Windows 10: How to Recover WMP 12? Troubleshooter has no WMP, no checkbox etc

This is a way out-of-date Windows 10 Home Ver 1607 HP laptop on which the user 'accidentally' clobbered WMP 12 and now wants it back. I tried the recommended way but the entire entry for Windows Media Player is missing from the Media features list. There's no "feature" to install. I tried the Troubleshooter View-All and there is no media anything there. So, obviously we could clean install modern Windows 10 but the user isn't wanting to go through all the application installations, move/relocate user files and all that. A repair-install from ISO is an option but how risky is that to the users clutter of apps, data files, shortcuts [she is still using Internet Explorer ...yikes], Favorites etc. Some of those attempts have gone badly. What is your recommendation please? C

:)

 

WMP 12 in Windows 10

I have recently upgraded to Windows 10, but my music library is empty in WMP 12. I have deleted the library database, changed music locations and added into "organize" and still no listing in the library. Can anyone suggest how I can get my library back
and hence play music in WMP 12?

 

WMP 12

What is the problem?

'WMP 9 or better' means WMP 9 and any later versions of WMP, i.e. WMP 9, 10, 11, 12 ... Any one of those will satisfy 'WMP 9 or better.' My copy of Windows 7 currently has WMP 12.

 

WMP 12

I recently replaced my old Dell laptop with a Dell E6500 running Windows 7 Pro 64 bit.
It came with Windows Media Player 12. The old Dell had all or selections of about a thousand CDs, digital versions of 45s, LPs, Cassettes and MP3s, and a wide variety of playlists (most with hundreds of songs).

I backed-up the music from my old laptop to an external hard drive, then copied the files to the new Dell via Windows Explorer.
Very few of the over 15,000 songs will play on the WMP 12 and it WMP won’t play music from the external drive.

I have spent countless hours trying every remedy I could find online using Internet Explorer 11.
Most of the fixes suggest issues with the DMRs, codex or configurations.
I have reinstalled the WMP, rebuilt the music library, run the troubleshooters, tried to re-set the DMRs and applied the security upgrade, to name a few. I have spent about 7 years building my digital library and with the newer WMP, my library is essentially
useless. I am even considering replacing version 12 with WMP 11.
Before I do that, I am reaching out directly to ask if you can provide a solution.
Please help!!

BK46