Windows can bite me

March 15, 2009 3:59 PM

Why is windows media player acting like my .avi files are music files?

I just downloaded a video in .avi format, but when I try to play it, it acts like it's music and just displays that abstract video thing instead of the video I downloaded. I can hear the audio just fine, though! I tried to play it in Quicktime too and it didn't work at all, not sure why. But I have no reason to think I didn't download the entire thing correctly, it just isn't playing.

(I have no experience at all with this sort of thing at all, as you can probably tell.)

posted by showbiz_liz to computers & internet (6 comments total)

You don't have the right video codec. It's probably Xvid but it could be anything that isn't loaded by WMP by default.

Quicktime only plays a very select number of video formats and doesn't really load third-party codecs.

Get VLC. That'll play anything.
posted by valkyryn at 4:01 PM on March 15 [1 favorite]

Oh, and it also displays a big honking music note in the lower right corner of the screen.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:01 PM on March 15

If you are using Windows XP, download XP Codec Pack. After installing that you should be able to play virtually any video file out there.
posted by thenuts at 4:04 PM on March 15 [2 favorites]

Seconding VLC. Plays anything you'll throw at it.
posted by ewingpatriarch at 4:06 PM on March 15

You probably don't have the right video codec. Try downloading and installing ffDshow.
posted by Good Brain at 4:08 PM on March 15

I did as thenuts suggested and it's working now, thanks everyone! I'll try these other things if it messes up again.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:09 PM on March 15