Windows Media Player cannot play the file because the required video codec is not installed on your computer

I can not find solution to the issue "Windows Media Player cannot play the file because the required video codec is not installed on your computer" while attempting to play the file with *.wmv extension. Some computer fail in spite of said missing codec
being present according the windrows media player in Windows 7 box

If Rashid's link does not resolve it... consider the below:
A)  As of this writing, the codec for GoToMeeting webinar recordings ("G2M4" codec) was only mentioned in *one* web page, of about 10 Microsoft web pages I read, to resolve this problem (and that codec is not included, yet, in their diagnostic tool),
so if you're trying to play a GoToMeeting webinar, simply get the codec for it from their site:  http://www.GoToMeeting.com/codec
B)  If Windows Media Player (WMP) will not even open the file, you won't be able to get the 4-character codec's name (like "G2M4") from WMP.  But VLC's media player will tell you that code, even when it fails to run the video.... and then you can
search the internet for it. 
C)  The problem sometimes is not actually a missing codec.  Other things that have helped others, some from: 
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/the-windows-media-player-12-could-not-play-the-wma/bb823460-44df-4e8d-ba2c-42ec0e111e5a?page=3
(1) running the System File Checker (SFC.exe),
(2) opening WMP first (running both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions) then opening the file from inside them,
(3) confirming that WMP was the file association for WMV files,  
(4) Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound, selecting my audio device, and looking for a "5.1" setting (I didn't have one), to change to "stereo",
(5) checking Tools\Options\Devices\Speakers\Properties\Speaker Properties\AdvancedPlayback\ Speakers /HP\Properties\Advanced\Default Format, to select "CD or DVD Quality" (if that setting appears for your device),
Good luck,
-- Doug
Doug Ivison

Similar Messages

  • Windows Media Player cannot play the audio files

    Hi, I have Toshiba laptop, it's my baby, and suddenly I cannot play any sounds! When I click to play a song on windows media player it says:
    Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly.
    I have tried everything and I'm on my last nerve! Basically, I'm really rubbish with computers, I can't understand this at all, I've followed every path suggested by the 'help' section in my computer and I still can't listen to 'The Feeling!' Please help, I'm going mad here!

    Hello
    I have had similar problem after usage of Windows Live messenger (talk option). The sound was suddenly gone without any reason. I have done follow steps:
    Close all running applications
    Enter start control panel system hardware tab device manager and remove listed sound card
    Start Add Hardware option in control panel.
    The sound card should be detected and installed properly. After doing this try please to use Windows Media player again
    Good luck!

  • Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file

    Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file
    How do I fix this?

    That would probably be a question best taken up in on a site for Windows support questions. Not knowing anything about the movie you're trying to play, all I can suggest is to confirm that the format of the movie you wish to play is supported in your version of WMP. If it isn't, you'll either need to convert the movie or use some other player software.
    Regards.

  • Windows Media Player cannot play the file after ame encode with out audio?

    strange behavior using media encoder today
    ive selected no audio when encoding an h264 for the android...every time (5x) I tried to encode I got "Windows Media Player cannot play the file" when I selected audio the error went away..
    the other issue I had was the work area only , my encodes were including the whole sequence an not the "work area only" when selected?
    buggy day ..love to edit ..
    mike d Oakland ca.
    cs6 premiere

    The export without audio is an .m4v file, which many plays have trouble with.  For now, use the audio, which creates a playable .mp4 file.

  • While playing this media clip: Adobe's Windows built in media player cannot play this

    I downloaded a PDF file about a week ago and am stumped on how i can make it play. it is a PDF with audio clips to help learn a language. the file opens fine but whenever i click the audio it says "acrobat has encountered an error while playing this media clip: Adobe's Windows built in media player cannot play this format as the required decoder is not installed on the system. " i googled and came to a few differrent threads on this site, someone said they resolved it with quicktime, so i got quicktime... no use. then someone else said its a problem with "legacy media" and id have to go into my preferences in adobe and allow it, i didnt see an option to "allow" but i saw one where i could pick how i wanted to play it (quicktime, windows built in, windows media player, and i think one more) i tried with all of them and still no luck. i really .want this file to play, but since i am not tech savvy, i am stumped as what i can do next. please help

    What is your operating system & version?
    What is your Reader version?
    Do you have any Codecs installed on your system?
    I downloaded the file, and the audio plays fine on my system (Windows 7, Reader XI, using Windows 7 Codec Pack).

  • Using Windows Media player to view .3gp files

    I really need help opening up a .3gp file that was sent from a cell phone.  It said that I had to choose a file to open it with, and I chose Windows media player, but I keep getting this message.......Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player
    might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file.
    Can someone please tell me how I can correct this problem.  I must see this video right away.
    Thanks!

    Looking for a way to play 3GP or 3G2 files on your computer? If so,
    there are a couple of ways you can do this. First of all, 3GP files are
    usually movies that are taken from a mobile phone.
    If you want to play these on your computer, you can either install a
    codec or download third-party software to play these files. In this
    article, I will try to mention all the different ways to play 3GP and
    3G2 files.
    Method 1 – Install Video Codec
    Firstly, if you want to play 3GP files in Windows Media Player, you have to install one of the two following programs:
    Haali media splitter
    FFFDShow MPEG_4 Video Decoder
    However, during the installation, you also have to select a specific configuration in order for it to work properly.
    For FFDShow, you need to make sure that AMR is enabled on the Audio
    Decoder screen and H263(+) is enabled on the Video Decoder screen.
    For the Haali Media Splitter program, just make sure that the Enable MP4 support box is checked.
    Method 2 – Convert File
    The second way you can play these videos is to simply convert them.
    This might be a better way so that you can play these videos on anyone’s
    computer or stream them to devices like the XBox, etc.

  • TS1489 My songs won't play on Windows 7 version of iTunes. Everything on my PC is up to date. Windows Media Player works fine. I followed the directions and nothing has changed. I have already tried to re-install iTunes but that hasn't worked either.

    My songs won't play on Windows 7 version of iTunes. Everything on my PC is up to date. Windows Media Player works fine. I followed the directions and nothing has changed. I have already tried to re-install iTunes but that hasn't worked either. If anyone knows how to solve this problem please E-Mail me at [email protected] or reply to this message.

    Itunes worked after reseting my computer to factory setting however had trouble again after syncing my iPod and iPod shuffle. Is this a coincidence or could it be the cause of the problem?

  • Windows Media player pausing randomly when running in the background.

    Essentially I will set Windows media player to play a playlist. I will start some game. And anywhere from 5-20 minutes into the game, windows media player pauses.
    This also happens when I am browsing the web.
    Something similar happens when I am using VLC player. But instead of a pause, the volume decreases by about 60%.

    Sounds like this happens while online. If so change your properties of your network card to half duplex. Or update your drivers.  http://www.realtek.com/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=24&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false

  • Cannot open the file because the open options are incorrect

    I'm trying to iterate through a folder of images, open each one of them, duplicate them into another photoshop file and close the individual image. This code works great on a PC (Photoshop CS3), but when I run it on our macs (Photoshop CS3) I will receive the following error on random images. "Error: Cannot open the file because the open options are incorrect" Does anyone know how to solve this problem? I've read about possibly setting the OpenDocumentType but have not seen an example anywhere. This error will sometimes occur after loading in one image or sometimes after 20 images. Sometimes I run it on the same directory multiple times all with various points of error. Sometimes every images is loaded. Any help would be much appreciated. Sample code is below.
    i //CODE BELOW
    i //allows the user to select an folder full of images
    b var inputFolder = Folder.selectDialog("Select a folder that contains the files you want added as layers.");
    b var fileList = inputFolder.getFiles();
    b var tempRef = app.open(tempName);
    b for (var i = 0; i < fileList.length; i++)
    b {
    b var tempName = fileList[i];
    b var tempStringName = fileList[i].toString();
    i //used to check if the file in the directory does in fact contain the .png extension
    b var reducedFileName = tempStringName.substring(tempStringName.lastIndexOf("/")+1);
    b if(reducedFileName.substring((reducedFileName.length - 4),(reducedFileName.length)) != ".png" || reducedFileName.substring((reducedFileName.length - 4),(reducedFileName.length)) != ".PNG")
    b {
    i //setting reference to opened docuement PNG file
    i //This seems to be the section throwing the error. Surrounding with Try Catch revealse the Error noted above
    b var tempRef = app.open(tempName);
    i //setting a tempName variable to the PNG file name
    b var tempName = app.activeDocument.name;
    i //setting reference to the active layer in the file
    b var graphicLayer = app.activeDocument.activeLayer;
    i //setting the PNG layer name to the PNG file
    b tempRef.layers[0].name = tempName;
    i //duplicating the image onto the opened Photoshop file
    b tempRef.layers[0].duplicate(backRef);
    i //closing the original PNG file without saving
    b tempRef.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
    b }
    b }

    It looks as if the folder contains non Photoshop files, one way around the problem would be to change
    var fileList = inputFolder.getFiles();
    To specify the file types you want to process IE:
    var fileList = inputFolder.getFiles(/\.(jpg|tif|psd|crw|cr2|nef|dcr|dc2|raw)$/i);

  • Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid

    pls help 

    Hi,
    In regarding of the issue, please provide us more information to assist you better.
    Which Office version are you using? Office 2013 or other.
    Did the issue occur with the special file or every file?
    Then, based on your error message, this problem has been confirmed to be caused by malware on the affected machine. There are now two known variants of malware which causes this problem: Win32/Crilock.A and
    Win32/Buma!rts. They have both been identified as a new family of ransomware.
    In order to clean your machine, run Microsoft Safety Scanner (http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx). If infected, Safety Scanner should clean the virus from
    the system, however it will not repair corrupted files. You will still need to restore those from a backup. A detailed analysis of affected files submitted to Microsoft for investigation has revealed the files are encrypted with a private
    and public key. The files cannot be recovered without the private key, which is more than likely held by the attacker. The premise of ransomware is such that if a person pays the ransom the key is provided to "unlock" the files.
    For more detail information, please refer to the following link:
    http://blogs.technet.com/b/the_microsoft_excel_support_team_blog/archive/2013/09/07/quot-cannot-open-the-file-because-the-file-format-or-extension-is-invalid-quot-opening-office-files.aspx
    Regards,
    George Zhao
    TechNet Community Support
    It's recommended to download and install
    Configuration Analyzer Tool (OffCAT), which is developed by Microsoft Support teams. Once the tool is installed, you can run it at any time to scan for hundreds of known issues in
    Office programs.

  • I can not install Windows Media Player plugin when i'm using the beta version of Mozilla. Even after the installation, it doesn't work.

    Windows Media Player plugin doesn't work with the beta version of Mozilla.

    Make it easier. C:/Program/Mozilla Firefox (the old installation) and copy the entire folder "plugins". Now go to the path of the Firefox beta installation and paste the folder. All the old add ons will work. Bye

  • Itunes can't play the file because the original file can not be found

    There is many things wrong with that message and I don't know why.
    I had around 30 songs off an album on my computer
    I put the album on Itunes
    I edited them and then they played fine
    I put them on my ipod and then deleted them off coz i wanted to put something else on
    but i found out I had more space to put the other 30 songs I had from before back on so I went to the album
    when I wanted to play a song it said "Itunes Can't play the file because the original file can not be found"
    1) The original file was on my computer, in the exact place where I left it last time when Itunes played it
    2) I did not change the file path name
    3) I did not change the folder path name
    4) The songs aren't corrupted
    5) They play fine on other programs
    I deleted them all off and took them on again and they played fine but whey did they keep stuffing up before?

    The "missing file" thing happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout, or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
    Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then say no when asked to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions. I can provide a step by step guide if you give me the two paths.
    In some cases iTunes may be able to repair itself if you go through the same steps and locate the lost track. It may then offer to attempt to automatically fix other broken links. Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes.
    tt2

  • "could not read the file because the plug-in could not understand the file."

    "could not read the file because the plug-in could not understand the file."
    I keep getting this error when trying to open some of my illustrator files. Usually after trying 5 or 6 time it will mysteriously open without a problem. I've reinstalled Illustrator and that didn't work. I've uninstalled and reinstalled CS3 and that didn't work.
    Why does it sometimes open and sometimes not???
    I've lost I don't know how many hours screwing around with this and REALLY pissing me off!!!
    AURGH!

    I think this has something to do with the PNG plugin.

  • I have been using itunes on my windows based pc for years but since installing the latest itunes update I have been getting the error message A required itunes component is not installed. Please reinstall itunes. (-42404)

    I have been using itunes on my windows 64 bit laptop for years but since downloading the latest itunes 10.7 update whenever I opened itunes the error message 'A required itunes component is not installed. Please reinstall itunes (-42404)'
    Itunes would still load and play music in my library and I could still sync my ipod but when loading a CD itunes would not recognise the album/tracks and I would need to type them manualing after uploading.
    I have just bought the new iphone5 and went to sync the phone with itunes. itunes recognises the iphone when plugged in via the usb port or when wi fi is turned on but itunes will not allow the phone to sync.
    I spent over an hour the other morning speaking to apple customer support and have ensured I have administer right and that UAC is turned off.
    I was taken through msconfigure and adjusted the startup tab but still no joy.
    In the end I was e-mailed instructions on how to uninstall and then reinstall itunes and component parts.
    Now that I've uninstalled itunes when I try reinstalling I get the following messages during the download.
    The 1st message is;
    'The installer has insufficient privileges to modify this file C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Apple Application  Support\Web kit.resources\inspector\Images\Spinner Inactive Selected.gif.'
    When I click ok the next message that appears sometime later during the install is;
    Service 'Apple Mobile Device' (Apple Mobile Device) Failed to start Verify that you have sufficient privileges to start system services.
    The options I have are to abort, retry or ignore. If I retry the same message comes back and if I  abort or ignore the download continues and I then get the following message:
    'Apple Application Support was not found. Apple Application Support is required to run itunes Helper. Please uninstall itunes, then reinstall itunes again. Error 2'
    After attempting to reinstall itunes only some components were installed however itunes would not open.
    It would appear many people have experienced problems with this latest download!

    'The installer has insufficient privileges to modify this file C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Apple Application Support\Web kit.resources\inspector\Images\Spinner Inactive Selected.gif.'
    That one's consistent with disk/file damage. The first thing I'd try with that is running a disk check (chkdsk) over your C drive.
    XP instructions in the following document: How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP
    Vista instructions in the following document: Check your hard disk for errors
    Windows 7 instructions in the following document: How to use CHKDSK (Check Disk)
    Select both Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors, or use chkdsk /r (depending on which way you decide to go about doing this). You'll almost certainly have to schedule the chkdsk to run on startup. The scan should take quite a while ... if it quits after a few minutes or seconds, something's interfering with the scan.
    Does the chkdsk find/repair any damage? If so, can you get an install to go through properly afterwards?

  • Why am I now receiving the error 42404: a required iTunes component is not installed after the 10.5.3 iTunes update? Now, I cannot sync my iphone...

    Why am I now receiving the error 42404: a required iTunes component is not installed after the 10.5.3 iTunes update? Now, I cannot sync my iphone...I have uninstalled and re-installed several times now without any luck.
    Thanks,

    'The installer has insufficient privileges to modify this file C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Apple Application Support\Web kit.resources\inspector\Images\Spinner Inactive Selected.gif.'
    That one's consistent with disk/file damage. The first thing I'd try with that is running a disk check (chkdsk) over your C drive.
    XP instructions in the following document: How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP
    Vista instructions in the following document: Check your hard disk for errors
    Windows 7 instructions in the following document: How to use CHKDSK (Check Disk)
    Select both Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors, or use chkdsk /r (depending on which way you decide to go about doing this). You'll almost certainly have to schedule the chkdsk to run on startup. The scan should take quite a while ... if it quits after a few minutes or seconds, something's interfering with the scan.
    Does the chkdsk find/repair any damage? If so, can you get an install to go through properly afterwards?

Maybe you are looking for