old windows videos

[rashmi23]

I used to have an Acer laptop (had it for almost 11 years) and then recently got a mac (as my windows laptop kept crashing on me)

..but now I can't open most of the things that I have copied out of the windows laptop, on the Mac. Can't even open most of them on a Windows 10 laptop...Is there a way I can update or upgrade the things I can't open or do I have to buy a Windows 7 laptop again?

 

[rgd1101]

and what are these things? file type? video encoding?
try vlc player?

 

[photonboy]

You mention your MAC but also say "Can't even open most of them on a Windows 10 laptop..."??

So is it two different laptops you have playback issues with?

For W10 I recommend either K-Lite (Standard) or VLC.

It sounds like, as suggested, VLC is best for MAC:
https/www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

 

[rashmi23]

and what are these things? file type? video encoding?
try vlc player?


--- I have tried the vlc player...didn't work. They are many different things....mostly word documents and a ton of videos too..

 

[rgd1101]

what program did you use before to create/view those files?

 

[rashmi23]

You mention your MAC but also say "Can't even open most of them on a Windows 10 laptop..."??
So is it two different laptops you have playback issues with?
For W10 I recommend either K-Lite (Standard) or VLC.
It sounds like, as suggested, VLC is best for MAC:

--- I have tried to open stuff with the VLC player on the Mac..doesn't work like 90% of the time...K-Lite is only for Windows 10?
...I have also tried it on a Windows 7..and it works fine. But it was somebody else's computer and now I just want to know if I have to absolutely buy a Windows 7 to solve this problem, or is there another way..

 

[rashmi23]

what program did you use before to create/view those files?

--- its not actually mine, my brother created the files. They are mostly video files and Microsoft documents and ppts and stuff like that..Does

 

[rgd1101]

MS doc should be able to open with new version of office.
as for the videos, what file extension are they?

windows 7 doesn't make files view-able. is the app that you install to view them

 

[photonboy]

and what are these things? file type? video encoding?
try vlc player?

VLC is a media player.
It does other things, but it's main use is for video playback.

There are different types of video, specifically there are three main components to video:

a) video codec (requiring the correct video DECODER), and
b) audio codec (requiring the correct audio decoder), and
c) the file CONTAINER (the "glue" holding the video, audio, subtitles etc together)

For example, there may be a video that comprises:
H264 (video codec)
AC3 (audio codec)
MKV (container)

It sounds complicated but for the most part you can probably just install VLC then open your video and it should play.

*If the video is not ASSOCIATED with VLC it won't auto launch with VLC if you double-click it (or however Apple launches files). You'll have to figure out how to associate your files though it should give you an OPTION to associate with most applicable file types during installation.

Other
- encoding is for CREATING video or converting video from one codec type to another.
- modern GPU's can decode the main video file types via hardware (hardware acceleration) which saves on CPU cycles. It doesn't matter that much anymore with CPU's being pretty powerful but you can assign hardware acceleration to usually these:
H.264 (AVC)
MPEG2
VC1

- there's also a great tool called HANDBRAKE which converts one type of video to another. Remember, if it's for playback on another device it may not support some types of codec (such as H.265 aka HEVC). Even then codecs change over time so H.264 v4.2 may be supported for playback but no v5.2

I usually encode into H.264 (version 4.2), AC3, MKV.

https/handbrake.fr/

 

[photonboy]

what program did you use before to create/view those files?

--- its not actually mine, my brother created the files. They are mostly video files and Microsoft documents and ppts and stuff like that..Does

Power Point is a bit problematic too. Especially with video which is pretty picky about supporting. Even when you CREATE the presentation you may have problems if you use it on an older Power Point version to display.

Sometimes the video is embedded INTO the presentation and sometimes it's just LINKED. If it's only linked you'll have problems if you move the presentation without the video (or with the video but it can't find it).

That's beyond the scope of this post, but if you have issues you'll have to do some research on how that all works.