When you attempt to play a Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP visualization in Microsoft Windows Media Player, the screen remains black and the visualization is not displayed. As a result, you cannot view the Plus! for Windows XP visualization.

This behavior can occur if you attempt to view a Plus! for Windows XP visualization when Windows Media Player is customized by using a windowless skin.

The Plus! for Windows XP visualizations are not supported in windowless skins (a skin that uses a windowless control to define its display area). Plus! for Windows XP visualizations are designed to be viewed in a display area that is defined by a windowed control. As a result, you cannot view Plus! for Windows XP visualizations after you apply a windowless skin to Windows Media Player.

To work around this behavior, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Apply a Plus! for Windows XP Skin to Windows Media Player

To view a Plus! for Windows XP visualization in skin mode, use a skin that is included in Plus! for Windows XP. All Plus! for Windows XP skins use a windowed control to define their display area in which you can view the Plus! for Windows XP visualizations.

To apply a Plus! for Windows XP skin to Windows Media Player, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Start Windows Media Player (if it is not already started).
     
     -or-
   • If the Player is started and is in skin mode, press CTRL+1 to return to full mode.
2. Click Skin Chooser.
3. In the Skins list, click any of the following Plus! for Windows XP skins:
   • Plus! Aquarium
   • Plus! da Vinci
   • Plus! Nature
   • Plus! Space
   A preview of the skin appears.
   
   
4. When you find the skin that you want, click Apply Skin.
   
   The skin that you selected is applied to Windows Media Player, and the Player switches to skin mode.
5. To view a Plus! for Windows XP visualization, right-click the Player, then point to Visualizations, then point to Plus!, and then click the Plus! for Windows XP visualization that you want to use.

Method 2: View a Plus! for Windows XP Visualization in Full Mode

View the Plus! for Windows XP visualization when Windows Media Player is in full mode. All features of the Player are displayed in full mode.

To view a Plus! for Windows XP visualization when in full mode, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Start Windows Media Player (if it is not already started).
     
     -or-
   • If the Player is started and is in skin mode, press CTRL+1 to return to full mode.
2. Click Now Playing.
3. On the View menu, point to Visualizations, point to Plus!, and then click the Plus! for Windows XP visualization that you want to use.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

You can customize the functionality of Windows Media Player by using skins. Each skin has a distinct appearance that usually incorporates basic Windows Media Player functions such as play, previous, next, stop, and the ability to adjust the volume. When Windows Media Player is in skin mode, visualizations can be displayed if the skin supports them.

For more information about how to customize Windows Media Player, click Help Topics on the Windows Media Player Help menu, click the Contents tab, expand Customizing the Player, and then double-click the topic that you want to view.

For more information about Plus! for Windows XP, see the following Microsoft Web site: For additional information about skins, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: