[jeffshead]

I remember wasting countless hours searching the Internet, editing the installation files I found and the registry to get this crude hack to somewhat work.

I was never able to get WMP9-11 to work flawlessly. There was always a missing feature or issue with every version.

Sorry this is not the answer you are looking for but I'm trying to save you countless hours and frustration. I suggest you get used to WMP12, use a VM of Windows XP or use another player because the end result will be a lot of time spent getting an outdated player installed that has missing features and/or issues.