windows media player wont open au files

Hi tmcginn9,

Thanks for using the Answers Forum.

What version of Media Player are you using?

You should be able to play this file type in Windows Media Player.

Here's a sample file to try, in case the file your using is corrupt:
Sun Microsystems and NeXT (.au, .snd) Versions of Windows Media Player that support this file type:

• Windows Media Player 7
• Windows Media Player for Windows XP
• Windows Media Player 9 Series
• Windows Media Player 10
• Windows Media Player 11

Unix Audio (.au) files are UNIX-generated sound files.

Copied from  http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/316992

If you can play that file with no problem, i suggest using the System File Checker to find missing or corrupt Vista files that might be causing the issue.

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The System File Checker tool

To determine whether the issue that you are experiencing is caused by one or more system files that are used by Windows Vista, run the System File Checker tool. The System File Checker tool scans system files and replaces incorrect versions of the system files by using the correct versions.

To run the System File Checker tool, follow these steps:

1.     Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.

2.     Right-click cmd in the Programs list, and then click Run as administrator .

If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue

3.     At the command prompt, the following line, and then press ENTER:

sfc /scannow

Please let us know if this helps.

---

Chris
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
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