Ok well i have a whole bunch of TV shows recorded on my computer (Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis all seasons) and their stored on another drive and well... my computer went crazy and Windows decided to get corrupted. so i just reinstalled XP and now i'm having a lot of problems with my videos and my TV Tuner. but my question is how do i know what Codec i need? cause they all worked fine before all this and now Windows Media keeps telling me that it doens't have the codec for it. so i downloaded a bundled codec thing and installed it and it still doesn't work...any ideas?

 

My first questions would be:
What TV tuner did you use to record?
What is the file extension (common ones are .wmv, .mpg, .avi)?

Also, I've had problems with Windows Media being stupid even after I installed a codec. For example, a DivX codec was installed, and Windows Media still wouldn't play DivX encoded files. I just played the DivX files with the DivX player, which is part of the bundle.
You might try uninstalling and reinstalling the codecs. If all else fails, a sledge hammer will solve the problem. You won't have a computer left, but Media Player won't give you anymore error messages .

 

What he said is correct....

Codecs are merely files that allow you to play specific video formats....there are TONS of codecs available. I have a file that includes about 100mb of codecs...and it usually covers the bases for 99% of the codecs.

Something I will suggest is making sure you are running the latest version of Windows Media Player, which is 10. 11 is still in a beta. I'd also make sure that you have a DVD playing software installed. Believe it or not, this will usually play what WMP wont.... you can also install the DivX player, but it tends to install spyware....so be careful.

As for the videos themselves, you may need the software that you recorded the shows with itself. Often, these programs will use a default file type that will easily work in the software, but often leave you scratching your head without it.

 

i have DivX and Xvid...and the files are .avi...but the odd thing is that half of the videos will play but not the newer ones. and i've tried playing them in the DivX window and still no good. so i'm thinking that its a audio codec but not sure. and i have the Happauge WinTV-Go


Devils Reject, what bundle is that file that u have? or did u just download all the ones u could?

oh yea and my TV Tuner has been messed up. it plays the TV but no audio... but i've already contacted Happauge to see if they no what it could be. cause it worked once...then i installed a codec and then the audio no work.

 

I have a huge file codec pack called Kazaa....and no, this isnt the file sharing program...its just the name of the codec pack.

You may be missing one of the divx codecs....as like I said before...there are a ton of them...

 

hmmm i cant find that pack anywhere...found some k-lite packs though...they did no help. and whenever i add an audio codec...it messes up my sound all together....i want a Mac desktop lol

 

It's called the Kazaa Lite Codec Pack....and its usually fixed 9 outta 10 codec issues I've had or encountered. When I couldnt fix a codec issue, it was generally a software issue that was causing it. I'd suggest trying a fresh install on your computer...but it's all a matter of what you know and how easy/hard that would be for you to do.

Something else.....have you considered that maybe your Tuner card software is screwed up? I've seen software crap out and drivers screw up that have caused similar issues. We had a Dell driver that wouldnt load right when we used our Ghost program. It would make the sound turn out like the Chipmunks....if we uninstalled it....we'd get it to work right...weird ****...

Having a Mac desktop wont make things easier either....as there's only so much they can do....and there's alot of stuff you cant even do on a Mac....

Mac's are great though for video editing and photoshop....

 

tired of working with codecs lol.... i figured out how to get most of my shows working...and that was to un-install all the codec packs except divX and that got most of them back... and now i'm just downloading the rest of the episodes (about 30% of them) and their working fine now so i just dont get it...