Get error message install a codec before you can use the files in Windows movie maker

[Ayush]

I'm running Windows Xp as my operating system. The problem is that i'm unable to use any files in Windows movie maker. It gives out an error message stating that "install a codec before you can use the files in Windows movie maker" on your system. Can any body tell me that why i'm not able to use any files in Windows movie maker? Does any body knows about this issue? Kindly provide me the correct solution to resolve the above issue.

[Macarenas]

Movie maker doesn't support .mov files. It gives out you such error message on your screen because some codecs don’t work in Windows movie maker. For that you can just re-encode the video from the Official Microsoft website. If you have already tried to download and install the codec, close and restart Windows Movie Maker, and then try to import the file again on your system.

[ThoMas321]

I believe you have to convert these before they will work in movie maker. You must convert them to an accepted format and codec (Avi or wmv would be best) before you can import them into Windows Movie Maker. If you are using a good video editing software such as DVD Slideshow Builder or something comparable then your files don't need to be converted.

[Sam.D]

Codecs are usually files which you don't open directly, they can be an .ax or a .dll file, a program module used by the software that you open on your system. By default, Windows will not play mov files, usually you need Quicktime or some other viewer that have the mov codecs for playback. You probably need to install a codec pack at some point.