Playing MP3 files on Windows XP

[Ben Rubinstein]

Is there lore about getting this working?

I have an app that runs on some custom hardware under Embedded Windows XP, 
which use player objects to play audio stored in external MP3 files.  This was 
originally written some years ago.

Last year there were some changes to the hardware which required an adjustment 
to the boot image, and when it tried to play a sound file the app reported an 
error "cannot open video player".  We then established that it was necessary 
to set the Windows default audio file associations, using Windows Media Player 
(mplayer2.exe, a "light" version).  This was made part of the master image for 
the boot disks, all was well.

However, now the client has ordered some additional units, and the original 
motherboard is no longer available.  So our supplier of the custom units has 
had to build a new boot image for the new units, because the drivers have 
changed, but this problem has recurred: when trying to play an external MP3 
file, the LiveCode app reports (ie, 'the result' of "start player x" is) 
"cannot open video
player".

Opening the MP3 file directly in Windows opens Media Player and it plays 
successfully.  Unfortunately fixing the associations, which previously sorted 
the issue for LiveCode, isn't now working in this case.

So... does anyone have experience with this?  Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Ben