Windows Media Player CODECs (Part 2)

In the previous article you learned that if you don't have the correct CODECs installed on your system for the Windows Media Player (WMP), you won't be able to view or listen to a media file that requires them.

There are two questions that you should be asking now. One, how do you figure out which CODECs you need to view the media files? Two, where can you download the CODECs so that you can install them on your computer?

To identify which CODECs are needed to view or listen to a media file, you need to download a utility called 'GSpot'. After you install this tool, all you have to do is launch the program, and open the media file in it. The tool should be able to identify and display the required CODECs needed to access the file.

Once you know which CODECs you need to access the file, go to one of the sites below to download the required CODECs:

• XP Codec Pack (Includes several popular WMP CODECs in one package)
• Free-CODECs.com (A directory of several audio and video CODECs)
• K-Lite Codec Pack (A collection of popular CODECs and related tools)