WMP 11 not playing AVIs

[Guest]

OK, I have WMP 11.0.6000.6324 on a new Dell with Vista Home Premium. It does
not play AVI files (audio no video) Another message board says to install the
latest "k-lite codec". I googled K-lite, found a website with a free download
and installation. Is this safe? Will this fix my problem? Is there an
approved Microsoft fix for this?

 

[Cal Bear '66]

Do NOT install any codec pacs -- they cause more problems than they are worth,
and the problems can be VERY hard to troubleshoot. ONLY install codecs from
their manufacturers.

You can download a free little utility that will tell you what codec the file
needs called GSpot.

My guess is that it is the DivX codec. ONLY download it from divx.com, and when
you run the package, do a CUSTOM install and ONLY install the codec -- the rest
of the package is not fully Vista compatible.

 

[ceed]

Do NOT install any codec packs -- they cause more problems than they are worth,
and the problems can be VERY hard to troubleshoot. ONLY install codecs from
their manufacturers.

You can download a free little utility that will tell you what codec the file
needs called GSpot.

My guess is that it is the DivX codec. ONLY download it from divx.com, and when
you run the package, do a CUSTOM install and ONLY install the codec -- the rest
of the package is not fully Vista compatible.

I somewhat dissagree. There are at least two very good codec packs out
there with uninstallers that removes it all if neccessary (I have
checked with third party installer and registry monitors).

The problems normally comes if you do not uninstall one codec pack
before you install another. Even when upgrading you should uninstall
first. And as usual, before installing anything: RTFM!

The one I use on Vista is called, yest you guessed it, Vista Codec
Pack. It works flawlessly and does not intall any players or other
things you do not need. Take a look here:

http://www.jtow.net/users/triess/

//c

 

[P. Di Stolfo]

Hello,

is this "the" Vista Codec Pack that caused endless COM errors for me?
I wouldn't say that everybody is always safe with installing a codec
package.

Greetings,
P. Di Stolfo

 

[Guest]

OK, I got Gspot, and it says I have the "dvix" codec installed, so I should
be able to run .avi's. I was able to run the file fine through Gspot.

However, when I double click on it outside of Gspot, I still get audio only,
no video.

Hmmmmm.

 

[Cal Bear '66]

Vista Codec Pack has caused many, many problems with Windows Movie Maker.

You have been very lucky.

STAY AWAY FROM CODEC PACS.

Find the specific codec you need, and download it ONLY from the manufacturer.

 

[Cal Bear '66]

If you want to install a nice little player that can play files that Windows
Media Player just can't, try the free GOM player.

You might also want to go to divx.com and download the latest version of the
DivX codec and give that a try.

 

[Adam Albright]

OK, I got Gspot, and it says I have the "dvix" codec installed, so I should
be able to run .avi's. I was able to run the file fine through Gspot.

However, when I double click on it outside of Gspot, I still get audio only,
no video.

Hmmmmm.

Go to Control Panel, Default Programs, File Associations. Wait for the
master list to build (can take a little while) then scan the list for
the file type .div. See what application if any is associated with it.
By default it should be DivX Player. If you don't have that, you can
find it at http://www.divX.com along with a bunch of other stuff and a
pretty good FAQ to answer common problems.

As you discovered AVI files are often just a wrapper with something
else inside. Windows Media Player CAN play SOME DivX versions but
stumbles on others. As I've said many times, Media Player basically
sucks. If you want a better player and not just a specific one that
just plays DivX, but almost anything try GOM Player, also free and it
plays over 400 different file types. XnView in another good free one.

Thanks for serving your country.

 

[Guest]

I agree that codec packages can be trouble some. I found this from Intel
which contains the required codec and have had no problems with it. It is
very small and uninstallable.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?strState=LIVE&ProductID=355&DwnldID=2846

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Vista Codec Pack has caused many, many problems with Windows Movie Maker.

You have been very lucky.

STAY AWAY FROM CODEC PACS.

Find the specific codec you need, and download it ONLY from the
manufacturer.

I have never had any problems with the K-Lite Standard codec pack. It is
free of any malware, and has all the codecs you would ever need.

ss.

 

[Guest]

Adam Albright,

I like the last sentence in your reply. Past and present men and women
in uniform do not get the respect and praise they deserve. It is because of
their valor and sacrifices we enjoy the liberties and freedoms we have.

Thank you very much for the statement.

C.B.

 

[Xenomorph]

Installing ANY Codec pack is just asking for trouble.

Programs like FFDSHOW should be able to decode most audio and video.

http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/

 

[Xenomorph]

Hey wow, that's the same advise I give.

There is no reason to use codec packs.

- If you are compressing/encoding your own video, then download the specific
code you need.

- if you are viewing files, programs like ffdshow are good "catch-all" types
of programs. (http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/)

- installing Codec Packs means you are happily installing possibly outdated
and/or broken software from questionable sources. its a very poor "band-aid"
attempt of a fix that may introduce more serious issues.

 

[Xenomorph]

http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/

 

[ceed]

Hello,

is this "the" Vista Codec Pack that caused endless COM errors for me?
I wouldn't say that everybody is always safe with installing a codec
package.

Greetings,
P. Di Stolfo

The only thing I am saying is that I have been using two different
codec packs for the last few years without any problems. I have
friends who swear by ffdshow which also is a good solution (slow
though). However, there's so many builds and versions out there
chances are you get something causing problems unless you really know
your hardware and where to find the latest builds for your
architecture.

Personally I think the reason people get into trouble with codec packs
is that they install more than one, or upgrade the one they have
without first uninstalling the current version.

I have for years heard that codec packs is a no-no, but I stick to my
statement that a good codec pack can work out great if you follow the
instructions and stick to only one. The ones at free-codecs.com are
all time tested by millions of users. I doubt they would be successful
if all the horror stories about them were true.

//c

 

[Guest]

Installing ANY Codec pack is just asking for trouble.

Programs like FFDSHOW should be able to decode most audio and video.

http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/