Help you Technerds

[Edmund Blackadder]

I need help.
I can use computers alright but they still seem to need things I don't understand.

I've recently(legally too) downloaded some video files but they are avi and my Windows Player dosn't want to play them - how can I play them?

Thanks in advance

 

[nerd4hire]

Sounds like a codec problem. Have you tried this

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316992

Scroll down to the bit about AVIs. They give you a sample AVI file to play. That will tell you if it's the file, and not your player that's the problem.

If you want to mess around with codecs, this might be a place to start.

http://kb.iu.edu/data/afro.html

Here's some codec packs

http://www.zeropaid.com/programs/?scatid=98

but if I were you I'd Google to see if anybody's had problems with the pack you choose before I installed.

The funner way to fool around without messing around with codecs is just start downloading different media players. See if one of them works, and if it does, can you live with it? VLC will play pretty much anything, but as I recall it's ugly.

http://www.zeropaid.com/programs/?scatid=73

Here's the one I use

http://www.download.com/JetAudio-Basic/3000-2167-10013740.html

Works good for me. Plays AVIs. I always assume the player comes with codec packs, because sometimes I can't play the file, then I download a different player, and I can. I've never actually bothered to check on what has what, or anything though.

 

[Willow Rosenberg]

Don't think I am a Technerd 'lol' but you could also try 'ffdshow', or just something simple like XviD or Divx player - both will usually play most avi files. 🙂

 

[Mr. Pointy]

VLC plays almost anything you chuck at it without having to mess about with all that techy codec stuff and it looks quite pretty to me 😉
Highly recommended by me and my stepson who knows about stuff like this 🙂 Plus it comes in lots of different flavours...Windoze, Linux, Mac and Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all...
Get it here and you won't regret it - http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

I have found it to be completely brilliant with both Mac OSX and Windows XP.

 

[Allycat]

Try downloading the K-Lite codec pack. I always install the full version of it and I never have to worry about videos not playing.

 

[Randy Giles]

I also must say VLC. It's the media player God uses. 🙂