i downloaded a Simpsons episode in avi format and when i tried to watch it, i got an error saying that the required compressor needed could not be found. Is it a general rule that macs can't play avi files or is it just that my quicktime player is too out-dated (i think i have version 6 or 7, im not sure)???? Another thing, if it was able to play on Windows Media Player or Real player, it would do that automatically, right?

The latest quicktime version is 6.3

No, it wouldn't play automatically on Windows Media player or real player. For a player to play a type of audio format, it has to be set to do so, and said setting is not automatic. Try using either of those aps to open the avi by manually opening it via the program. That could work. If it does, set the program that does that to always open avis by going into the preferences.

If none of that works, please post ur OS ur specs and more details of the problem.

Which preferences should i check in to make sure that i can play avis with that player? Where would i change it so i enable avis to be viewed? I have a mac os 9.2 with the basic lw that u can get free from the site. I also have quicktime 6.3 cause it says i have the most updated version when i go to update it. I'm not sure what version of real player i have - its the most basic type and i think the highest version my comp can handle. for wmp, i have version 7 but i always have problems with wmp. with the real player preferences, it has a few sections ill list them:

general, display, content, upgrade, connection, transport, proxy, performance and support.

the wmp preferences are simple and useless, saying nothing about audio or video files that it can play

there r alot of qt settings when u go to preferances, similar to the real player

also, how do u get the thing below ur mesage to say whay ur os and everything is?

one mor thing, do u have wmp, qt, or real player and if u do and u view avis, how do u do it.........as i rite this i cant see ur specs and i dont remember what they r..............maybe u can help me better if u know about the players and their specific preferences and whatnot

i dont know much about how to configure players to play certain formats so any help u or anyone else could give me would b gr8 thanx

In the control panel file transfer i believe it is called in OS 9, all the file formats are listed and the default program to open it is also listed there. You can change which program is default for which kind of file.

I believe avi needs to be viewed with the "Divx" player, can anyone corroborate this?

To get the little message, I use the signature feature under "User cp"

i opened the control panel file exchange and its definately what i want. it has all the types of files and applications that can run them here's the wierd part; it says that quicktime can run avis (also that real player can run them too but thats not wierd) im gonna try taking quiktime off the avi list so that real player will be the only one that can run avis so maybe itll open avis in real player automatically???

There are also 2 boxes that i could check and maybe that would help me out with my problem theyre as follows:

Map PC extensions to Mac OS file types on PC disks
Open unmapped files on any disk using mappings below

Then at the bottom of the window it has another box that could be checked that says

PC SCSI Disks: (box) mount at startup (button) Mount now

If these will help me out, please tell me

if u dont know, hopefully someone else will read this post and help me

Not quite sure what teh first option is saying. Will it map pc file extensions to mac file types when its NOT on a PC disk? Try checking it, it won't hurt. Don't check the second option and the third one isn't applicable.

i think that part of my problem might be that my default player is quicktime. do u know if theres a way to make it so u dont have a default player? theres nthg wrong with qt except that it doesnt run certain files

If QT is the default when it cannot run the files it is default for, go to File Exchange, find the files that don't work and delete quicktime from the default opener.

that doesnt work i tried it already but i dunno maybe i have to restart my comp for it to work ill try that if it doesnt work ill let u know

well so much for that idea umm.......................what now? it says nthg in the file exchange about default players or aythg...........the only place i remember seein smthg like that was when i was downlodin the real player it asked me if i wanted to set it as my default player - at the time i didnt know that qt cant run avis and it said that i could change it to my default in the preferences but i checked those preferences over like 5 times and i still didnt see anythg about default...............so got any ideas?