Problem previewind Avi files through limewire

i have the limewire 5.5.8 basic. I have been downloading movies and i could preview them through the limewire player to check it was what i wanted and now it wont preview, windows media player opens up and an error appears and says
"Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file.""
Why is it doing this and not playing the file throuhg the lime wire player like it use to??
Please help

AFAIK if LW's media player does not have the correct codec to play the file it will seek codecs installed on your computer or even use an alternative player if that format is not supported.
You could always try the LW beta which has some improvements with the media player try LimeWire 5.5.8 - Lime Wire

However I'd suggest you update your video codecs. http://www.gnutellaforums.com/353926-post2.html and http://www.gnutellaforums.com/349710-post2.html