How to remove codecs in Windows Vista?

[dogenzaka]

my windows dvd maker isn't working anymore and it crashes so im guessing it has to do with some codecs I installed. How can I uninstall them? I personally want to wipe all my codecs and start fresh, can I do that? How?

[redwudz]

You could probably use Codec Sniper. I haven't tried it with Vista, though. But I wouldn't remove your system codecs. (Unless your new codecs destroyed them.) CS may be able to tell you if they are corrupted.

You should be OK if you just remove the ones you just installed.

Are you just having problems with the MPEG-2 codec?

I would also suggest you set a restore point before you do any major changes.

[dogenzaka]

I tried codec sniper and I hit delete and nothing happens. It worked fine on my old computer with XP but CS doesn't work on my new computer with Vista.

Even then, which ones are the system codecs?

I don't know which ones it was. It's about a month span since I was able to correctly use Windows DVD Maker and now it doesn't and i've downloaded a lot since then.

Is there any other way?

[Wizard23]

DSFMgr may help you to remove codecs. It lets you delete codecs from your pc. It works fine on vista. Im using it on vista. I hope it helps you out.

[redwudz]

I'm not sure which codecs Vista comes with, but here's one article on codecs and Vista: http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/07/21/1046591.aspx

This is from MS about Vista codecs:

How do I display detailed information about the Player components and codecs installed on my computer?
If you need to see a list of the Windows Media Player components and codecs installed on your computer, do the following:


1. On the Help menu, click About Windows Media Player.

If the Help menu is not visible, show the Classic Menus.

2. On the About Windows Media Player dialog box, click Technical Support Information.

Your Web browser will open a page that includes information about the related binary files, codecs, filters, plug-ins, and services installed on your computer. A technical support person might be able to use this detailed information to help you troubleshoot problems on your computer.

I would try to find out why DVD Maker isn't working before I would uninstall too many things.