What to do if you get an error watching our videos in Windows Vista

If you receive the following message, following this tutorial should solve your problem:

"An audio codec is needed to play this file. To determine if this codec is available to download from the Web, click Web Help."

This article covers both the how and the why of this issue. We will present you with the how first. If you want to know the why, simply continue reading the article.

How to install the necessary codec

  1. Download the required codec from VoiceAge
  2. When prompted to Run or Save the file, simply choose Run
  3. When presented with a Security warning that the publisher can not be verified, simply choose Run again.
  4. Windows will most likely inform you that "An unidentified program wants to access yoru computer." You will need to enter your administrator credentials to continue.
  5. You should be informed that two actions were successfully performed. Click OK after each.
  6. Return to Windows Media Player and choose the Close button.
  7. CTRL + P will start playing the video.

Why this has to be done

Carroll Tech extensively uses instructional videos to augement its training content. Microsoft has made a fundamental shift in how it protects its users from malware, spyware and viruses. In its latest operating system, Windows Vista, it no longer lets third party software companies automatically install software on your computer. This is a step forward in protecting the end user from malicious software. However, it sometimes make it more difficult to install good software.

Video Codecs

Videos intended for playback on the web are encoding using a variety of codecs, or instructions on how to decode and play the video. Prior to the release of Vista and Windows Media Player 11, the codecs were automatically downloaded and installed on your computer as you watched videos requiring non-Microsoft codecs. Microsoft saw this as a security risk and now all codecs must be installed manually.