cannot edit avi files

[DirtBikeMike]

I have several .avi files on my hard drive. Some of them are HD and some are SD. They all play fine on WMP11 and MPC. The sound and picture quality is great. I am looking for a freeware video editing/processing program that will work with these files. So far I have tried Vdub and Avidemux and neither program can open/play these files smoothly. Clicking on video/codecs while the file is loaded tells me "codecs are installed/loaded/supported".

I am stuck and need help to continue with my crash course in editing. I will copy/paste the file/codec info for each file below and hope someone here can help me. Please let me know if there is anything else you need to help me diagnose my problems. To the best of my knowledge, I have all the latest codecs/updates for what I am try to do. I was thinking that my problem may be that I have too many different codes loaded(?) Is that possible? Thank you

file type 1 -

File : 294 MB (294 MB), duration: 0:05:00, type: AVI, 1 audio stream(s), quality: 86 %, ,
Video : 290 MB, 8111 Kbps, 30.0 fps, 1920*1080 (16:9), XVID = XVID Mpeg-4, Supported
Audio : 4.57 MB, 128 Kbps, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, 0x55 = MPEG Layer-3, CBR, , Supported

file type 2 -

File : 489 MB (489 MB), duration: 0:14:51, type: AVI, 1 audio stream(s), quality: 72 %, ,
Video : 482 MB, 4543 Kbps, 30.0 fps, 512*384 (4:3), MJPG = Motion JPEG, Supported
Audio : 6.79 MB, 64 Kbps, 8000 Hz, 1 channels, 0x7 = CCITT u-Law, VBR, , Supported

file type 3 -

File : 272 MB (272 MB), duration: 0:05:17, type: AVI, 1 audio stream(s), quality: 86 %, ,
Video : 267 MB, 7071 Kbps, 30.0 fps, 640*480 (4:3), XVID = XVID Mpeg-4, Supported
Audio : 4.83 MB, 128 Kbps, 8000 Hz, 1 channels, 0x1 = PCM, CBR, , Supported

DBM

[Baldrick]

Virtualdub and avidemux should handle those files without any huge problems. We need more detailed information what EXACTLY happens when you try edit those.

[DirtBikeMike]

When I open the files in Vdub they will not play smoothly. The video freezes and the audio either plays fine or cuts in and out.

What am I doing wrong?

[Ai Haibara]

Do they play properly in your normal video player(s)? VirtualDub and AVIDemux are not meant to be players - video may not always play back properly in them, so it may be a good idea to double-check the results in a regular player. Also, VirtualDub requires VfW codecs for working with videos - do you have a good MJPEG VfW codec and the normal Xvid codec installed?

[DirtBikeMike]

Thank you for the help, I will keep it up until I figure it out. After some more practice I am able to open these files using Vdub set the start and stop points on the time line, and crop using the null transform filter. I am experimenting with different output compression settings and getting alot of error messages when try to save the edited file to avi. I have searched/watched/read a few tutorials, but the learning has been slow and pretty much trial and error.

Is there a "dummy" step by step tutorial anywhere for idiots like me?