The final version of Windows Media Player 11 is now available for download from Microsoft's Download center website. Like any other Microsoft product, it requires validating your copy of Windows XP before it can install on your system.

Download Windows Media Player 11 (requires validation)

Download Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP, English (bypass validation)

This latest version of Windows Media Player offers consumers a test-drive of the breakthrough capabilities in Windows Media Player 11 for Windows Vista, including enhanced search and media management technologies, a visually driven user interface, and optimized support for portable music players.

Windows Media Player 11 features seamless integration with URGE, MTV Networks Co.’s digital music service. URGE builds upon MTV Networks’ renowned music heritage, offering rich, hand-crafted programming, first-rate editorial content, and innovative music discovery features to create a truly immersive entertainment experience. The incredibly fast search capabilities of Windows Media Player 11 provide consumers with instant access to the entire URGE catalog of more than 110,000 artists and 2 million songs.

The powerful Instant Search in Windows Media Player 11 provides results that instantly narrow with each keystroke, whether the consumer is searching in a personal library or browsing URGE. Innovative drag-and-drop capabilities make building playlists and moving music to portable players easier than ever.

Windows Media Player 11 also provides these key features:

• A visually driven experience using thumbnail and album art, an elegant and simple design, and customization capabilities for more personalized interaction

• Improved device experience with new shuffle sync and reverse sync options, device exploration using the library view, and intuitive help icons that ensure seamless and intuitive syncing and burning of rights-managed content

• Highly simplified navigation capabilities, enhanced shortcut options, and dedicated category views for all media types, including music, photos and video

• Better access to content with deep integration of services that blurs the line between online service and media player experiences

• Industry-first audio fingerprinting capabilities that recognize and import track information for unidentified or misnamed audio files

• New formats for ripping and music playback, including Windows Media Audio Professional and WAV Lossless

Quick Review: It does not allow you to change the default installation folder.