Member Avatar for HPriser

I have a group of mpg files that WMP used to play. Sometime in the last few months it stopped doing this correctly. Ihave two problems:

1. Some files load and play sound, but the picture is a bunch of nondescript squares. If I let this run for about 20 seconds, it freezes the comuter. These use the CyberLink Video/SP Decoder

2. Other mpg files load with an error "Error Downloading Codecs." These play in spite of the error message. They use the MPEG Video Decoder.

All other mpgs play fine.

I'm using Windows XP Home, Service Pack 2.

My Current Computer System:
Aluminum ATX Window Case

400Watt ATX Power Supply

Motherboard: P4-865PE

Intel Pentium 4 Processor 2.4 GHz with 533 MHz Front side buss

256 MB PC2100 DDR RAM

256 MB PC2100 DDR RAM

Floppy Drive........... (A:/)

Maxtor 250 GB Hard Drive........... (C:/)

Maxtor 120 GB Hard Drive........... (D:/)

CD-RW Drive, 48x12x48, Internal Mad Dog JustLink........... (E:/)

TDK 4X DVD+R/+RW drive........... (F:/)

ATI 7000/64DVI 64MB AGP Graphics Card

Pinnacle Studio Movie Box & RCA adapter

3 Port Fire Wire card

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Dani AI

Generated

A few practical points that often get missed: when some .mpg files show audio but a jam of blocks, or WMP complains “Error downloading codecs” yet still plays, the cause is usually a DirectShow/codec conflict or a video-renderer/hardware-acceleration problem — not necessarily a corrupt file. Before doing a full reinstall (which, as found, will fix a messy system), try targeted diagnostics so the root cause can be fixed and avoided in future.

  1. Verify the file itself first — play it in a self-contained player (one that bundles codecs). If it plays fine there, the file is OK and the problem is WMP/codec-related.
  2. Identify the stream type with a file-inspector tool (shows container and video codec). That tells you whether the file is MPEG‑1, MPEG‑2, MPEG‑4, etc., and what decoder WMP should be using.
  3. Inspect the DirectShow graph (GraphEdit/GraphStudio) while WMP opens the file to see exactly which codec/filter is being used. If a third‑party decoder is taking the stream and misbehaving, unregister or replace that single filter instead of installing large “everything” packs.
  4. Temporarily disable video hardware acceleration (Display Properties → Settings → Advanced → Troubleshoot → hardware acceleration slider to none) and update the video driver — a buggy driver + a buggy filter often produces the blocky picture and system freezes.
  5. If WMP shows codec-download errors, check Tools → Options → Player → “Download codecs automatically” and any firewall/proxy rules that might block WMP from fetching codecs.

A few rules of thumb: avoid installing multiple big codec packs at once (they create conflicts); install only the decoder actually needed; make a System Restore point before codec work; use a filter-order/reset tool if available to restore sane DirectShow order. was right that a missing decoder can be the problem, and ’s pack approach can help but can also introduce conflicts — a surgical fix is preferable to repeated pack installs. If all targeted fixes fail, a clean OS install is a last resort.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for nanosani

I think you need mpeg4 video codec ... you can download it here ...

Member Avatar for HPriser

I think you need mpeg4 video codec ... you can download it here ...

Thanks, I went to this download and only found this

DivX v5.2.1 (Win2k/XP)

This is a trial media player (with a price) - I don't want that. I want Windows Media Player to begin working again, the way it used to.

Any other suggetions.

;)

Member Avatar for HPriser

if that doesn't work download nimo codecs package, they have a lot more misc codecs
http://www.divx-digest.com/software/nimo_pack.html

I went to their download page and saw a table of stuff I don't recognize. What do I download?
I attached a jpeg of waht I found. ?????

nemo_download_page.jpg 219.29 KB
Member Avatar for paradox814

download build 8, use which ever site (mirror) has the highest availability

Member Avatar for HPriser

download build 8, use which ever site (mirror) has the highest availability

I have downloaded the codec programs below, and ran the exe file. This should have installed them - it said it did. None of them made any difference in WMP prformance. I removed each one before installing the next.

I think I need to update my backup drive D:, and reformat my C: hard drive and start all over again. After all, WMP used to play all my files, now it doesn't, and I never had to install any special CODECs.

Got any suggestins before I do this?

Thanks for your inputs!

Member Avatar for HPriser

OOPS! I for got to list the files I downloaded and installed:

ffdshow-20050312[www.free-codecs.com].exe

DivX52XP2K.exe

DivX412Codec.exe

Vp6_decoder.exe

None of them worked.

Member Avatar for HPriser

PROBLEM SOLVED:

I reloaded Windows XP and that didn't help.
So, I had everything backed up on my Slave drive D:, so, I reformatted my master drive C:, and reloaded everything from the ground up.

That fixed it, and I didn't lose much because I know what to back up to keep email messages, addresses, other file data and settings, etc.

Thank you for your interest, I appreciate it.

Hurle

OOPS! I for got to list the files I downloaded and installed:

ffdshow-20050312[ www.free-codecs.com].exe

DivX52XP2K.exe

DivX412Codec.exe

Vp6_decoder.exe

None of them worked.

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