Accidentally deleted original WinXPpro audio codecs

[jmc1029]

A few months ago I was given a "package of great audio/video codecs" which I redily installed thinking it would be a great asset to have all those codecs already installed. Well it turned out to be quite the opposite. The installer put a whole bunch of outdated programs on my hard drive and the codecs made even playing a simple MP3 an ordeal. During the course of gettin everything back to the way it was before this lapse of judgement, I ended up deleting some of the default windows XP codecs. I have installed windows Media player 9 and the codec pacages avaliable from Microsoft, but I still have several programs complaining "Microsoft Audio Compression Not Installed". I've searched through almost everything Google pulls up, but I cannot find anywhere that explains how to manually restore the original windows audio codecs. I suppose a clean reinstallation of XP would solve this, but there's got to be a simpler way. If anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

-John

 

[bcastner]

Try:

1. Install this:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx

2. Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Add/Remove Windows Components. Uncheck Multimedia components. Appply, reboot.

3. Repeat Step #2, selecting multimedia components. Apply reboot.

 

[linney]

See if any of these give you any ideas.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/fourcc.mspx

http://www.divx-digest.com/software/avifourcc.html

316992 - Windows Media Player Multimedia File Formats

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316992&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

http://www.nwlink.com/~zachd/pss/pss.html#codecs

Run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q315/3/41.asp

 

[bcastner]

Audio codecs is the problem, linney.

 

[linney]

I can't hear you Bill.

Where to you find "Multimedia components" in Add/Remove Windows Components? I can't see that either!

My Audio and Video codecs aren't working too well today.


Have you tried looking in the Device Manager under "Sound, Video and Game Controllers" at the Properties for Audio Codecs. On the Properties page is another Properties tab which if clicked will list all the Audio Codecs. Each individual codec has its own properties which allow you to check that it is enabled.

 

[bcastner]

linney,

You are right, my apologies.

Uncheck Media Player 9, apply, reboot; and reverse the process. (after the download above).