I have a very strange problem. My computer plays the sound files it is supposed to, MP3, MIDI and WAV files that have been installed by programs. However, if I download WAV files from websites and try to play them, they simply do not play. Winamp and the Sound control panel extension act like they're playing them, but they never start. If I try in IrfanView, it will say the file header cannot be read, leading me to believe the WAVs have been corrupted during the download. Oddly enough, I downloaded an MP3 and had no problems playing it back. Good computer, crappy Net connection. I just can't win.

Just a quick addendum: I tried using a freeware program called WAV Saver, but it crashed upon attempting to repair a corrupt WAV file. I checked the properties of that same file and it said the file size is 587 bytes and the size on disk is 4.00 kb. That's a huge disparity, is it not? Thank you for any help. Good computer, crappy Net connection. I just can't win.

what website are you trying to download from... and how are you downloading them? (ie "right click & save as", left click, special download software, etc). TK.

I have done right click>Save As and have simply left clicked them to open up in Winamp. I just emailed myself a WAV from my old laptop as a test. This time, Winamp would not play it, but IrfanView and the Windows Sound Control Panel did play it. Think you have the crappiest computer in the world? Look at mine!

I did a bit of research online and it seems that Vista is a bit fussy about the file headers of WAV files, sometimes refusing to play WAVs that had worked in previous versions of Windows. http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman... The above article clarifies it better than I can. It seems to mean that Vista will reject WAV files whose file headers aren't a certain way. So, is there a way to edit the file header and make them work with Vista's PlaySound thing or perhaps another way to map them? Thank you. Good computer, crappy Net connection. I just can't win.

I resaved the WAV file in WavePad and now it plays. Vista is stupid to not have all the necessary codecs the way all the older versions of Windows did. What was MS thinking? Think you have the crappiest computer in the world? Look at mine!