wmp 6.4 codecs

Before installing the codec installation package for windows media player 6.4, (i.e. wmp6cdcs.exe) I could only play mpeg and some avi files but not wmv files, the installation resolved this issue but now I find I can’t play wmv and some mpeg files offline, I can only play these files while I have an internet connection.

I’m using Windows 2000 Professional SP4 and mplayer2.exe version 6.4.09.1125, I’ve already tried updating MDAC from version 2.5 to the latest version 2.8 this solves the problem of playing mpeg files offline but it doesn’t work for wmv files.

The error message I receive from wmp is 'Cannot open. Please verify that the path and filename are correct and try again.

Invalid name: somefilename.wmv. The filename specified is incorrect. (Error=80004005)

Cannot open. please verify that the path and filename are correct and try again. (Error=80004005)'

Any help would be appreciated.

One possibility is your wmv files are links, as opposed to actual video files. Normally links have extension wmx or asx (as opposed to wmv or asf), but spammers have filled the web and file sharing networks with links disguised as video files. A quick check would be the file size. Right click the file. If it’s tiny it’s most likely a link. Another way would be to open in wordpad. If it’s a url, then it’s a link.
One last possibility is that these files are DRM-protected (digital rights management). You would need an internet connection to request permission from the originating server to view the file, even though the file is physically on your computer.