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  1. Before you call me crazy I better provide a little history.

    I'm a partner in a business that switched to Linux distros several years
    ago. We started the business back in the days of Windows 3.1. One of
    the partners created some unique software for 98SE. We all keep copies
    of this customized system at home because the software is still very useful.

    I have a bunch of FLV and MP4 files that I'd like to run. My first thought
    was to add codecs to WMP 9. I started to google, searching for an easy
    way to add these codecs. I soon realized that the word "codec" and "easy"
    should never be used in the same sentence!

    I tried several media players and converters that all claimed to be compatible
    with 98SE. They all failed. I can roll back the entire system or mount a virtual
    drive, so anything I do can be quickly undone.

    Yesterday, I came across Windows Essentials Codec Pack_v1.0. It seemed like
    Media Player Classic with a bundle of codecs was the answer to my problem.
    A few seconds into the install a "Runtime Error" box appeared. I managed to
    take a screenshot before the system completely locked up. Please see attached
    jpeg.

    Previous attempts with other players and converters would require adding a DLL
    or some other fix. It didn't help because more problems would follow during or
    after the install.

    Before I quit forever, is there a fix for the runtime error or something else I should
    try?

    Thanks guys!
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  2. Member DB83's Avatar
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    Take a look at this page - towards the bottom and the text to the right

    http://www.mediacodec.org/download/

    Bottom line. Do not use V1. And if V2 does not work then forget it.

    No one here would recc using ANY codec pack. You just get the codecs you need and just install those.
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  3. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    the last official version of that is located at the bottom of this page. http://www.mediacodec.org/download/ see if it's any different from the one you have. you might also try an old video player that might not need external codecs like vlc listed for old windows versions at the bottom of this page. http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  4. Member
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    If you dont have them add them

    Vb runtime 5

    Vb runtime 6

    Microsoft Visual C++ 2005

    I must have around 90 systems with 98se on them in the shed and use them to teach system assembly cause there cheap and if students kill them it don't matter none.
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  5. Thank you very much Bjs, aedipuss, and DB83.

    I built primitive computers from electronics hobby magazines. I wish 99% of all humans in the computer
    business would stop listing themselves as "experts" or even worse "gurus." After several decades of
    building and using computers I consider myself an advanced user. I never earned a living in the computer
    business, so I guess my opinion doesn't matter much.

    I realize that dumping a bunch of files into critical system directories is likely to cause trouble. All these
    bundled codec packs seem doomed to failure, but like I said, I'm not an expert. A good example is support
    for USB devices with old Windows systems. There is a very popular package of USB drivers for 98. I've
    practically begged folks not to install this driverpack unless they have multiple clean system backups.
    (I won't mention the name because people defend this pack like a religion.) I have one tiny generic driver
    (21 kb) that supports any USB device with 98SE.

    DB83, I completely agree with you about adding only the codecs you need. After performing many Google
    searches I found one FLV codec plugin for older versions of WMP:

    http://playflv.com/flvplugincodec

    I was hoping to find something similar for the MP4 file format. No luck, so far. If you search for "MP4 codec
    plugin WMP" all you get are large bundled codec packs. Most of them can't be installed in older versions of
    Windows or WMP.

    Can someone point my browser to MP4 and FLV codecs that are compatible with WMP 9 and 98SE? If
    they don't come with installers I'll need instructions.
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  6. Member DB83's Avatar
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    I do not wish to sound patronising but you must understand that mp4 is NOT a format so you will NEVER find a codec for it.

    mp4 is a container, as is avi and others. So you need the codec for the underlying format which could be avc or something else. Or you can try filters just like ffdshow. I am sure, but can not remember that far back, that there was a version of that for win98.
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  7. VH Wanderer Ai Haibara's Avatar
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    Yeah, there were versions of ffdshow that would run on Win98; I just can't remember offhand what the most recent version that would work is, though. I'd have to spend some time digging out my old Win98 system just to see which version of ffdshow it's running.

    I think it was mentioned in the changelog, or maybe somewhere on the VH Tools page for ffdshow, on the other hand.

    Edit: Here it is:
    Code:
    1639
    Drop support for Windows 9x.
    Fix closed caption garbling.
    Update cc_decoder.cpp by importing some piece of gabest's CCDecoder.cpp.
    So, look for anything earlier than build 1639.

    Edit #2: ...though oddly enough, the ffdshow-tryouts FAQ says this:

    Does ffdshow support Windows 98/ME?

    ANSI and thus Windows 98/ME support have been dropped starting with build 2353. The last officially supported build is 2322 and can be downloaded here.
    Try the linked build of 2322, first; if that doesn't work, look for anything earlier than 1639, I guess.
    Last edited by Ai Haibara; 5th Jul 2014 at 16:38.
    If cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
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    Originally Posted by box-turtle View Post
    A good example is support for USB devices with old Windows systems. There is a very popular package of USB drivers for 98. I've practically begged folks not to install this driverpack unless they have multiple clean system backups.
    (I won't mention the name because people defend this pack like a religion.) I have one tiny generic driver
    (21 kb) that supports any USB device with 98SE.
    Hi, out of interest, what's the name of the small USB driver that you use for Win98se?
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    Originally Posted by box-turtle View Post
    Before you call me crazy I better provide a little history.

    I'm a partner in a business that switched to Linux distros several years
    ago. We started the business back in the days of Windows 3.1. One of
    the partners created some unique software for 98SE. We all keep copies
    of this customized system at home because the software is still very useful.

    I have a bunch of FLV and MP4 files that I'd like to run. My first thought
    was to add codecs to WMP 9. I started to google, searching for an easy
    way to add these codecs. I soon realized that the word "codec" and "easy"
    should never be used in the same sentence!

    I tried several media players and converters that all claimed to be compatible
    with 98SE. They all failed. I can roll back the entire system or mount a virtual
    drive, so anything I do can be quickly undone.

    Yesterday, I came across Windows Essentials Codec Pack_v1.0. It seemed like
    Media Player Classic with a bundle of codecs was the answer to my problem.
    A few seconds into the install a "Runtime Error" box appeared. I managed to
    take a screenshot before the system completely locked up. Please see attached
    jpeg.

    Previous attempts with other players and converters would require adding a DLL
    or some other fix. It didn't help because more problems would follow during or
    after the install.

    Before I quit forever, is there a fix for the runtime error or something else I should
    try?

    Thanks guys!
    Why do you use such a backward codec pack?
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  10. You guys are really great! Thanks again!

    I was always more interested in hardware. There are people in my company who create videos for our
    clients. All I do is look at them and occasionally suggest changes. My knowledge of video formats is
    very limited.

    If you're old enough I'm sure you remember the frantic effects by Microsoft to patch endless problems.
    Unlike most folks, I would have been bored to death without constantly hacking the Registry and editing
    files. I use computers as a tool, like a saw or hammer. I have long list of batch files that I selectively move
    in and out of the root directory. They all run before Windows starts, making Key and Value changes, or
    adding and subtracting files. Almost every repetitive function is run by my scripts. In addition to Linux
    distros and 98SE I've got four other Windows systems in a multi-boot setup.

    OK. HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS!

    Several weeks ago I downloaded VLC Player_v0.8.6f from oldapps.com. I tried numerous FLV and MP4 files.
    The results were awful. Crazy bursts of audio and video, or nothing at all. I quit trying for awhile, and then
    I decided to try other media players which also failed.

    The reply to my post from aedipuss led me to the VideoLAN forum. I followed a link at VideoLAN to their
    FTP site which lists every version of VLC Player. (In the early days of the web, I had two FTP sites.)
    The VideoLAN forum recommended the last version of VLC Player compatible with 98SE. I downloaded
    version 0.8.6i from their FTP site. I felt a little foolish, because the "f" version was a disaster.

    All the FLV and MP4 files that would not respond to the "f" version ran perfectly with the "i" version!

    I guess that's it, I've got a working media player. I don't want to push my luck, but is there anything I could
    download that would allow WMP 9 to play FLV and MP4 files? With all the wasted searching, I couldn't find
    anything that made sense to me.

    Finally, I'll respond to katipo who asked about that tiny USB driver.

    I've tried three times to upload a zip archive with the driver. Something is wrong. If you want it give me an
    email address.

    Please, anyone trying generic drivers must be very careful. They can work great or almost wreck your operating
    system! You must have a way of reversing anything you've done. Deleting files and Registry entries doesn't
    always fix all problems. In addition to multiple clean backups that should be made outside of Windows from a
    boot device like a USB stick, you should have software to mount virtual drives. If there are problems with
    anything you try the virtual drive can be instantly expunged.
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  11. Member DB83's Avatar
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    As I said earlier, ffdshow (my friend pointed to the appropriate build(s) )is the only thing I know of that might work with WMP9.

    WMP relies on supported codecs or external filters (which is what ffdshow is). VLC uses internal codecs and/or filters
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  12. DECEASED
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    ^
    ^
    is there anything I could download that would allow WMP 9 to play FLV and MP4 files? With all the wasted searching, I couldn't find
    anything that made sense to me.
    The actual problem is not WMP9, it's Windows 98.
    Up-to-date splitters (demuxers) for FLV and MP4 require no less than XP w/ SP3.
    Ancient versions of Haali Media Splitter and 3ivx perhaps support Windows 98... Still, it's unlikely they would support MP4s or FLVs that contain the "most popular" video compression scheme (H264).
    Last edited by El Heggunte; 6th Jul 2014 at 16:49. Reason: clarity : - /
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  13. Member
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    Originally Posted by box-turtle View Post
    Several weeks ago I downloaded VLC Player_v0.8.6f from oldapps.com. I tried numerous FLV and MP4 files...
    I downloaded version 0.8.6i from their FTP site. I guess that's it, I've got a working media player.
    Heh, I was going to post about using VLC 0.8.6a (worked on an old 98se PC), but assumed you just wanted separate codecs (Ffdshow already mentioned) and already knew about VLC... In case anyone needs to know - VLC requires Unicows.dll (Unicode for 9x) installed in your System (or Windows) directory, and you may need DirectX 9 as well (else sound problems). VLC tested with H263 and H264/AVC codecs (in FLV/MP4 wrappers).

    Originally Posted by box-turtle View Post
    Finally, I'll respond to katipo who asked about that tiny USB driver. I've tried three times to upload a zip archive with the driver. Something is wrong. If you want it give me an email address.
    I'll try sending a PM.
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  14. Member
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    Originally Posted by box-turtle View Post
    ..
    ..
    ..
    I guess that's it, I've got a working media player. I don't want to push my luck, but is there anything I could
    download that would allow WMP 9 to play FLV and MP4 files? With all the wasted searching, I couldn't find
    anything that made sense to me.

    ..
    ..
    ..
    Mostly I find WMP still throwing errors for a lot of videos in my win7..
    But VLC works like a charm .. thats what I like about it!
    Any specific reason you want to use WMP to play those files ?? I'm curious
    also DB83 gave a good point here
    Originally Posted by DB83 View Post
    As I said earlier, ffdshow (my friend pointed to the appropriate build(s) )is the only thing I know of that might work with WMP9.

    WMP relies on supported codecs or external filters (which is what ffdshow is). VLC uses internal codecs and/or filters
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