Too Many Codecs on System?

[Yo]

In another forum, when I mentioned the problems I was having with a
particular commercial video software program, someone replied that perhaps I had too many codecs on my system.

Can too many codecs cause problems? In Device manager I looked up codecs, and my system lists the following:

DIVX 5.1.1

iccvid.dll

Indeo Video 5.11

Indeo Video R3.2 by Intel

Indeo Video Raw YUV9 by Intel

ir41_32.ax

iyuv_32.dll

Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec

msh261.drv

msh263.drv

msrle32.dll

msvidc32.dll

msyuv.dll

XVID MPEG-4 Video Codec.

Well, the above is what my computer states.

I'm not familiar with all of these codecs. Are they all important to have, for someone who does some video processing?

Would anyone suggest that I get rid of some of them? Which?

By the way, I don't see WM9 codec here. Does Microsoft use their MPEG-4 codec to create .WMV videos?

By the way, my computer is running Windows XP Professional, with all the latest updates, it has 768 MB RAM, and a Pentium 4 M 2.0 gHz CPU.

IF anyone thinks something about my codec setup could be causing problems, please let me know what to change. Thank you.

[bond]

shouldnt be too much...

whats your problem actually?

[Yo]

Originally posted by bond
shouldnt be too much...

whats your problem actually?

Well, different problems with different programs, etc.

I had a lot of problems with Ulead DVD Movie Factory 3 Disc Creator (with newest update), and in writing about them on their forum, someone mentioned that maybe I had too many codecs.

It isn't on topic for this forum to discuss problems with different software programs, but I just wondered what some of you experts thought about my codec listing. Does that look pretty normal? No conflicts?

Some of them don't list a codec name, only a filename? What are those? Perhaps if some are unnecessary, I should try deleting them. But I shouldn't delete something when I don't know what it is, and what it does.

[Sirber]

Usualy codecs don't interfere with the system. Maybe you have some malware installed. Scan your computer with SpyBot and Adaware

[Yo]

On the Ulead board, when I posted my list of codecs (after somoene there asked what codecs I have installed), here is that guy's response:

>Please remove XviD MPEG4 codec, it will sometimes crash the system when >you edit the video. The problem of this codec is been confirmed by >Microsoft.

That's sure a surprise reply, identifying XVID as a "problem codec", "confirmed by Microsoft". I know that XVID is much used in these parts, by people who write to Doom9.

Anyone heard of that before, that Microsoft confirmed a "problem with XVID"?

[stephanV]

here's what i would do:

uninstall XviD and see if the problem remains.

- if its gone then your problem is solved
- if it isnt then you should find someone else to help you

as a side note: i must congratelate you on a very clean system when it comes to codecs. the only possible thing that perhaps could go wrong is if both DivX and XviD claim generic MPEG4 support. but actually, this shouldn't really cause any problems.

[Neo Neko]

Originally posted by Yo
On the Ulead board, when I posted my list of codecs (after somoene there asked what codecs I have installed), here is that guy's response:

>Please remove XviD MPEG4 codec, it will sometimes crash the system when >you edit the video. The problem of this codec is been confirmed by >Microsoft.

Perhaps I am not looking in the right place. But I can find no such notice or release from Microsoft. So either it is false or someone has an inside contact with Microsoft. Either way it is likely FUD. When something breaks on MS Windows it is never Microsoft's fault. It's those pesky 3rd partly developers they would like to eradicate. Since Microsoft is not ready to alienate Ulead just yet they are just passing the blame to a patsy who does not have the resources or sheer presence to dispute the claim. Microsoft does not care about the Xvid group. Chances are they would love to destroy them for making their WM codecs look mediocre. :D

Originally posted by Yo
That's sure a surprise reply, identifying XVID as a "problem codec", "confirmed by Microsoft". I know that XVID is much used in these parts, by people who write to Doom9.

Anyone heard of that before, that Microsoft confirmed a "problem with XVID"?

As I said before it is likely missinformation. But follow the scientific method. Uninstall all the possible problem codecs one by one till it works. Then you will know where the conflict lies. Now whether it is Xvid or the Ulead soft that is broken will still be anyones guess. But it will be a much better starting point.

Also do you have the latest version of Xvid while we are at it?

[Tommy B.]

Uhmm... another question: What exactly is the problem you have with the Ulead software? Does it crash on start up or something like that?

[niamh]

>Please remove Microsoft , it will sometimes crash the encoding when you edit the video. The problem of this operating sytem has been confirmed by XviD MPEG4 codec.

:D:D I couldn't resist...

Xvid tends to crash windows explorer, and that has no side effects on anything else except the tray icons that disappear....and the bug is in microsoft for sure ,as it happens to ( fewer ) systems with Divx too(and ffdshow).(I haven't Ulead, maybe they conflict, but it can be Ulead's fault too). You don't have too many codecs, but you might need to reinstall them, which is a different story, and regularly needed.

[malkion]

It's a lot easier for companies to point fingers and do nothing, rather than provide a fix in their own code.

[Neo Neko]

Indeed.

[dragongodz]

windows xp has to be the worst i have seen for screwing up codecs information. try running bigfix and see how many errors it finds.

[Yo]

Originally posted by dragongodz
windows xp has to be the worst i have seen for screwing up codecs information. try running bigfix and see how many errors it finds.

What is bigfix?

Someone recommended regularly uninstalling and reinstalling codecs. From Device Manager? In any particular order?

Although of course I recognize some of the codecs on my list, like Xvid and DIVX and Indeo and Microsoft MPEG-4, there are some (especially those that are just a filename on the list), which I have no idea what they are. It is possible there are some that I have no use for, and might as well uninstall permanently. Of course I would need to know that for sure, before doing so, what those codecs are, and what they are used for.

Could anyone explain those on my list?

[Yo]

Originally posted by Tommy B.
Uhmm... another question: What exactly is the problem you have with the Ulead software? Does it crash on start up or something like that?

No, doesn't usually crash on start-up. I have had a lot of problems with it. I don't recall which problem I was writing about, to which the guy answered referring to codecs.

It's true, tech support people (which I suspect the replier is, someone working for Ulead, although appearing to be just a poster) will so often rather blame the user, or blame it on other software, rather than acknowledging bugs in their software, and say they are working on fixing it. I'd sure rather hear the latter.

[gotaserena]

Originally posted by niamh
[B]:D:D I couldn't resist...

That's why I don't believe in AI... By the time theses guys are able to program anything close to intelligence it will be so riddled with bugs that odds are that it will spend 99.99999999% of the time self-diagnosing -- and the rest of it sending bug reports to the big brother...

About the original problem, I would start by looking at the ulead soft itself. I've still to manage a MPEG-2 recode with the editor that came with my capture card.

[lordadmira]

The real problem is that multimedia apps have this nasty habit of hooking dll's that have nothing to do with the task at hand. Look at ur program's modules list in TaskInfo and u'll see what I mean. The only plausible explanation is that Ulead is loading up too much crap and doing something that it shouldn't be doing. The suggestion "please uninstall Xvid" is ridiculous. If Ulead crashes click on Details on the info box and see what module it crashed in. If it in fact says xvid*.dll then there is something to look into for Syskin ;). Otherwise Ulead needs to work it out with the author of the particular module. If it makes a Dr. Watson log then look in that log file for more info.


LA

[dragongodz]

The real problem is that multimedia apps have this nasty habit of hooking dll's that have nothing to do with the task at hand.
true but i would want to rule out XP from screwing up codecs first. if the problem then persists it is indeed likly the program is doing something it shouldnt be.

Yo - you can download bigfix from here -
http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?topic=54711&forum=1


a little search would have got you that answer of course. ;)