Jul 17, 2024 • Filed to: Photo/Video/Audio Solutions • Proven solutions
Windows Media Player is the most common program to play both video and audio files, mainly thanks to its interactive user interface, however, commonly the program presents errors that prevent playing some audio and video formats, I've seen so many times people struggling because they need to play their videos but Windows Media Player cannot play their MP4 file, but chill, there is more than one way to solve these problems and I am here to show you how easy it can be.
Several factors can trigger a problem when you want to play a video in Windows Media Player; depending on the nature of the error, there are different ways to proceed to solve it. Below, I will explain the most common causes and their respective solutions.
Video files are usually very heavy and this can impede sharing them. To solve this problem, there are Codecs, which are responsible for compressing the video and thus converting them into a smaller file. Video players have a library of Decoders, whose function is to process previously compressed files and interpret them while retaining the highest possible quality for the viewer to enjoy the video without even noticing changes in the product.
All types of digital files are composed of bytes, this includes videos, and, for this reason, when there is a problem in writing, players interpret these anomalies as a damaged file since it cannot adequately process the information.
Operating systems offer their users the option to filter access to files, denying or giving specific permission to certain users of the computer, this includes the option to open files. If you do not have permission, you won't be able to open or make any changes to them. Therefore, you must ask the administrator for permission to enable those features.
Have you ever noticed any noise coming from your computer? Does the video signal is interrupted from time to time or works slowly, restarts, or displays blue screens of death (BSoD)? These are usually indicators of a malfunction of any of the multiple components of the computer. I will describe some of the most common errors regarding hardware:
Hard Disk: The errors of reading or writing on the hard disk make it impossible for you to open your documents or files (including videos) or they do it very slowly, this usually happens after a long time of using, since, like any component, it has a shelf life.
Solution: You can search a computer component store for a part that is compatible with your computer, for this you will need to find out the model of your Motherboard to know what type of hard drive is right for you.
RAM: RAM problems are usually directly related to the ability of the PC to run and keep open programs stable. It can be due to various problems, such as the malfunction of a module, however, the most common problem is usually the lack of RAM and is quite simple to solve.
Solution: you will have to acquire a new RAM card of greater capacity, for this, you will only need to know the model of your Motherboard since there are different types of RAM and you will need to find out which model is the one that your PC needs, I recommend you ask the advice of your component supplier before making a purchase.
Video Card: Graphics Processing Units (GPU) are the processing units responsible for graphic processes, this includes the reproduction of videos among many other functions. In some cases, processors (CPUs) already include this function as an alternative to the use of a video card, however, if this is not your case, you will have to pay attention to your graphics card as this may be the reason of the issues.
Solution: You must replace the damaged graphics card with a new one but you must consider that there is a wide variety of graphics cards designed for different purposes, there are basic graphics cards, which are affordable and offer enough performance to play videos even on a 4k resolution.
All video files have a format through which information and coding are organized. Video playback applications can play (or not) certain types of files depending on the compatibility with the formats and codecs. Windows Media Player can play a very diverse amount of video formats, including MP4, however, not everything depends on the format but also on the video codecs.
Below, I will describe the features natively supported by Windows Media Player.
Audio CD DVD-Video WMA (Windows Media Audio) DVD-Audio MP4 WMV (Windows Media Video) MP3 MPG AVI 3GP MOV ACC Xvid DivX
In most cases, when you play an MP4 file, it must work correctly, however, there is a possibility of a compatibility issue between Windows Media Player and the file encoding. There are two simple solutions to this problem and I will explain it below.
There are several programs on the internet that can be useful for this task, you must download and install a video format conversion tool, in this case, I will use the UniConverter tool, and then I will explain how to use it, however, you can choose any tool of your choice.
https://videoconverter.wondershare.com/.
You can download the UniConverter tool in the link that is written above, which is very easy to use and makes conversions with very high quality.
Go to the Installer and double click it to begin the installation.
After opening the installer, a box will appear where you can customize the language preferences, once everything is in order, you will have to click on "Install" to continue.
When you start the program, you can notice there's a displayed tool to attach files to convert, you can drag and drop them into the picture of the folder or you can just click on "+".
In the "Target" section, click on the dropdown options button. (In this example I set up WMV with its original resolution as target).
Once you have done all the previous steps, the file should be ready, you can find it in the "Converted" section that it's located next to the converting section, then just click on the "folder" icon, this will open the location of the file.
Occasionally, when you want to open a file, Windows shows a pop-up window that states that the file is damaged or corrupt. This can be due to multiple factors, such as errors in the operating system or a program that is using it and the activation of a virus or malware.
A corrupt file is a complicated problem to solve without the right tools, but there is a reliable and versatile option that will help you to solve this problem, it is Wondershare Repairit video repair software. This tool scans the corrupted files and analyzes the damaged fragments, rebuilding segment by segment the original file with excellent quality results, preserving the original structure and names of the folders; The tool is designed to repair files of various formats, such as MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, and FLV, so it is necessary to keep it in case of any future unexpected problem. Now I will show you how to use it.
Within the Quick Repair mode, drag & drop the videos you want to repair into the box with the video camera icon and then click on "Repair", this will fix any common damage.
If your video files are severely corrupted, it would be useful to add a sample created from the same device as the corrupted file, this will help the tool to recognize the original format to repair the corrupted file with high accuracy.
Once you've added the sample video, select the "Advance Repair" option that is located at the right side, here you will be able to mark as "Sample Video" too, after that, click on "Save" to set the features.
Once you have reached this point, you just have to wait, the tool should take a couple of minutes to repair the video.
Once the tool has finished the process, your video should be ready, and now you will be able to save it and locate it into the destination folder.
Videos are one of the most essential resources within the medium of communication and thousands of people use this resource for work, educational, or entertainment purposes; for this reason, every day it is more common the creation of new formats and codecs to be created to offer the best quality. Nowadays, one of the most common video formats is MP4, for this reason, it is necessary to know how to solve the multiple problems that can occur when Windows Media Player cannot play an MP4 and thus save us many hours of effort.
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Eleanor Reed
staff Editor