Why aren't my videos (MP4, HDV, AVI) playing properly?

[Windows Central Question]

Videos (MP4, HDV, AVI) Not Playing Properly

When I try to play video on my computer, the files mentioned above. I get a black screen. Sometimes I hear sound, sometimes I don't. They all worked fine in Windows 7. When I add a video to edit in Movie Maker (2012), all I see is a bunch of waves and when I play it, black and a weird crunching or popping sound. Even some videos on youtube have trouble loading. Is this a codec problem, or something else?

 

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Re: Videos (MP4, HDV, AVI) Not Playing Properly

You don't really say what program you are playing them with...

Have you checked that program's site?

Sounds like you need to update the codecs. You could try something like VLC.