Media Problems - Codec Problems

If  you are having problems playing media files then the chances are that this is a 'codec' problem. A codec is a piece of software that CODes and DECodes multimedia file types.

A word about AVI files. Don't assume that because some AVI files play and others don't that there is a problem with the file. AVI is not a media file type, AVI is just a container that can hold many different types of audio and video files.

First Steps - Check Installed Codecs

I would first download and install "installed_codec" from  . Scroll down some way to find the download link.

You will see a list of installed codecs and, importantly, which are actually present. If one is 'missing' right click it to get to 'properties'. Find the name of the required codec and Google it, then download and install.

If this doesn't fix it then look at the dates that the codecs were installed. If one of these was installed just before you experienced problems then uninstall it and try again. You can right click the codec to disable it which is my preferred method as removal can be quite involved (see below).

Identify the Codec used in the File

OK, so maybe you could have done this first!

To find the codec used by your file download and install "Media Info".

Choose "Open" and load the 'broken' file.

9 times out of 10 you will see a dialogue box with buttons to click that will take to the website where you can download the required codec.

How to Avoid Problems in the Future

OK, I'm lying again! There is no way to avoid ALL problems but here are a couple of things you can try:

Firstly, install "Media Player Classic". This is a free program to play media files with a simple interface to its advanced decoding features. It looks like Windows Media Player so will be familiar to you.

Secondly, install "ffdshow". ffdshow is DirectShow and VFW codec for decoding/encoding many video and audio formats. This should help with any problems not dealt with by Media Player Classic. Again, this is a free program.

Removing Codecs

Removing Codecs can be quite involved which is why I've put this at the end. If you are still reading this then you are still having problems and this may be worth a try. Good luck!:

1. Run "installed_codec".
2. Right click the codec to find the path (where the codec is installed on your computer)
3. Open a command prompt (Start - Run - "cmd"
4. Type: "regsvr32 /u "C:\path\filtername.extension" where 'path' is the path to the file such as windows\system32 and 'filtername.extension' is the name of the codec such as filter.ax.
5. This uninstalls the codec.

Remember, contact me if you need further help.

Hardware