The VideoLAN Forums

I am looking for a mp3/flac player other than Windows Media Player. VLC was recommended to me but I am afraid that I am finding it to be more of an exercise in frustration than anything else. I tried using the starters guide at https://wiki.videolan.org/Documentation:VLC_for_dummies but I can't even get the software to look like a media player window as depicted in the images. I have my preferences checked to start in minimal view mode but it doesn't do it nor can I find a way in the application to switch to that view. And now any music I'm playing only comes through faintly despite my Windows 7 sound being turned up all the way and every other app working properly. Does anyone have any suggestions for someone that just wants a simple way to manage a media library, similar to the functionality of WMP, but that doesn't want to use WMP? Maybe I should just nenew my subscription to Rhapsody.

Use the Documentation:Quick_start_guide.

The Documentation for dummies is outdated for now... sorry...

Is that small screen option still available? I could have sworn that when I first installed the application that's how it started but now I'm stuck in the full screen mode with all the menu options on the left.

I'm not sure about what you mean by "small screen option"... But you have the button 11 to switch between "Playlist View" and "Player view" and maybe it's what you are looking for.

That's what I'm referring to. How do I do that? I don't see an option to switch to "player" view.

I said the button number 11 :