Large corrupted AVI file, what to do?!

[WaveofShadow]

Hey everyone, I'm new to these forums and I'm having a particularly frustrating issue I really hope can be solved.
After reading this thread https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/267852-Trying-to-Fix-a-Huge-Corrupt-avi-File!
I found I have the exact same problem this person did.

My issue is I was recording something and will not be able to re-record it. The program I was recording crashed just before I could halt the recording software. The file is 13.5 GB in length. I know this must be doable somehow because a couple of the repair tools I tried such as ASF-AVI-RM-WMV Repair gave me the first 7 minutes of the video intact yet they won't give me any more than that; the filesize seems to be limited for some reason.
I also know the video should be intact the whole way through; I even tried converting to mp3 format and got the full hour's worth of sound intact.

Now again from reading the aforementioned thread, all of the fixes he tried I tried as well and I ran into the exact same issues aside from one difference: upon trying to use VDub I got an extra error. After it attempts to reconstruct the missing index block and I try to play it, I get:

Error decompressing video frame()
VirtualDub cannot decode 4:2:2 Motion JPEG frames with image widths or heights that are not multiples of 16. Please install a third-party Motion-JPEG codec.
I tried downloading one of thes codecs but somehow I don't think it's solving the problem.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!!

[jagabo]

Try ffdshow, enable the VFW MJPEG decoder. Start -> All Programs -> ffdshow -> VFW Configuration...

Also make sure VirtualDub isn't set to use its internal MJPEG decoder. Options -> Preferences -> AVI -> Prefer Internal Video decoders... -> off.

[WaveofShadow]

The internal MJPEG decoder was off, though I don't think it was using the one I downloaded....for some reason with Windows 7 I can't get any codecs I download to show up in Vdub...but that's a completely different story, and something I tried to fix a while ago and couldn't.

How exactly do you use ffdshow to encode a file?

[jagabo]

How exactly do you use ffdshow to encode a file?

Encode? You select ffdshow as the encoder. Then in the ffdshow config you select the Encoder tab, select the codec, and adjust its settings.

Forcing ffdshow to be the decoder is more difficult. You may have to remove all other VFW MJPEG decoders from the system.

Windows has two video subsystems: Video For Windows (VFW) and DirectShow. Generally, programs that use one can't use codecs for the other. VirtualDub uses VFW.

Are you running 64 bit Win7? That introduces another bunch of complexity. Under 64 bit Windows, 64 bit programs can only use 64 bit codecs, 32 bit programs can only use 32 bit codecs. Installing 32 bit codecs often requires special installation procedures (or else the install themselves in the 64 bit section where they don't work and 32 bit programs can't see them).

[WaveofShadow]

Yeah this is where the other problem exists. I can't see ffdshow (or any other codecs I try to install) anywhere in the VDub compression list. (Not only that but I can't even open the corrupted file in VDub as I get the error stated above.)

[KneeRow]

Corruption means that that there are gaps in the file. Usually, these are filled up with zeroes. What happens while downloading, is that in the beginning, the file claims the space it needs, for example 100mb. When the dowload is let's say 3 percent complete, there 3 mb worth of real video, and the rest is zeroes. you could try to open your corrupt file with a hex viewer, like Lister. If you see a lot of zeroes, you know you have to redownload it.

[jagabo]

Yeah this is where the other problem exists. I can't see ffdshow (or any other codecs I try to install) anywhere in the VDub compression list.

If you are running 64 bit VirtualDub you need to install 64 bit codecs. If you are running 32 bit VirtualDub you need to install 32 bit codecs. The ffdshow page here has links to both 32 bit adn 64 bit ffdshow builds for Windows.

Some 32 bit codecs need a special installation procedure:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/271712-Lame-MP3-Encoder-on-Vista-x64#1723154

(Not only that but I can't even open the corrupted file in VDub as I get the error stated above.)

You'll continue to get that error until you get an alternate MJPEG decoder installed properly.

[WaveofShadow]

Corruption means that that there are gaps in the file. Usually, these are filled up with zeroes. What happens while downloading, is that in the beginning, the file claims the space it needs, for example 100mb. When the dowload is let's say 3 percent complete, there 3 mb worth of real video, and the rest is zeroes. you could try to open your corrupt file with a hex viewer, like Lister. If you see a lot of zeroes, you know you have to redownload it.

It was not a downloaded file; I'm not sure that you read my original post.

If you are running 64 bit VirtualDub you need to install 64 bit codecs. If you are running 32 bit VirtualDub you need to install 32 bit codecs. The ffdshow page here has links to both 32 bit adn 64 bit ffdshow builds for Windows.


Some 32 bit codecs need a special installation procedure:

Thanks jagabo for all your help so far. I have downloaded the 64 bit versions of both, including codecs. At one point I even installed the KLite codec pack but even those did not show up. I am really unsure as to what I am doing wrong.

[jagabo]

I have downloaded the 64 bit versions of both, including codecs. At one point I even installed the KLite codec pack but even those did not show up. I am really unsure as to what I am doing wrong.

Did you install from an account with admin privileges?

[WaveofShadow]

I did.
I've head rumours of Windows 7 64 bit having issues with this but no conclusive evidence or solutions.

[jagabo]

I happen to have a near virgin Win7 Ultimate installation here. I ran 32 bit VirtualDub and verified that ffdshow did not show up in the codec list (Video -> Compression). 64 bit VirtualDub also showed no ffdshow. I installed 32 bit ffdshow (freshly downloaded from the "direct" link at this web site) from an account with admin privileges (not with "Run as Administrator"). After installation ffdshow showed up in 32 bit VirtualDub but not 64 bit VirtualDub. I then installed the 64 bit version of ffdshow (again, from the link at this web site). 64 bit VirtualDub then showed ffdshow in its codec list.

Note that VirtualDub only searches for codecs when it first starts up. So you have to start VirtualDub after installing the codecs. If you have an instance of VirtualDub running when you install a codec VirtualDub will not see the codec until you exit VirtualDub and restart it.

[WaveofShadow]

Hey again, so your assistance on the 'administrator' mode was definitely helpful, I finally managed to get ffdshow to show up on my Vdub.
So now how exactly to I enable the MJPEG decoder? Vdub still will not open my file and though I have no other MJPEG codecs installed on my system, (other than the one in ffdshow) I still get the

Error decompressing video frame()
VirtualDub cannot decode 4:2:2 Motion JPEG frames with image widths or heights that are not multiples of 16. Please install a third-party Motion-JPEG codec.

I think this is particularly frustrating because I know my video is intact, I just wish there were a repair program that could give me more than the first 1.5 GB of the file!

[WaveofShadow]

AAAH!
I did it!
Can't thank you enough for your help jagabo, finally getting Vdub to work properly will really help my other video editing work!