How to Fix Movie Files
Explained in Plain English
If you are having trouble playing a movie file that you downloaded from a newsgroup,
the first thing you should do is make sure you have the latest version of Windows
Media Player, or QuickTime on the Mac. Go onto WMP's or QT's Help menu and you
will find a command that will take you to the Microsoft or Apple web site where you
can download the latest free version.
If the movie still won't play, chances are good that all you need to do is download
and install the free DivX codec. (See our DivX page for an explanation of
what codecs are.)
If that doesn't fix the problem, try GSpot.
This free utility program can tell you:
- what codec was used to compress the movie
- whether or not the codec is installed on your system
- list all the codecs installed on your system
(If you know of such a program for the Macintosh, please email us.) Of course, you can also post a message in the newsgroup asking what codec you need.
VCD and SVCD Files
In the newsgroups, many people are now posting movies in VCD and SVCD format. If you can't play
these files, you can try these programs: VLC (free), PowerDVD,
WinDVD, and on the Mac,
MacVCD and
VLC (free). If your computer has a DVD drive, it probably came
with a program that may be able to play files that Windows Media Player, or
QuickTime cannot, so hunt around your computer for that program. If you can't find it,
look in the stuff that came with your system and you should find a CD with the
software on it. Then do a search on your computer for it since it should already be installed.
AVI Files
AVI files are often a pain because they can be encoded with many different codecs. If you
can't play an AVI, use GSpot to determine the codec, and
then do a Google search to find it. (Codecs are almost always free.)
On the Mac, QuickTime will play AVI files, though it sometimes cannot play the
audio, so try VLC. AVI is a Windows format, so most of the AVI's you find in the
newsgroups are posted by Windows users. Apple and Microsoft also do not
cooperate sufficiently so each company's player may not play the other's formats.
If you are using a Macintosh, you should be able to play all of these files since
QuickTime is included with every Mac. If you can't play one, go onto QuickTime's
Help menu and see if you need to upgrade to the latest version.
Windows users can also play these files. Microsoft used to support QuickTime files
in Windows Media Player, but they have ceased doing so. WMP can now only play
older QuickTime files. For most QuickTime files, you will need to download and
install Apple's free QuickTime Player.
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