In addition to the subject behavior, when you drag a .CDA file to Windows Media Player, the CD does NOT play.
NOTE: You can play this same CD in other multimedia applications.
This behavior may occur if you have installed 3rd-party audio programs.
If a 3rd-party audio application makes changes to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\MediaResources\mci\cdaudio registry key, Windows Media Player may exhibit this behavior.
NOTE: It is likely that uninstalling the 3rd-party application does NOT remove the 3rd party modifications.
To resolve this problem:
1. Use Regedit.exe to Export the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\MediaResources\mci\cdaudio key.
2. Delete the cdaudio key.
3. Shutdown and restart your computer.