XviD, COM Surrogate, Windows Explorer
- Thread starter SeaCastle
- Start date
eyore
Active member
That's a good article and I'll file it away as I seem to be an "expert" crasher :-[
Codec packs are trouble more than not, If you can, just install the ones you need and NOT the full range.
Uninstalling often doesn't remove codecs that are shared with other programs (even if they don't work with them)
I have the opposite problem in that Nero hates some of the codecs in them (my Nero 6 works really well).
Often these packs will overwrite things that other programs need and stop them working (usually ones you have paid for which are working but are now a version or two below the most recent). I suppose updating would be the answer but I have a built-in objection to buying a program to find out, 6 months later, that I have to buy it again because a new version is out (Nero comes to mind - Bah, humbug).
Sorry, sore point at the moment after hours of trying to get mkv files to play on anything (ok, I solved it) but not how they said on the website. :'(
If all else fails, try a rollback.
Codec packs are trouble more than not, If you can, just install the ones you need and NOT the full range.
Uninstalling often doesn't remove codecs that are shared with other programs (even if they don't work with them)
I have the opposite problem in that Nero hates some of the codecs in them (my Nero 6 works really well).
Often these packs will overwrite things that other programs need and stop them working (usually ones you have paid for which are working but are now a version or two below the most recent). I suppose updating would be the answer but I have a built-in objection to buying a program to find out, 6 months later, that I have to buy it again because a new version is out (Nero comes to mind - Bah, humbug).
Sorry, sore point at the moment after hours of trying to get mkv files to play on anything (ok, I solved it) but not how they said on the website. :'(
If all else fails, try a rollback.
eyore
Active member
Has it been working OK for the last few weeks?
If so, try and think what changes you have made (some programs update stuff without you knowing) between the time it last worked and the first time it didn't. (OK, basic stuff but it's easy to forget something simple).
I get problems (usually) after downloading something free or a trial version. Uninstalling still leaves stuff around.
I take it you have worked through the very long page that Dolbyman suggested?
The fact that you can still view stuff in Firefox suggests that it's a conflict somewhere - is there anything that you have updated (like the Flash player) in Firefox but not in IE? (You have to do that for both).
As a final suggestion, you could uninstall any codec packs you have downloaded, restart, see if that helps, redownload them (or just reinstall them if you still have the setup files) and see if there is a difference.
You could also try switching off the codecs one by one (see the previous help page).
It's probably going to be a long job but, as I don't have Vista, I can't be of specific help.
If you use Nero, you could uninstall (make a note of your numbers) and - most important - use their clean tools - all of them - to clear everything out of the system and see if that helps. If you don't use the clean tools, Nero leaves stuff everywhere.
Let us know what happens.
If so, try and think what changes you have made (some programs update stuff without you knowing) between the time it last worked and the first time it didn't. (OK, basic stuff but it's easy to forget something simple).
I get problems (usually) after downloading something free or a trial version. Uninstalling still leaves stuff around.
I take it you have worked through the very long page that Dolbyman suggested?
The fact that you can still view stuff in Firefox suggests that it's a conflict somewhere - is there anything that you have updated (like the Flash player) in Firefox but not in IE? (You have to do that for both).
As a final suggestion, you could uninstall any codec packs you have downloaded, restart, see if that helps, redownload them (or just reinstall them if you still have the setup files) and see if there is a difference.
You could also try switching off the codecs one by one (see the previous help page).
It's probably going to be a long job but, as I don't have Vista, I can't be of specific help.
If you use Nero, you could uninstall (make a note of your numbers) and - most important - use their clean tools - all of them - to clear everything out of the system and see if that helps. If you don't use the clean tools, Nero leaves stuff everywhere.
Let us know what happens.
eyore
Active member
Well I see them in various programs designed to look for them (Nero, for instance) but I believe there are several programs available that can show them or tell you which codec has been used.
In general, codecs are in the system32 folder but what they look like I don't know although I suspect they re part of the dll files.
Some programs keep them in their own folders instead (VCL does) so they don't interfere with other programs and cause conflicts.
I think Super does as well.
Often, the codec packs you download can be removed using the add/remove in control panel.
May be worthwhile checking that nothing has installed something from Nero (even though you don't have it) - search for a file called NeVideo.ax (that seems to cause a lot of problems) and either delete it or rename it (say, oldNeVideo.ax) and see what happens. Whatever program installed it (if any), won't work but at least it will show what was wrong.
It's a common problem, it seems and probably does originate from Stax-rip. as you say.
Try and update to the latest version of Xvid as well.
Hope you get it sorted.
In general, codecs are in the system32 folder but what they look like I don't know although I suspect they re part of the dll files.
Some programs keep them in their own folders instead (VCL does) so they don't interfere with other programs and cause conflicts.
I think Super does as well.
Often, the codec packs you download can be removed using the add/remove in control panel.
May be worthwhile checking that nothing has installed something from Nero (even though you don't have it) - search for a file called NeVideo.ax (that seems to cause a lot of problems) and either delete it or rename it (say, oldNeVideo.ax) and see what happens. Whatever program installed it (if any), won't work but at least it will show what was wrong.
It's a common problem, it seems and probably does originate from Stax-rip. as you say.
Try and update to the latest version of Xvid as well.
Hope you get it sorted.