How to install Audio/Video Codecs?

[Richard Krump]

Hello NG

I need to know how Codecs are installed on Windows. I guess it's some kind
of DLL and a related registry-entry, but where can I find these entries? Is
there anything else to know?

The reason for that is that I want to write a program which copies all
installed codecs from one computer to another.

Thanx
Richie

 

[PapaJohn \(MVP\)]

Richie,

Browse the Problem Solving > Acceleration and Codecs page of my Movie Maker
website.... not for the content, but take a look at the two snapshots of the
video and audio codecs on my laptop.... the listings are by using GSpot, a
free utility with a link on the Setup > Other Software page.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org

..

 

[John Kelly]

Hello there,

There is no single method...there is the Microsoft way where the codec (with a
variety of different file extions) is stored in the Windows System directory
and a registry entry created, and at the other end is the programmer who builds
everything into the EXE (I do that a lot) and on to the programmer who stores
everything in its home directory.

The safe route would be to download the Microsoft pack of codecs (They always
work with Microsoft products) Installing 3rd part codecs is something this
newsgroup spends a lot of time trying to put right because they cause problems
for Movie Maker (all versions)

There is a program called GSpot that will tell you whats on a computer. I used
it once and gave up on it as the reports were not correct.

There is a much more accurate way of discovering "official" codecs by examening
the System from the control panel.

--
Best Wishes.....John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk
Just glad I don't live in Croydon, UK
\|||/
(o o)
----------ooO-(_)-Ooo-------------
All material gained from other sources is duly acknowledged. No Value is
obtained by publishing in any format other peoples work

 

[Richard Krump]

Hello PapaJohn

Well, your WebSite info is close to the information I want. I found at
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\drivers.desc" a list of descriptions for all driver files.
But it's not easy to find one specific location to put links to the driver
files to. I guess they identify the codecs by special tokens which are found
in another registry folder and then the create some kind of cross reference.
Do you happen to have some information about that, or somebody who has?

Thanx
Richie

 

[Richard Krump]

Hello John

I found out, that there are entries in the
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32"
which are called "vidx.###" with ### looking to me as the identifier for the
codec (e.g. vidc.DIVX, vidc.I420, ...).
When I look at
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\drivers.desc
" I find descriptions for the codec files. Do you think this would be enough
to install codecs?

Regards
Richie

 

[PapaJohn \(MVP\)]

Dean Rowe is a regular reader of these posts... maybe he can provide some
guidance. The subject is a bit beyond me.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org

..

 

[Rehan]

Richard

What you are trying to do is almost impossible.

Many codecs/filters and their related DLLs are installed as part of the
operating system. Many others come as part of DirectX whose installer has
special privilages to update system components. If you just try to copy
them, it wont work as these are protected by OS. Other thirdparty codecs are
installed in several different places.

There can be many filters that can be used in a particular situation say to
play an MP3, the one that gets used by the system, depends on many factors
including what hardware and the drivers are installed. So just copying
everyhting from one system to another with different hardware configuration
wont work.

Anyway good luck with your quest. Do update us on how you progress.

--
Rehan
www.rehanfx.org - get more effects and transitions for movie maker

 

[John Kelly]

Hello Richie,

I will give you the details you asked for in your email by email...but
might not be able to do it for a couple of hours though

Best Wishes.....John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk

 

[Dean Rowe [MS]]

DirectShow has a way of enumerating the codecs on the system. See the
following topic in MSDN for information

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...usingthesystemdeviceenumerator.asp?frame=true

Once copied to another machine you can register them by just calling
regsvr32 and passing the filename. If you want to do it programatically you
can call LoadLibrary on the DLL and call the function DllRegisterServer.
Rehan is correct in his other reply that this won't work for DLL's installed
by the system as they will be protected by system file protection. I guess
you're only really interested in copying codecs to the other machine which
aren't already there so this hopefully won't be a problem for you.

Cheers
Dean Rowe
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Richard Krump]

Hello Dean

I think we're slowly getting to the point. I will have a look at all this
information, maybe I'll be able to make a program, which is able to do the
desired task.
Anyway, I still wonder, why there's no basic os-support for porting codecs
from one computer to the other, as this is a lack in functionality (to my
opinion). It's been several times now, that I set up a computer new (for a
variety of different reasons), and I always had the problem, that one or the
other of my internet-downloaded video-clips (funny things, you know what I
mean) did NOT work anymore, because there was some codec missing. To 50% the
media player is successful with downloading the required codec (as I am
still connected to internet via 56k modem, this may take a long time), but
the other 50% are lost. I can try to install every codecs I ever found
somewhere but this gives no guarantee that it helps.
So the only way should be to copy all installed codecs and reinstall all
these on the new machine.
If I ever finish this project, I will post the program here ;-)

Richie