Help Why can't i get videos to play.

You might need codecs for your player? Here's a list of links to different codec packs & alternative players:
http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...threadid=40665

Please be careful when browsing those links; not all of the files are totally innocuous, and many of the sites seem pretty smarmy. "Free download" does NOT mean freeware, much less clean. Many of those "codec packs" have various malwares lurking within. I have cleaned up after them, not least of which on my own box.

I realise the good intentions of providing such links, but the road to ... is paved.... Its just that I am actually sharing files with peeps that have this crud on their puters, after having returned from cleaning it out on a customers' computer in many cases (tech in private practice here).

I also realise that hunting down codecs is a hassle at best, and having them "all" in one file is enticing, but the fact is that its far better to obtain them from the genuine, individual sources, since it is far more enticing for the providers of such packs to slip in stuff thats not good. File sharing is risky enough without making it more so.

It is safer to install the software players.
I suggest the following
DivX
Xvid
Real Player alternative
Quick Time Alternative

That will cover you for most video files. You may need to update your windows media player to get the latest codec for that as well.

agreed.

If you do download these special codecs, upon install make sure you do a full system check (syware, adware, virus scan the whole hard drive)