You probably need to install the DIVX CODEC, which unlocks a video compression algorithm used by Microsoft. If you want to play anything encoded by Clint, you definitely will need the DIVX CODEC. Furthermore, most encoded television episodes are encoded using the divx codec.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, in layman's terms this is simply a key you need to unlock certain AVI files. Without this key, you will not be able to play the files.

Step 1: Download this zip file: divx-3.11-alpha.zip

Step 2: Unzip the zip file using WinZip. If you do not have winzip, it can be downloaded for free from http://www.winzip.com/.

Step 3: There should now be a folder called "divx3.11alpha". If you use the Winzip in wizard mode, you are probably already looking at that folder. Doubleclick the folder to explore its contents. Inside the divx3.11alpha folder, one of the icons is "Register_Divx". Double-click this and answer yes. This will install the divx codec. Once installed, you should be able to play divx-encoded AVI files immediately (if not, reboot to make sure).

Step 4: If you still can't play these AVI files, one possible cause of problems could be that you do not have the latest version of Windows Media Player. It's always best to have the most current version. You can probably get this by going to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/download/default.asp. If that link is dead, try searching for Windows Media Player at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.

You will probably need these newer versions too.. But it is best to install each version in order rather than only installing the newest. The newer versions are: Divx 4.11, Divx 5.02, Xvid 2002/05/22, OpenDivx 4.0a50. Xvid is probably only needed if you want to encode Xvid. OpenDivx is probably only needed if you download a video that is opendivx and can't play it. If you still have problems, try mailing me.