Windows Media Player prompts for basic authentication when downloading external content with the WebMarshal proxy server enabled.

This article applies to:

• WebMarshal
• Windows Media Player

Question:

Symptoms:

• I can download and view a file in Windows Media Player only after providing credentials via basic authentication.
• I am receiving an authentication prompt in Windows Media Player when WebMarshal is enabled.
• Windows Media Player is not passing NTLM credentials properly.

Causes:

1. Windows Media Player does not automatically pass NTLM credentials to a proxy server located in the local Intranet zone.
2. In some cases WMP might not recognize that the WebMarshal server is in the Intranet zone.

Information:

1. Problem 1 is due to the method by which Windows Media Player attempts (sometimes unsuccessfully) to automatically pass NTLM credentials to the WebMarshal proxy. 
2. Problem 2 can be caused by the way you enter proxy server details in WMP or Internet Explorer. An IP address or fully qualified name might be interpreted as a serer outside the Intranet zone.
• You should always enter the proxy server location as a local hostname (for instance, Proxy1).

Notes:

Users should still be able to download the file in question by providing valid credentials via basic authentication.

WMP is obsolete and users should consider using other software to play media.

This article was previously published as:

NETIQKB44352