AVI Causes Win Explorer Crash

[DVFs_DrinkOrDie]

I searched the forums and found similar incidents but nothing that really helps. I have had this happen before but now I would like to find out more about what causes this.

A friend brought me his AVI on a flash drive so I could burn it to a DVD for him, since he only has a CD burner.

Experience has taught me that it's best to copy the AVI to the HDD before burning, so I put in in a temporary folder on my desktop.

Every time I simply open the folder containing that AVI, Windows Explorer "encountered an error and needs to close".

I realize that explorer is trying to retrieve information about the file and trying to display a thumbnail. At that point is when the error occurs. As far as I can tell, the error involves Divxdec.ax.

Can anyone shed some light on this problem?

[neuron2]

Turn off thumbnails?

[DVFs_DrinkOrDie]

Doesn't seem to make any difference. Simply opening the folder when that AVI is in there, causes explorer to crash. I put the folder view settings to "list" and even hid the "details" pane that appears in the far lower left of the sidebar, so it wouldn't try to show me the thumbnail or other details there. Then I restored the file from the recycle bin and tried again. Same result. CRASH. Funny thing is, if I hurry and play it, it plays and looks great. Then a few seconds later, the error pops up. Very irritating.

I did all of this while viewing your response to my post. I can even get a screenshot of the error. I ignored it and can continue working with windows, and even watch it all the way through if I want, until I click the "close" button on the error popup. Soon as I choose "close" explorer restarts.

[rt87]

maybe your DivX installation is corrupted. Try reinstalling it.

[DVFs_DrinkOrDie]

I don't think so. It only happens with this particular AVI, and rarely (once or twice before) in the past. In every case, it was a specific AVI involved. Furthermore, when it happened before, it wasn't divxdec.ax listed when the error occurred. It was another codec. This problem does not occur with any other AVI's I currently have. Regardless of the codec used to encode them.

[linyx]

Try setting FFDShow as the default DivX decoder.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

DVFs_DrinkOrDie, try this: Goto Start -> Run and type "regsvr32.exe /u shmedia.dll"

If it still happens, get Autoruns (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx) and check the "Explorer" tab for other Shell Extensions that might conflict...

[Sharktooth]

that happens when the file is corrupted. the lord_mulder suggestion works 99.9% of the times...
to delete the file just open a command prompt, navigate to the folder where the file is located and delete it (anyways it's badly corrupted).
once again, thanks M$ for not fixing this long standing bug...

[rtjnyoface]

I had the problem awhile back also. Searched all the forums and etc. I could with no real help till I found the regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll fix. It should help you.

Best o luck

[setarip_old]

What happens if you try to play the .AVI from the thumb drive?

[DVFs_DrinkOrDie]

...to delete the file just open a command prompt, navigate to the folder where the file is located and delete it...

You might have seen where I mentioned restoring it from the recycle bin. Deleting it was no problem. Playing it was no problem, moving or copying it is no problem. I just have to ignore the error pop up and continue doing whatever I want with it. Explorer continues to work and doesn't restart until I click the "close" button located within the error window, but that's nothing new. So apparently, explorer really doesn't "need" to close after all.

DVFs_DrinkOrDie, try this: Goto Start -> Run and type "regsvr32.exe /u shmedia.dll"

From what I understand, that would prevent Windows from loading the thumbnail preview and other information in the details pane. No big loss there! I find it completely useless most of the time anyway. Thanks for the tip. I think I'll give that a try and see if it suits me. The software you pointed me to looks useful as well.

To answer setarip: I still have to use Windows Explorer to browse the flash drive obviously, so the same thing happens while explorer is trying to load the details pane.

I had suspected a corrupt AVI from the start, but everyone's input has been very useful and educational. Thanks alot and you may consider the case closed as far as I'm concerned.

[setarip_old]

To answer setarip: I still have to use Windows Explorer to browse the flash drive obviously, so the same thing happens while explorer is trying to load the details pane.Nothing "obvious" about it - other than it's likely that the file transferred from your friend's system that's on the thumb drive is corrupt in some manner...

Or, you may have unwittingly transferred a virus from your friend's system via the thumb drive.

[clsid]

Files do not have to be corrupt/damaged in order to make Explorer crash.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

From what I understand, that would prevent Windows from loading the thumbnail preview and other information in the details pane.

That's exactly the reason why it (hopefully) solves your problem ;)

[DVFs_DrinkOrDie]

I know this is quite old, but it hasn't been locked yet so...

I really still do not understand the exact cause, but even though it has happened with a couple of specific individual AVI's before this thread, it hasn't happened since, and I changed nothing on my system. I simply got rid of the offending AVI(s). This was not a virus or corrupted flash drive, I assure you. I have not had a virus actually deliver a payload and corrupt my system since the late 1980's? I believe. The infamous Jerusalem virus. That's it.

@LoRd_MuldeR

I tried just for the sake of it, to stop the thumbnail preview (registry hack) and Windows Explorer still gave me the same problem. I only wish for the sake of understanding, what mechanism or conditions causes this crash. I found that disabling the thumbnail preview (which, the preview is pretty much useless for most AVI's anyway) useful many years ago for speeding up browsing of video folders on slow, memory deficient computers running Norton Antivirus (yuck) but that application of the hack is not necessary for me now and it didn't help with the current issue. Oh well. chock it up to an unsolved mystery I guess. Maybe someday it will happen again, but given the OS forecast for the next 20 years or so, I doubt it. If Windows 7 matures into a decent product, I'll be skipping Vista (yuck) altogether and go with Windows 7 64 bit or Windows XP pro 64 bit for my next build which is still at least 24 months away.

[MatLz]

Hi.
I had the same problem a long time ago with (don't remember the name sorry) a Neroxxx.ax.
I resolve quickly my problem : I simply erased it.

[clsid]

There are basically two main causes:
1) A corrupt file
2) A buggy DirectShow filter

[iffybob]

Just a point here , I have tried variouse ways of stoping the zip dll in "Win XP Pro SP2", I have tried unregistering it, deleteing the dll, and next reboot its back ( the g!t ), the only way I can think to now get rid of the thing is to delete the XP install files on th HD, unregister it, delete the file, and try that, but that would cause other incoveiences.

( By the way why I want to switch it off , is cos explorer searches then when I look for filenames, and I dont want it to )

[Ghitulescu]

it's the explorer add-on or extension or whatever it's its name - that little proggie that helps you opening something by right-clicking it (like Open with Winzip, Print with MagicBaloon etc.).

These are active as long explorer itself is and do not appear in task (the AVIs are opened by explorer - this is the parent application).

So deinstall that application that brought the extentions...

-----

And don't forget that are other users under Windows as the administrators :)

[iffybob]

I have winrar installed so I dont need the zip dll at all, it is integrated into explorer(file not internet), on my old ver of XP I could unreg it, and it worked, in this ver M$ knows best and it "will not" unreg "really", and the only thing left I can think of is to "diskcleanup", and delete the XP install files so it stops retreving it from there when I delete the file, but that causes probs with addon hardware/software, which would mean having the XP install disc in the drive.

I have a lot of zips with archived data, I know where they are and whats in them, I dont want explorer to search them. it takes ages for a filename search that was faster under Xtreegold in DOS.(winge)

[Ghitulescu]

I have a lot of zips with archived data, I know where they are and whats in them, I dont want explorer to search them. it takes ages for a filename search that was faster under Xtreegold in DOS.(winge)

That was a piece of art in the good ole times. However, that time the biggest HDD was 80MB I think :)

Keep searching what applications have you installed (file viewers, video processing applications, codecs), one of them hooked into the explorer plug-in interface and crashes while taking the whole system with.

[Ghitulescu]

that happens when the file is corrupted. the lord_mulder suggestion works 99.9% of the times...
to delete the file just open a command prompt, navigate to the folder where the file is located and delete it (anyways it's badly corrupted).
once again, thanks M$ for not fixing this long standing bug...

Sometimes this is not possible. The only solution is either to delete the file from another PC (if it's external) or to find a utility that unlocks the AVI (forcibly closes the file handle) - I use ProcessExplorer (Mark Russinovich or like that, sysinternals). Only then you can succesfully deregister (make sure no explorer is open or no AVI file is selected).

[iffybob]

That was a piece of art in the good ole times. However, that time the biggest HDD was 80MB I think :)

by the time I stoped using it I was on 500MB dirives, but with split partitions, I dont know if it had a limit, FAT16 what ever that limit was.

I have found that the only way to completely deselect a file that has "been" selected ( XP-Sp2 ), is to shut down all the instences of "Explorer" (file not IE ), and even then if that file caused a prog to crash ie MS-Media player, only a re-boot will unlock it.:mad:

It does not always hold lock on them, but when it does its a pain. :cool:

[Inspector.Gadget]

Hey OP did you ever find a way to resolve the problem?

[Ghitulescu]

Hey OP did you ever find a way to resolve the problem?

He didn't try my suggestion yet, I presume, because I know it works.