Hi! When i go to "control panel/sounds and audio devices/Hardware/audio codecs/properties", there is a listing of my installed audio codecs. When I open one of them to view its properties, the properties display correctly. Then I close that properties window, and the audio codec list SHRINKS... it only displays maybe 10 of the 16 installed codecs. When I bring up one of the ones at the bottom of the reduced list, it doesn't bring up properties for the selected codec.

Changing priority order doesn't seem to change this behaviour.

If i close the audio codec pane and reopen it, the list is longer again, until i choose one to view the properties. Also, there seem to be two AC-3 codecs installed with the same properties.

So, how do i get this to behave in a stable way? Is there some way to rebuild the 'audio codecs/properties' listing?

Thanks, Jong

Sorry, what's the problem?
The codecs without properties are likely broken or not installed. Try re-installing or re-registering them.

The problem is that the codecs shown in the Sound Control Panel/Hardware/Audio codecs properties display eratically. If i look at properties for one codec, then return to the list of all codecs, the list of all codecs is incomplete... it changes each time i look at an individual codec's properties.

One codec is listed twice (the ac3 filter). Altho the properties for the two are identical, one is locked by the system "cannot be removed", the other one isn't.

If i click on the ogg-vorbis filter, and click "remove", nothing happens.

I want to rebuild the list in the CP "audio codecs properties" page, so that it's stable, and works.

Reinstalling existing codecs (all the WMP codecs 6.4 and 9 reinstalled, fhg reinstalled) didn't help. I can't remove the ac3 filter at all.

thanks! - J

Get Sherlock - The Codec Detective and see what codecs are really broken.

If the uninstaller is missing read this small guide. It may help you...

thanks for the suggestions, euromix

Sherlock shows nothing broken.

I use AnalogX's DXMan to do the register/unregister events, it's a shortcut to the regserv32 commandline. DXMan shows a set of things that aren't installed properly, Sherlock didn't find them, or didn't think they were broken. All the things that DXMan shows as not working end in "*DMO", for example "WMVideo Decoder DMO"... i have 7-8 entries that end in "DMO" like that, including one of the intervideo elements.

The list of items in the "Audio Codec Properties" display in the control panel occur in (at least) two places in the registry:
HKLM/Software/Microsoft/AudioCompressionManager/Cache
HKCU/Software/Miscrosoft/Multimedia/AudioCompressionManager/Priority v4.00

There are 17 entries in each of these keys, but only 16 show up in the Audio Codecs Properties CP. Then only 10 or so show up after i open on of the property pages in the Audio Codecs Properties CP.

What are the *DMO files, and how do i find out where they are, to register them?

Is it oke to clear the AudioCompressionManager/Cache Key? (Cache sounds like something Windows will rebuild, maybe that will fix the problem, but i can't find any information on that Key in Goggle.)

Thanks!

Quote from this article: DMO is interface for codecs in Windows Media Player 7, 7.1 and 8...

Did you try to install the latest Windows Media Player 10?

Hey thanks for the lead... I think I discovered that the "*DMO" files require the qasf.dll to run. Some filters/codecs are routed through qasf.dll, the "broken" ones aren't registered with it.

I have TWO versions of "qasf.dll" in my system folders... I need to do some research and registry searching on that.

Yes, i did a install-over-existing of WMP10 and DirectX9c.

Weird discovery... in the GSpot listing, there is one codec that displays as just a "-", no other info.

Also, in "codec sniper", it shows only 15 installed audio codecs; the registry entries show 16... so now i'll go through and check one against the other.

All this started trying to solve 2 problems.

1) Vegas wouldn't recored MP3, either in an AVI render, or in a direct render of a MP3 file. Found a suggestion on the net to uninstall all MP3 encoders except for on (I'm trying to keep the l3codeca). Some sources suggested that the CreativeMP3 codec breaks things, and I did just install a Creative card....

2) PowerDVD works fine, but WinDVD only plays the picture, no audio. One of the the "not working"
DMO filters is the "InterVideo G725Dec DMO", so i need to find that and register it, I guess. That Intervideo codec doesn't show up in the CodecSniper or Sherlock listings as broken... it doesn't show up at all! It does show up as broken in DXMan, and is listed as "working" in Filmerit. Go figure.

I'm not very clear on the difference between DXfilters and Codecs. The listing utilites show a LOT more items than the Windows CP "Audio codecs properties" page.

Thanks for your suggestions - Jong