Why do I receive a "General Error" message when playing clips with RealPlayer?

Solutions

To correct this problem, verify that the error occurs with all clips and that you have a correctly installed sound card with the proper sound drivers. It may be necessary to remove and reinstall RealPlayer.

Solution 1: Try playing a different file.

It's possible that the file you were trying to access was either corrupted, or used a file type or codec that is incompatible with RealPlayer. If that was the case, then other files should play successfully in RealPlayer. If no files of any type will play, then it is an issue with either your firewall (see Solution 3) or RealPlayer itself (see Solution 4).

To rule out a problem with the file itself, try playing other files from the web or try the sample sound files at http://service.real.com/realplayer/test/ that match your connection speed.

Note: You may also receive a "General Error" message if the file you are attempting to play is on a network drive that is not connected. Try re-recording (or re-downloading) the clip to correct this problem.

Solution 2: Check the file format and/or install codecs.

Read more about supported file types and installing codecs for unsupported file types.

Solution 3: Configure your firewall.

Follow our instructions for configuring RealPlayer to work with a firewall.

Solution 4: Remove and reinstall RealPlayer.

If the problem appears to be caused by damaged RealPlayer application files, removing and then reinstalling RealPlayer can resolve these problems.

Symptom

You might receive a "General Error" message when using RealPlayer if the clip you are playing is unavailable or damaged, or if you have a damaged installation of RealPlayer.

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