User Scenario: "I recovered some deleted video files from my hard drive and tried to play them on Windows Media Player, but it failed to open. Initially, I was confused as the file sizes were the same after recovery. Later, I realized that the issue might be due to corrupted indices/headers. So, can anyone help me fix the WMV file?"

Windows Media Video (WMV) is the most popular video compression format designed specifically for Windows operating systems. However, users often encounter various issues while playing WMV files.

Sometimes, due to various reasons like deletion of .wmv file extension, incompatible codecs, audio/video drivers, etc., Windows Media Player might fail to play WMV files. In such cases, it is essential to fix the file corruption issues before playing WMV files.

Reasons for WMV Video File Corruption

A video is made up of encoded information that is organized in a specific way so that a video player can understand it. When a video is corrupted, the information that makes up the video is altered or structured improperly, resulting in a file that a video player cannot read.

Here are some of the most common reasons why videos get corrupted:

    • The system was shut down abruptly during the download/transmission process.
    • The storage drive is damaged.
    • Virus or malware is present in the system.
    • The video file underwent an incorrect conversion.

Repair corrupted WMV video files using an online video repair tool

Now that you are aware of the reasons for corruption in WMV video files, you might be wondering how to fix corrupted WMV video files. Well, look no further and try out the Online Video Repair Tool.

This online video repair tool is a highly adaptable and effective video recovery service that runs for free within your browser. It can revive corrupted videos damaged due to malware or virus attacks, battery failure during recording, and more. The software requires no special skills, making it easy for anyone to use.

It can recover videos from cameras, camcorders, Android phones, iOS devices, and SD cards. If your video is corrupted or damaged, this online tool is the best to get it back to its original state.

Read more: How to Repair a Large Video File on Android.

Here are some features of Online Video Repair:

    • Video repair is completely free.
    • No need to download any tools.
    • Supports all popular video formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, FLV, AVI, 3GP, M4V, WMV, FLV, SWF, MPG, 3G2, RM/RMVB, MPEG, and more.
    • Solves various video corruption issues, including those caused by editing, transcoding, and recovery.
    • Supports repairing videos from multiple sources, including external hard drives, damaged hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, cameras, DJI, GoPro, dashcams, CCTV, pocket cameras, and other video recording software.

Steps to Repair Corrupted WMV Video File:

Step 1. Visit the official site of Online Video Repair. Add your corrupted MP4/MOV/AVI/MKV/3GP/FLV/MKV/WMV video file by clicking on “Upload Video” or simply dragging and dropping it.

Repair Video Step 1

Step 2: Enter your email address and click on “Start Repair” to begin the process. Make sure you enter a valid email because the extraction code will be sent there.

Repair Video Step 2

Step 3: Be patient while the process completes. You don't have to stick around, as you can access the page again via the link sent to your email.

Repair Video Step 3

Step 4: Check your email for the tool's message. Copy the extraction code and click the "View Repair" button to revisit the site. Click "Download Video," enter the code you received, and hit "OK" to get your repaired video.

Repair Video Step 4

Repair corrupted WMV video file with Video Repair software

Online tools might have many limitations and sometimes don't allow you to upload multiple files at once. It's more convenient to download a video repair program to fix the corrupted WMV videos, and we highly recommend using the Fixo Video Repair Tool. It's a professional video repair software. You can get the trial version by clicking on the button below:

It can fix most video corruption issues from various devices. You can refer to the following link to know more about the software:

    • Repair MP4 Files, with support for most video file types, including MOV, WMV, AVI, MKV, and more.
    • Document repair - Fixio's file repair tool helps fix issues with Word, PDF, Excel, and others.
    • Repair corrupted photos, such as JPEG, PNG, GIF, CR3, ARW, and others.

It's a user-friendly application, and we provide detailed tutorials to help you repair damaged WMV video files:

Step 1. Launch Fixo on your computer. Choose “Photo Repair” to fix photos that won't open or are partially missing. Click on “Add Photos” to select the corrupted photo.

Add the photo to be repaired using Fixo

Step 2. Click “Repair All” to fix multiple photos at once. To repair a single photo, hover over the image you want to fix and click “Repair.”

Select the photo you want to repair. Select the photo you want to repair

Step 3. Click the eye icon to preview the photo, then click “Save” to save the selected picture. Choose “Save All” to save all repaired images. Click “View Repaired” to locate the folder with your fixed photos.

Save the repaired photo in Fixo

Convert WMV to another format to fix corrupted WMV video

Looking for an online video converter to change your WMV into something else? Look no further than Zamzar, one of the best free file converters around that supports a wide variety of file types. It's easy to use and lets you convert files online without having to download any software. Because Zamzar runs in a browser (i.e., it's compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac), it works with any operating system.

Steps to convert WMV to another format:

Step 1: Open the Zamzar tool and click on “Add Files” to select the WMV file you want to convert.

Step 2.  Next, choose the “Convert to” format that you wish to convert your file into.

Step 3. Finally, click on “Convert Now!” to start converting your WMV file to another format.

Convert video formats

How to Prevent WMV Video Files from Getting Corrupted

There are several ways you can help prevent video files from becoming corrupted. Here are a few examples.

    • Do not change the file extension of .wmv files. • Install antivirus software on your computer. • Do not turn off the power or remove the memory card while downloading or transferring videos. • Do not attempt to record a video if the memory card is full. • Format your camera card or video storage media regularly. • Back up your video files.

Final Thoughts

These are some reasons why your WMV video might not play correctly, many of which are unrelated to data corruption and are thus easy to fix. However, taking preventive measures against data corruption is crucial. If your video files are damaged, you can try simple solutions like format conversion or using professional repair tools.

Fortunately, online video repair tools and Fixo Video Repair offer user-friendly interfaces to fix damaged files.