch the song again?

Don't use Winamp to do that. Instead locate the song that you want online, download it to a folder of your choice outside of any Winamp program folders/sub-folders (eg: perhaps create a folder called "Music" on your HD (hard drive) and then download songs into that folder). You can then double-click the saved song(s) on your HD and begin playing them in Winamp. You can also add songs to a playlist if you like and then simply load that playlist.
_____________________________________________

OK. That's about it. Any problems, just post back here in this thread.

Happy Winamping!

/edit
Since you will be using Winamp 5.0 now, I will move this thread out of the Winamp3 Tech Support forum to the proper Winamp Discussion forum.