need help to view videos

everytime i download a movie and want to view it i get a reply that windows media player can open or run the file and that a codec might not be supported by it. ive downloaded numerous codecs packs but i am not savvy enough to apply them correctly.basically i need info on what exactly to do!!!!!!please help

1. Find out what the container/codec of the movie you downloaded is. Some of the recommended tools are avicodec, gspot, and videoinspector. Container can be something like mpeg-1, mpeg-2, avi, mov (quicktime), asf/wmv (windows media), mkv (matroska), ogm (ogg media), mp4, rm (real). The codec will be identified by a four character code (fourcc). Some examples of fourcc’s are divx, xvid, wmv3 (windows media video 3), svq3 (sorenson video 3), iv50 (indeo 5), etc...
2. Once you find out what container/codec you need, google it, download the appropriate players/codecs and your video should play ok.
3. Once in a while you may have a file that is in an exotic format or codec. That’s what this board and other similar forums are for. Just post a msg with what information gspot/avicodec/videoinspector spits out, along with the file extension of the movie and the people on the board will try to help you out.

P.S: Stay away from codec packs. Some can render your system unstable. Don’t be lazy: searching for codecs individually may seem like a lot of work, but it gives you greater control (not to mention peace of mind).