How to slove the problem "Cannot play back the file."?

One day, you want to convert wmv to mp3, wmv to FLV or any other video format, So you need to check the original file is right. But unluckly, it can not play. O, What can you do when you try to play a media file by using Microsoft Windows Media Playe but receive the following error message saying: Cannot play back the file. The format is not supported?

Generally, the error are caused by the following reason:This issue may occur for one or more of the following reasons:

* One or more Windows Media Player files are missing or damaged.
* You are trying to play a media file that has a file format that Windows Media Player does not support. For example, you are trying to play a .viv file. Windows Media Player does not support .viv files.
* The media file is damaged.
* The media file uses a codec that is not installed.
* The media file uses a codec that Windows Media Player does not support.


Then, how to slove the problem?

Firstly, you need to makes sure whether the file is supported by your Windows Media Player. If not, contact the distributor of that file to see whether a viewer for the file is available. Below is the file format supported by Windowa Media Player:


* Windows Media formats: .asf, .asx, .avi, .wav, .wax, .wma, .wm, .wmv
* Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) formats: .m3u, .mp2v, .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .mpe, .mpv2
* Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) formats: .mid, .midi, .rmi
* UNIX formats: .au, .snd

Note: Windows Media Player does not support playing .avi files that were created by using the Microsoft MPEG4v3 codec. Microsoft supports MPEG4v3 files in .asf streaming format only. These files are not supported in an .avi file type. To play the file, you must encode the file again by using the original source in a supported format, such as the .wmv format.


If yes, the other file plays correctly, the original file you that were trying to play may be damaged. If you receive an error message when you play both of the files, Just remove Windows Media Player, restart the computer, and then reinstall Windows Media Player. Reinstall the latest version of Microsoft DirectX. Verify that you are using the correct codec for the media file that you are trying to play. Then try to play again to see if it is ok. If still not, maybe you need to contact Windows customer service.