In searching the Microsoft site, searching for "problems playing AVI" in microsoft windows media player returned the following link:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q190/5/33.asp
With the following information:
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows Media Player version 5.2
SYMPTOMS
When you click a link to a multimedia file on a Web page you may receive the following error message:
Windows Media Player cannot open <web address>.
Please verify that the
path and filename are correct and try again.
If you click Details the following information is displayed:
Windows Media Player cannot open <web site>.
Please verify that the path
and filename are correct and try again. (Error=80070005)
CAUSE
This behavior can occur with multimedia files other than .asf files if authentication (username and password) is required.
RESOLUTION
To work around this problem save the file to your hard disk and then open the file. To do so, follow these steps:
1.In Media Player, right-click the link.
2.Click Save Target As on the shortcut menu, and save the file to your hard disk.
3.Double-click the file on your hard disk.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft
Windows Media Player. We are researching this problem and will
post new information here in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base as it becomes available.
MORE INFORMATION
To obtain Microsoft Windows Media Player, visit the following Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/