Author Topic: unplayable AVI downloads (Read 5373 times)

pancakes · « **on:** September 21, 2007, 02:26:00 pm »

Recently i have downloaded two AVI's of Stargate Atlantis, which appeared to be sabotaged, as they crashed every media player I tried to open them with, and even would not let me open the recycle bin on my desk top when i tried to delete them!!

Has anyone any ideas???

Mytheroo · « **Reply #1 on:** September 21, 2007, 02:33:58 pm »

what players? where in the file? ie does it play the first second or so. What O/S are you using and is it patched fully. Have you tried VideoLan player (vlc)

Failing all that you can get them off me in WinmxWorld.com help

Mytheroo · « **Reply #2 on:** September 21, 2007, 02:34:16 pm »

the Atlantis files i mean

Me Here · « **Reply #3 on:** September 22, 2007, 02:23:53 am »

Hi Pancakes,

Its interesting that you post this today.. as Ive spent most of the day investigating just such occurances.. So i hope you havent deleted the files yet.. if you have ok.. but im seeing this same behavior with files for StarDust avi.

So what Id like to do is get what you have.. id like to download it and test it out. As you may well know thats one of my jobs around here to keep us all up to speed on new industry tricks and I need to confirm that its the same thing Im seeing with the files im already investigating..

Also what patch are you using now? or where you using at the time you started those files...

pancakes · « **Reply #4 on:** September 22, 2007, 11:48:05 am »

Hi Mytheroo

Players were Window media player, and real player (never any problems with the last 30 or 40 AVI's). They do not start to play, just crash the player (error message: player has encountered a problem and must close). O/S is XP Home fully patched. Have not tried vlc. Thanks for the offer of the files. I am downloading on slow dial up at the moment (a labour of love!!!), so don't want to hog you que for the next few weeks (!!!)

Thanks Pancakes

pancakes · « **Reply #5 on:** September 22, 2007, 12:05:10 pm »

Hi Me Here

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I already deleted the files (a fit of frustration) As both files were downloaded over a period of several weeks (dial up speed) I have no clear idea where they came from (multiple sources)

I am using v 3.54 beta 4, and I believe the patch is the latest, but I did not update in the last couple of months.

Over the last few months I downloaded successfully episodes 1 through 8, but just had problems with 9 and 10 (all series 3)

I look forward to hearing your expert opineon, as this could be a real problem for the whole community.......

Pancakes

]2aven (R.I.P.) · « **Reply #6 on:** September 22, 2007, 03:26:49 pm »

You probably need codecs to use those players. Try VLC player it will play anything.

Me Here · « **Reply #7 on:** September 22, 2007, 03:56:56 pm »

Ok on further investigations on this .. Im not seeing the same type of behavior from Macrovision on the Atlantis key word, so I can only say that this very well could have been a codec problem compouned by or added to by the XP AVI bug, which will tie up your avi files by Explorer.exe and make them undeletable or renamable etc.. I am still looking into this and when i have more info will make a post in the fake files section of the site to let folks know what to watch out for..

On that note as this thread topic could attract others with the same type of issues.. if you read this and are experiencing this in any way please PM me on the site with details.. thanks

pancakes · « **Reply #8 on:** September 23, 2007, 12:10:05 pm »

Hi again

While it could perhaps be a codec problem, it is strange that the prviouse 30 or 40 AVI's I dowloaded gave no problems, and even more curiouse that the files crashed my Recycle bin!!! (I'm pretty sure that you don't need a codec to delete it....)

Pancakes

tig · « **Reply #9 on:** September 23, 2007, 12:31:03 pm »

Hi Pancakes

No you shouldnt need codec to complete it. If this happens again. I would and have done so needed to go into safe mode and delete those files.

This has happened to me in the past something as wrong with the file.

I am how ever stumped on these files. I know Me_Here is working on it.

]2aven (R.I.P.) · « **Reply #10 on:** September 23, 2007, 02:32:33 pm »

I've had this problem before also. I have a program called Unlocker 1.8 that unlocks the avi files so u can move / delete / rename them. Then theyre fine after that. It's a windows xp issue though cause after i formatted my pc a while back it stopped happening.

Me Here · « **Reply #11 on:** September 24, 2007, 12:41:09 am »

Your correct Pancakes you dont need codec to delete it.. LOL However it is possible that the encoders (the ones ripping the files to share) are using newer codec then you have and that was aimed at the 'crashed players' part..

As Raven mentions here that is a known fault with XP and AVI video.. there is more about it here:

https://forum.winmxworld.com/index.php?topic=2117.0.html

That unlocker tool is great as well, use it often and its free from here:
Unlocker 1.8.5

]-[êll.Ôñ.ËÀR'][']-[. · « **Reply #12 on:** September 24, 2007, 06:09:24 am »

Another easy way to clear them i have found it to double click on a different file to play in whatever player you are using and this tends to free up the offending one for you to delete .....
another way is to use tune up utilities ...process manager to stop the process (avalable in my files search .... tune up utilities and if you come across my name queue up msg me i will start you but be patient i am out working a lot)

pancakes · « **Reply #13 on:** September 24, 2007, 12:31:32 pm »

Hi everyone

Thank you all for your advise, I now have vlc and unlocker 1.8, and am feeling a bit stupid for having deleted the files!!! I'm very relieved that it does'nt seem to be a new industry sabotage.

I must say that i have never had such prompt and useful replys to any forum query before, so thanks again.

Pancakes

pancakes · « **Reply #14 on:** October 10, 2007, 12:24:35 pm »

Hi again everyone

I just finnished downloading the episodes again, and again they don't play on Media Player 11 or on real player, or with DVD Santa. They do play with VLC, which is great, but i don't know how to convert them to DVD format I downloaded an episode of Star Trek at the same time, and that behaved normaly (played on everything).

How do I find out about the codec?

Thanks Bandhu

bughunter · « **Reply #15 on:** October 10, 2007, 01:05:13 pm »

winavi will do the dvd conversion for you just search winmx for it , its really easy to use couple of clicks and away it goes use nero to burn them......
as for the codec im gonna take a punt and say dl the divx codec.............http://www.divx.com/divx/windows/codec/
its free hit the button on the left saying free dl

ive run into this issue before were the file says avi but has been encoded with divx hence why it wont play on anything other then vlc once the codec is installed any player will use it to play the file...
let us know how ya get on

pancakes · « **Reply #16 on:** October 11, 2007, 12:12:50 pm »

Hi Bughunter

Not having any luck with the winavi, but you were spot on with the divx. My players now all play my downloads, but dvdsanta still will not convert them, and neither will the free trial of winavi.

Also i'm not sure if the codec will continue working once the free trial expires.......... I guess I could look for a key.

It seems strange to me that i am getting these files from up to 20 sources at any one time, yet they are all labeled avi, are other people not having these problems??

Bandhu

bughunter · « **Reply #17 on:** October 11, 2007, 12:48:10 pm »

ok heres a link for the open source equvilant to divx its called xvid

http://www.digital-digest.com/software/download.php?sid=1052&ssid=0&did=1

its totally free and i appologise for forgetting that divx is now being charged for....typical..........

i dont know about dvd santa sorry it maybe just that its been knobbled like so much these days.....

if you use torrents then winavi is avalable there..........failing that pop into the winmxworld help room
WinMXWorld.com Help_6444D04ABABE
im sure some bright spark in there can point you in the right direction

bughunter · « **Reply #18 on:** October 11, 2007, 12:58:05 pm »

i appologise for the double post

you can get whats known as codec packs that contain almost every known codec avalable once again these are free
here is a link to such a pack
http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

id get the first pack roughly 14mb or so

hope this helps

nylly444 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 11, 2007, 01:04:09 pm »

Pancakes,

there's a nice little app out there called "gspot" that will tell you what codec a file was made with - comes in very handy sometimes:

http://headbands.com/gspot/index.htm

Another little app that can come in handy sometimes is "divfix".
It's a small program that can fix the index of a divx/xvid file in case it got corrupted.

http://divfix.maxeline.com/divfix.html