First, sorry if this is the wrong forum but I couldn't see any 'playback' or 'codecs' forum.
I recently installed a crappy codec pack and couldn't uninstall it (it was "XP Codec Pack"). Since then I can't seem to play any wmv files that use codecs such as wmv2, wmv3 and wvc1. I've tried installing all kinds of things since then but Media Player Classic just can't render wmvs any more.
My machine isn't exactly clean — I've installed a few codec packs over the years — but I don't want to reformat, I just want to get Microsoft files playing for now until I buy my new PC next year. And before anyone asks, I wouldn't even consider downloading Microsoft's Media Player. (That thing is evil!)
Can anyone please help?
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You could give a try to WMV9 Video Compression Manager (only 678 KB):
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/a/98a6cb2d-6659-485e-b1f9-2c0d9bf6c328/wmv9VCMsetup.exe
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If cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
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Have you tried reinstalling Windows Media Player? Yeah, I know, I'm Captain Obvious, but it worked for me in a similar case, after trying so many complex solutions.
Stiiv -
He doesn't want to do the simplest most obvious thing to make them work. Reinstalling Windows Media Player.
He said it is evil. He wants a different solution than the best one. I don't know what is so evil about it. Works for me for most anything. For those that it doesn't, VLC generally works for them. -
When you say that Media Player Classic just can't render wmvs anymore, does this mean that when you double-click the files, some other player tries to play them, or that they won't play at all in any player?
If it is just that some other player is trying to play them, try right-clicking on the file and choosing the "Open with" menu selection from the context menu. If Media Player Classic is not on the list in the context menu, choose the last item on the menu, which should be "Choose program". Then you should be able to choose Media Player Classic from the subsequent list. Check the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox at the bottom. This should change your file/program association for wmvs.
If this isn't your problem, then nevermind. -
Originally Posted by poisondeathray
edit: Midzuki, it is set up to play in MPC, too. Thank for all your ideas though!
Originally Posted by ebenton
Originally Posted by kimco52
Originally Posted by kimco52
Here's an analogy. There are a lot of mobile phones that have big colour screens, built-in cameras, can connect to the Internet. And they're fine, if you want to do all those things. But if you only wanted a mobile phone to do what a mobile phone should do (i.e., make phone calls), then you'd be a bit foolish to buy a big, heavy, bulky thing with 1/10th the battery time that does things you don't want it to do.
Personally, I rarely make phone calls, so I don't even own a mobile phone. You might say I'm a minimalist. Or, I don't just spend money for the sake of it.
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I'm certainly no Microsoft fanboy. I work in IT and work with Unix and Linux and it would be fair to say that I hate Microsoft. I don't think WMP is evil though. However, I respect your opinion. Try installing the VLC Media Player and maybe it can play all the files you have. It has it's own codecs built into the player, so it won't mess up your system to install it.
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I am no fan of Microsoft, either. Having said that, I agree with jman98 in that WMP isn't really evil. I think Real Media's Real Player is more evil than WMP. Everytime I would use Real Player for a file that is a real media file, it wants to access the internet. To just play a file, it should have no reason to access the internet. If it is just sitting there not being used, it randomly tries to access the internet. I use zone alarm and have it ask me to allow any application access the internet. When I first started using WMP, I told it to deny access and to remember the setting. It hasn't tried since. Even though I tell it to remember to deny RMP, it still tries to access the internet at times. So I just removed it.
I can understand your frustration. I have been through similar things as well. But WMP, on my XP machine, is quick and plays anything I ask it to. If I double click and mp3 file it starts playing almost instantly. video files take a few seconds but play just fine. The only problem I have is that Premiere encodes to a different extension that is not recognized by WMP so I just change the extension to mpg and it works. I then change it back to do anything with it. I must say that I do not use WMP for anything major, just a quick look. I play DVD's or VOB files with Power DVD. WMP is just used for a quick and dirty look-see and whatever I download or collect from individuals or the net.
Unlike you, however, I do not particularly care for Microsoft Word. I prefer Word Perfect. I started with WP when it was just DOS and stayed with it. It was much easier to use for generating proposals, indexing, etc. It's show hidden characters is better than Word's and easier to work with. It is what I started with and am most used to using. But I do use Excel and other apps. Basically, you use what you prefer based on your preferences.
I wish you luck resolving your player problem. I can't offer any more ideas than what has already been stated. Ebenton's ideas is what I would start with...... -
Nothing seems to work with FFDshow. FFDshow reports three wmv codecs: wmv1/7 wmv2/8 and wmv3/9. I've set them all to "libavcodec" and "WMV9" (the only two options other than "disabled", but none of the settings work.
I did have a strange thing happen last night. I was trying to watch mpg and avi files on line and none of them would play in WMP. All I would get was a "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" page. I restarted my computer to see if it helped and a warning popped up stating that I had a dangerous file on my computer and wanted to know if I wanted to rename it, I said no and waited till Windows loaded and went back online. I tried to watch these movies again and they still would not play so I went into C:\ and found the file that I got the warning about and renamed it. All the mpg and avi files that wouldn't play online started playing. The name of the file was program. I have another file in C:\ that looks suspiciuos called drmHeader.bin that was created a month ago. The "program" file which is 0 bytes was created yesterday. -
It's bloated and intrusive, and I really wouldn't like to have it on my machine.
Also note that even the alternatives, like MPC, VLC etc. often require the MS codecs installed with WMP to be fully functional, just as Quicktime Alternative, Real Alternative, et al need QT or Real Player installed on the machine to function properly.
Let's not get into the whole "MS is eeeEEEeeeevil" mythology; when Apple can write an OS for machines they don't manufacture themselves, then & only then can honest comparisons be made. Plus, of Bill Gates & Steve Jobs, which guy looks more like an anti-christ? lolol (I'm j/k folks, let's keep all our panties unbunched.)Stiiv -
All I can tell you is that I found WMP to be extremely intrusive on my machine. I'm not lying. It literally took me months to get Windows to stop files from playing in it. (And no, selecting my preferred player and selecting "always use this program" did not work.) In the end, it took really drastic measures to get WMP to shut up. Maybe most people don't have these problems, but I did, which is why I hate the thing.
Perhaps I'm being a tad melodramatic when I use the word "evil". I'm not trying to suggest MS is actually evil. But in my opinion Microsoft doesn't have a clue about making applications, and the phrase "MS Word" is a swearword to me. I find it utterly detestable, and I have no respect for someone who can spend so long producing a piece of sotware that is still complete rubbish. That is my opinion. -
Originally Posted by Gameshow Host
You might try running a registry cleaner like ccleaner (free) or registry mechanic...
or
A lot of the gurus are not going to like this suggestion (and because a codec pack seems to have caused this problem in the first place!), but I suggest you install k-lite mega codec pack because it has a "codec tweak tool" that detects, repairs, fixes, deletes missing .dlls and mismatched codecs. It uses MPC for default player.
or
(last resort) reinstall windows -
Aargh! Nothing works.
I really appreciate all the suggestions, and I have tried them all (including installing the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, which is actually quite a nice pack as packs go). But nothing.
Oh well. I'll just have to put up with it a bit longer till I get a my new PC next year.
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