Links to AVIs don't work in IE7 but do in IE8 Beta 2, FF3 and Chrome

[Ploper001]

Hi,

At first I thought there was something wrong with the links I was using to access my uploaded AVI files (example:

http://aom.heavengames.com/Technical Help FAQ/Videos/Disable Automatically Restart.avi).

When I go to this link in IE7, I get an "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage" error page. If I use right-click -> Save As... in IE7, the download box comes up as usual. It's just when I *click* the link in IE7 that I get the error, so it isn't a problem with the actual link.

If I go to the link in Firefox 3 or Google Chrome, it downloads/streams as it should. If I go to the link in a Virtual PC with IE8 Beta 2 installed, it again works correctly. I then tried to click a link to another AVI file that someone else had uploaded (example:

http://www.thengamer.com/PD/18-MBR/Lec - MBR - A - 120.avi)

and the behaviour is exactly the same - doesn't work in IE7.

I then thought it might be my university's internet connection being weird but today I've tried it at home and again I get the same problem. AVI links just don't work in IE7 for me on this PC.

Can anyone think of a cause for this? AVI files, along with pretty much everything except DVDs, are associated with Windows Media Player 11, which streams and downloads other video files from the internet (like WMVs) through IE7 fine.

 

[Diancecht]

Did you check the IE7 plugins or extensions for AVI?

Cheers,
Dian

 

[Ploper001]

I don't think there are any? When you click a link to a video file like that it usually just opens WMP11 and streams in that.

 

[Diancecht]

Well, I have a couple of Windos Media Player add-ons ...

Cheers,
Dian

 

[Ploper001]

I see. I had a look through the WMP11 plugins I have and there are only 4, none of which could be to do with this problem.