1. Am I correct in interpreting the Mini FAQ to say that I should just install 9 over 7, rather than trying to remove 7 first? Yeah, I know, if my System Restore works, I'll be okay, but I'd just like to do this as cleanly as possible.
I never tried that. Since installing WMP 9 with some prior version is what Microsoft expects people to do as the HINT is there is no add/remove most of the time for WMP, plus I can always fix it later, I just install and move on. There are a few people that want a really clean OS without any extra file or such, but that is not possible and keep the hours and DOLLARS low in the service area. So "Tech" just installs over the top and moves on.
2. Second question: I noticed that Windows had updated codecs for v.9. If 9 installs successfully, should I go back and fetch the codecs?
Yes. In fact, I just install these on non-WMP 9 boxes without ill effects to let the prior versions play most WMP 9 encoded files.
Bob