Media Centre is a different OS, specifically designed for media tasks. As you state that you are using Windows XP SP2, I presume you mean you are trying to open Windows Media Player. This program plays audio and video files, so if you try opening these files, e.g. *.wav, *.mp3, *.avi, *.mpg etc., it will open Windows Media Player to play them.
The first time setup is normal. Windows Media Player uses this to configure its connection to the internet, preferences etc.
If the error occurs on connection to the Internet, then check that your internet is working correctly. Do you have a firewall? If so, you may wish to temporarily disable it to see if it is this that is causing the problem with connecting to the internet. Only disable it for as short a time period as possible however, as you are opening yourself up for hacker attacks etc. with the firewall disengaged.
Failing that, really we need to know what version of Media Player you are trying to run - is it the latest version? (Media Player 10?). You could always try re-installing it. Do you not receive any error messages at all?
As a temporary fix, you could always use an alternative media player to play audio and video files, such as the following:
Winamp: www.winamp.com
RealPlayer: www.real.com
Quicktime: www.apple.com/quicktime
All are free to download and use (there are others available as well). This could always become a permanent "fix" if you prefer the new player you have.
Hope this helps,
Adi
running Windows XP sp2, new in March and have had no reason to access this program and not even sure what it does. However,when I do access it , it asks to do a setup. Then I get as far as checking my connection(dsl) and it freezes and I have to shut down .If I try to bypass the check connection tab it shuts down my computer again. Can anyone be of any help?

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