FreeTheMedia Player Removal Guide

FreeTheMedia Player prides itself on being a cross-platform multimedia player that plays most multimedia files, DVSs, audio CDs, and so on. But, we recommend that you remove it as it offers nothing that the built-in Windows Media Player cannot provide. Thus, we have deemed it as a potentially unwanted program. On top of that, our research has shown that this application is a tool for distributing malicious adware-type programs that may potentially compromise your computer’s security. So we advise you to read this whole article if you happen to have this player on your computer.

It would appear that this program does not have a developer as its indicated company name is the same as the product name. However, we are of the opinion that its true developers do not want to be identified because they will get flack for creating a rather unnecessary program that serves as a vehicle for distributing adware. This program has been around since 2013, and it is being disseminated using the two most commonly used methods.

While gathering information about this media player, we have found that it has a dedicated distribution website at Freethemediaplayer.com. This is not surprising since most potentially unwanted programs are distributed in this fashion. This website claims that FreeTheMedia Player is an excellent alternative to Windows Media Player, iTunes, and RealPlayer. However, we have noticed that it does not state that it is compatible with Windows 8.1 and 10, so we think that it has been quite some time since its website has been updated, and the same can be said about the program as well. Nevertheless, this player ran fine on a Windows 8.1 computer. The other distribution method employed by this program’s owners is an industry favorite called software bundling. This method involves bundling several applications with one installer that will systematically install all of them. However, depending on the installer, you may be able to opt out the installation of unwanted software by selecting advanced or custom installation. Software bundles that contain this media player may be found on software hosting websites, but we have yet to find one site that still distributes it in bundles. But, in any case, this application is still around, and you may get it unintentionally, and that is why we want you to know how it works.

FreeTheMedia Player is a fully-functional media player that can play both video and audio files. It should also play DVDs, BluRays, audio CDs, and SVCDs. It is a bare-bones media player that fails to offer the functions provided by its chief competitor and benchmark for media players — Windows Media Player. However, some of you may notice that FreeTheMedia Player looks exactly like Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP and Vista. So how can this player benefit you? Well, its website claims that it can play 15+ formats, and this is not impressive given that Windows Media Player can play the same number of formats while the famous VLC Player can play almost all video and audio formats to date. So if you want a third-party alternative to the obsolete Windows Media Player then do not go with FreeTheMedia.

However, the main reason you should not use this media player is that it is apt to secretly install malicious applications on your computer. While gathering information about it, we have found that it can install adware such as Torrent Search and WebOptimum. However, it is not limited to these two applications, and we think that it might distribute a lot more of them. Adware displays annoying advertisements that can pop-up on almost every website, and it is regarded as malicious because its ads may promote deceptive content that may include spyware, Trojans, keyloggers, and other malware.

Therefore, if you want to avoid the inconvenience of battling powerful malicious programs, then you should remove FreeTheMedia Player from your computer as soon as the opportunity arises. Keep in mind that it cannot even outmatch the built-in Windows Media Player, iTunes, and especially VLC Player. But if you value your cyber security, then you ought to get rid of this program mainly because it is apt to promote malicious software. Now, you can uninstall it via Control Panel, but it leaves junk files and registry keys that you should delete manually to ensure that this program will not bother you ever again.

Uninstall this player via Control Panel

Windows 10

1. Right-click on the Start menu.
2. Go to Programs and Features.
3. Find the player and Uninstall it.

Windows 8 & Windows 8.1

1. Open the Start screen.
2. Enter Uninstall a program in the search box and then go to Settings.
3. In the search results, click Uninstall a program.
4. Find the application.
5. Click Uninstall.

Windows 7 & Windows Vista

1. Click Start.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. Click Uninstall a program.
4. Find the software.
5. Click Uninstall.

Windows XP

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Select Add or Remove Programs.
4. Find the player.
5. Click Remove.

Delete the leftover files

1. Press Windows Key+E.
2. Go to the following addresses by entering them in the address box and Delete them.

• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %USERPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %PROGRAMFILES%\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore\Program Files\FREETHEMEDIA player.
• %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\VirtualStore\Program Files\FREETHEMEDIA player.

Delete the Registry keys

1. Press Windows Key+R to launch RUN.
2. Enter regedit in the dialog box.
3. Click OK.
4. Locate and Delete 31555F19-E584-4CC9-8F97-8BA1A1CAD6E4}_is1 and {31555F19-E584-4CC9-8F97-8BA1A1CAD6E4} in the following locations.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.