Error Message "Unable to Download an Appropriate Decompressor." Playing an .avi File (278947)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 Series for Windows XP
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 Series for Windows 2000
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 Series for Windows Millennium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 Series for Windows 98 Second Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player for Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player for Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 7.1
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 7
  • Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.4
This article was previously published under Q278947

SYMPTOMS

When you try to play .avi files with Microsoft Windows Media Player, you may receive the following error message:
Unable to download an appropriate decompressor. Error=80040200.
The .avi file may play, but there is no video, only sound.

CAUSE

This behaviour may occur when you try to play back .avi files that are encoded with third party codecs that Windows Media Player does not support.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior and play a file created with the preceding codec, you must install the codec on the local computer. To install the codec, contact the content distributor or codec developer. Alternatively, the original encoding should be created by using a more widely distributed codec.

MORE INFORMATION

To download and install Windows Media Encoder, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/

This program can create the same multimedia file, but it uses codecs distributed with Windows Media Player.
For additional information about how to determine what codec you must have to play an .avi file that does not play in Windows Media Player, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

279242 Error Message When You Try to Play an .avi File with Windows Media Player

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Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/11/2006
Keywords:kbprb KB278947
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