OFF97: Error Opening Camcorder .avi File in Media Player

When you use the Windows Media Player to open an Audio-Video Interleaved (.avi) file that you create using Microsoft Camcorder, you may receive the following error message:

This problem occurs when Windows Media Player cannot find the Gdicod97.drv file in the Windows\System folder. The Camcorder Gdicod97.drv file contains the information (called codec information) that allows another program to decipher the .avi file.

NOTE: All .avi files contain codec information.

To work around this problem, make a stand-alone movie from the .avi file using the "Create Standalone Movie" command (on the File menu) in Camcorder, and then run the stand-alone movie. When you run the stand-alone movie, the necessary driver file is placed in the Windows\System folder.

Saving an .avi Movie as a Stand-Alone Movie

1. If the movie is not open in Camcorder, click Open on the File menu. If the movie is already open, skip step 2.
2. In the Open dialog box, locate and select the movie, and then click Open.
3. On the File menu, click "Create Standalone Movie."
4. In the "Create Standalone Movie" dialog box, select the folder in which you want to save the movie, type a name in the File Name box, and then click Save.
   
   This saves a file with a .exe file name extension in the selected folder.

Running a Stand-Alone Movie

Even if you do not install Camcorder on your computer you can still play back a recorded movie that is a stand-alone movie. To play back a standalone movie, use the following steps:

1. Using Windows Explorer, double-click the .exe file that contains the stand-alone movie. When you run the .exe file, it is decompressed, and the movie is automatically played.
2. Press ESC, or click Stop to stop the movie.