Windows 8.1 won't play or recognize .AVI files?

[wws]

Anyone else having this problem? Latest updates installed, Windows 8.1 Windows Media Player will not play AVI files. All other file types work fine. Windows Movie Maker won't recognize them either.

Is there a fix?

Thanks,

wws

 

[topgundcp]

if an avi built with different codec that is incompatitble with standard Windows built in codecs then wmp will not play, so is Windows Movie Maker. You have 2 options:

1. Install additional codecs: Media Player Codec Pack for Microsoft Windows
2. try using player such as VLC which has most of codecs built in and would play almost all formats.
   VLC Media Player Portable | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives

 

[cdmjjp]

Download VLC. Far better and plays virtually everything. I have not found a codec it does not play.

 

[madinshy]

According to Microsoft Official Website, Windows Media Player does support playing AVI videos. If your Windows Media Player won't play AVI, two reasons cause the issue:


Reason one: Windows Media Player doesn't support the video codec in AVI file. AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) is a container format designed by Microsoft, used to wrap audio and video streams together. These audio and video streams can be compressed by various codec. During the days AVI format comes into being, WMP supports all video codecs that can be used in AVI file. After that, more and more new codecs, like Xvid, DivX, MPEG-4, are invented and used in AVI file, but WMP doesn't support them.


Reason Two: Your AVI files are corrupt. Play them on other players and devices to check if this is the reason.



Two options:

Option one: download some codecs as topgundcp suggested;

Options two: convert AVI to Windows Media Player more compatible formats with some third party software like Faasoft Video Converter, Format Factory, etc.

 

[TechnoMage]

I was having the same kind of problem one day while my friend Joe (Software Guru) was here.
I guess I was being pretty verbose about the problem and Joe suggested that I install the 'K-Lite Codec Pack'.
He had it with him, on his Utilities disk.
So after he installed it for me, my Windows Media Player, started playing everything!

I now have the "K-Lite Codec Pack" installed on every one of my 11 computers.
No need to install extra players for this and that.
The writers of that Codec Pack upgrade it quite often and I try to keep my copies up to date.

Good Luck!
TechnoMage