Quicktime hijacked my web browser, and I want it back

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

Prior to installing the latest Quicktime, if I clicked on a hyperlink to an mp3 file in a web page, Windows Media Player (or whatever app I had associated with mp3s) would pop up and play the file. This was the desired behavior because I could close the media player and the web page would still be there, and more importantly, I could continue to browse the web page while the media player was still left open, playing my file.

Since installing the latest Quicktime, now when I click on a hyperlink to an mp3 file in a web page, the browser leaves that page and goes to a page that consists of nothing but an embedded Quicktime player in the middle of a sea of white. The mp3 file plays in Quicktime. Now, I have to click "Back" to get back to the web page I was surfing, which, of course, also stops playing the file. I do not like it, Sam-I-Am.

I have checked to make sure that in the Quicktime app mp3 files are not associated with Quicktime, and in the Windows Media Player app that mp3 files are associated with Windows Media Player. What else can a fellow do?

[K. Forman]

I wish I could help, but I can't even get rid of the QT icon in my system tray. Damn you Quicktime!

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

That, I can help with. There's an option for that in the Quicktime preferences. Uncheck the appropriate box and the system tray icon vanishes like magic.

[K. Forman]

I've tried that, and mine still comes back everytime I restart. And the say Bill Gates is da Debil!

[Frank Hool]

Not big qt friend here, i use videolan instead. But if talk about MS Windows based OS(You obviously do) then there's is 2 types of file associations:
1. file association(executes directly from OS: file browser,... etc.)
2. MIME type(executes via web browser, mail client,... etc.)

You have problem obviously with unwanted MIME type. As far i'm not qt fellow i can't tell step by step instruction. But You'll find all MIME associations from registry. It's pretty same as file association.

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

I went into the Quicktime MIME settings (button under the Browser tab) and ascertained that in fact I had previously disabled mp3 support.

In addition I disabled audio MPEG support. That seemed to do the trick. So, uh, problem solved, I guess--thanks!

[Christopher Lefchik]

Originally Posted by Keith Forman

I've tried that, and mine still comes back everytime I restart. And the say Bill Gates is da Debil!

Even if you disable the QuickTime taskbar icon the qttask.exe startup program will still launch at boot time. There are ways to get rid of it, however. Doing so should also take care of the taskbar icon.

One method is to use msconfig (Start>Run..., type in msconfig and click OK) and go to the Startup tab. Uncheck the "qttask" item. The qttask item does appear to be stubborn; you may have to do this procedure a few times over several reboots before the change sticks.

If that doesn't work you can always disable it using the free Windows Defender anti-spyware program. Once you install it open the program and go to Tools > Software Explorer. You can then disable startup programs you don't want.

Or, if you want to get rid of it permanently, you could just delete the qttask.exe file from the QuickTime program folder (usually at C:\Program Files\QuickTime).

[K. Forman]

I like the last one, delete it! Thanks Christopher.

How you been Robert? It seems like you haven't been around much.

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

Thanks for noticing, Keith. It's true I don't post as much, but I still lurk and browse daily. I don't have as many DV-related questions (much of the hardware and software has evolved to become much more straightforward than it was a decade ago when my interest was first piqued when I saw Justin Souter recording his Universe Current acoustic guitar set at a Borders Books & Music with a MiniDV camcorder) and my non-DV-related opinions have become more or less exhausted. ("Thank God!")

In the past three years I've become a Jeopardy! nut and started an archive of clues that keeps my spare time used up.

Good to see you're still around and keepin' the post count competitive. :) (Somehow, I'm still in the Top 30...)