Windows Media Player - two quick questions

[tuiruru]

Hi

1) How can I tell which version of WMP I've got - I don't seem to be able to go HELP>ABOUT WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER?

2) Should WMP be able to play .AVI files automatically? If so how can I tell if mine is configured to do so? (O.K. - you've got me - that's three questions!!)

[Blam]

1) Press Alt+H, then click help>about

2) Yes. Any one of these versions can do it:

* Windows Media Player 7
* Windows Media Player for Windows XP
* Windows Media Player 9 Series
* Windows Media Player 10
* Windows Media Player 11

But, if you have another media player installed, and you want avi's to open in WMP, you may need to change the file extension's association

In vista:

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6172036.html

XP:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307859

Couldn't bother typing all that:p

HTH
Blam

[tuiruru]

Thanks for that Blam

How the hell is someone supposed to know that you need to do ALT H to get HELP in WMP??!! After all, that's the sort of thing that you'd usually look up in a HELP file! How did you know about it?
I’m running Vista Home Premium with SP1, WMP 11.0.6001.7000 and it is set as the default player for AVI’s.
I’ve done a search for AVI’s on one of my hard drives and when I double click on some of their names WMP plays them OK. However, with others I get the sound, but the screen just shows those crappy “visualisations” that you can have when you play music (very hippy!)
Wot do I need to do next?

[Speedy Gonzales]

It probably needs some kind of codec.

WMP isnt that user friendly !

[Blam]

Are you sure that they're not xvid/dvix?

If they are, you'll need a seperate codec

[wainuitech]

keyboard shortcuts are easy to find - simply go to Microsoft, or do a google search Select the media Player version (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/knowledgecenter/keyboard_shortcuts/default.aspx) and there they are.

You can of course open it manually as well, open media player, on the top bar, right click a blank area, and bingo, the older style Classic menu.

[beeswax34]

Alt + H is the default keyboard shortcut to access Help in all Windows programs.

[seltsam]

The other day I had to install a codec pack on a laptop with XP/WMP9 that wouldn't show the recorded video on AVI files. Good now.

[Renmoo]

How the hell is someone supposed to know that you need to do ALT H to get HELP in WMP??!! After all, that's the sort of thing that you'd usually look up in a HELP file! How did you know about it?
The logic arises from pressing the "Alt" key would enable you to navigate through "File, Edit, View etc." using the directional keys. Similarly, pressing the "Alt" key in WMP would reveal that.

Cheers :)

[autechre]

You can use GSpot (http://www.headbands.com/gspot/) to tell you what codec you need to play the .avi.

Most likely it will be divx/xvid in which case just get a codec pack like KLite or CCCP.

[pkm]

Klite pack is good,normally I avoid all these issues and simply use vlc player. Yes,its that good/fast. Theres also media player classic.