"The driver file for this codec was not found"

[sasuweh]

I'm not sure where to post this but I seem to have two problematic codecs I'm trying to fix. I happened to run my old "Sherlock codec detective" program on my Windows 10 64bit PC and it said I have two problem codecs. I don't use codec packs at all but I'm guessing these might be leftovers from some software or maybe they somehow just broke. Both say:

"The driver file for this codec was not found. This probably means the codec was not uninstalled properly".

- MPEG Video Decoder (Gabest)
- VBI Surface Allocator (%SystemRoot%\System32\vbisurf.ax)

SFC /scannow found no issues. Some settings are configured in my LAV splitters so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. What can I do to address this?

EDIT: To add to this, the "InstalledCodec" tool by Nirisoft lists both VBI Surface Allocator Filter (vbisurf.ax) and MPEG Video Decoder (quartz.dll) along with all the other installed codecs and there are zero red-highlighted issues (it's set to highlight problems in red). Both are listed as disabled:no. It lists nothing by Gabest.

[Selur]

"MPEG Video Decoder (Gabest)" -> http://www.inmatrix.com/zplayer/formats/mpeg2.shtml
Probably got installed alongside some software player,...

[sasuweh]

Thanks - that took care of the MPEG decoder issue. Now what can I do about the VBI Surface Allocator (vbisurf.ax)?

[Selur]

That probably also came with some software player or similar direct show based software.

[johns0]

Did you properly install the program or just copied it over?

[sasuweh]

I have no idea what program VBI Surface Allocator (vbisurf.ax) came with, or when. It isn't something recent I don't think. The date last modified for the file in the system32 folder was from 2019. So I don't know how to fix it. I never just copy files over into the system32 folder, so I'm guessing it must have been installed there at some point, and perhaps whatever installed it didn't remove it when I uninstalled later? If I knew what put it there I could just reinstall it, and see what happens.

[davexnet]

I have no idea what program VBI Surface Allocator (vbisurf.ax) came with, or when. It isn't something recent I don't think. The date last modified for the file in the system32 folder was from 2019. So I don't know how to fix it. I never just copy files over into the system32 folder, so I'm guessing it must have been installed there at some point, and perhaps whatever installed it didn't remove it when I uninstalled later? If I knew what put it there I could just reinstall it, and see what happens.

It's a Microsoft file

[sasuweh]

I have no idea what program VBI Surface Allocator (vbisurf.ax) came with, or when. It isn't something recent I don't think. The date last modified for the file in the system32 folder was from 2019. So I don't know how to fix it. I never just copy files over into the system32 folder, so I'm guessing it must have been installed there at some point, and perhaps whatever installed it didn't remove it when I uninstalled later? If I knew what put it there I could just reinstall it, and see what happens.

It's a Microsoft file

Ah, okay. So why does it seem to have a driver issue according to Sherlock and some other codec analyzers? Scannow finds no issues, so is there really an issue? Filmerit (another codec checker) also seems to say there's some issue with DXVA and some BDA filters (No InprocServer32). Otherwise everything else seems fine.

[davexnet]

Does Filmerit offer to fix it?
Perhaps it's just a case of registering the filter

[sasuweh]

Oddly, Filerit doesn't list that one. It lists these as an issue:

- BDA CP/CA Filters:
Encrypt/Tag <decrypt Tag is okay actually)
PTFiltet
XDS Codec

DirectShow Filters:
-DXVA Filter
Server File=
#Error S02 - No InprocServer32

MA
#Error F09 - Corrupt clsid
#Error F10 - No Filterdata
Server File =

MA
#Error F09 - Corrupt clsid
#Error F10 - No Filterdata
Server File =

No idea what the two MA things are.

But Sherlock lists the VBI Surface Allocator.

If I click repair for the two MA files or DXVA, it says:

Do you really want to delete the DirectShow Filter MA from your registry?
It is recommended because this filter has no server file.

If I click "no" then it says "Ma has been repaired", but it's still highlighted in red. I wasn't sure if hitting yes to delete was a wise idea. Testing them just says "not ok".

But if I "test" anything in filmerit is says "not ok", even all the green ones that should be fine. So I'm not even sure if these programs are trustworthy. Filmerit lists the VBI Surface Allocator as green but if I test it it says "not ok" like it says for everything. This is running it in admin mode.

[sasuweh]

In Radlight filter, VBI Surface Allocator is not greyed out. But DXVA filter is greyed out.
Are some of these just highlighted because they're not currently enabled or active via LAV configurations or something like that? I'm wondering if these are really issues or not.

[sasuweh]

Still haven't been able to figure this out.

[Cornucopia]

what does mediainfo say about those media files?


Scott

[sasuweh]

What media files? I'm not talking about media files, I'm talking about the codecs.

[johns0]

Media files contain the codecs so it helps to know about them.

[Cornucopia]

@johns0, no they do not. Barring some rare exception - which I used to think was an interesting possibility, but have now agreed that it would be a MAJOR security/safety risk - there are NO media files that contain/embed codecs (executable programming code). They are media data files compressed in a manner that is COMPATIBLE with the the intended codec/format. Which is why you can use competing manufacturers' decoders on the same file, as long as they are to the format's spec.

@sasuweh, other than their originators or museum curators or looney "enthusiasts", nobody cares about the codecs themselves, except insofar as they (properly) enable their main objective...decoding (etc) media files. It always comes back to the media files.
If you don't have a media file that you need this codec for, then you don't really need this codec.

Scott

[johns0]

Media files contain the codecs information,not the codec itself is what i meant.

[Cornucopia]

oh, well that makes sense. nm, then.

Scott