# Some Questions on MP3 Files

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-on-mp3-files/582962>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 24, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-on-mp3-files/582962 "2011-05-24T00:31:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-on-mp3-files/582962/1 "2011-05-24T00:31:11Z")

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I transferred some MP3 files (now listed as InfranView MP3 files from an XP computer to a Windows 7 computer) However while a few of these songs played, many of them didn’t why is this so?

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**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-on-mp3-files/582962/2 "2011-05-24T00:43:34Z")

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I would start by looking at the properties of several mp3s that play, and several that don’t, and see if there was some common element to the ones that don’t play.

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**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-on-mp3-files/582962/3 "2011-05-24T00:54:47Z")

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Windows 7 computer is using Irfanview to play MP3’s ?

That is possible, but not desirable. If you play them with Media Player, does the problem go away?

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-on-mp3-files/582962/4 "2011-05-24T01:29:00Z")

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And are you sure they are MP3, not .WMA? Sometimes the icons look the same. If they’re .WMA, they might’ve been copy-protected songs that were only licensed to play on the old computer.

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**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-on-mp3-files/582962/5 "2011-05-24T19:52:33Z")

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Irfanview can play almost anything even mp3s change the file association to whatever you want to play them