I originally installed the XP Codec Pack to attempt to solve a problem with a Fraps video recorded with four-channel sound, and I could not get it to encode on a computer with two-channel sound. I kept getting errors about unmatched pins or something. After a long period of fiddling with the Codec Pack options, I never really managed to solve the problem. However, now I find myself in an entirely different situation....

THERE IS NO CODEC MASTER RESET. So while you can play with settings all you want, it's almost impossible to revert the system settings back to their original state if you don't like what you've changed and haven't been meticulously writing settings down.

Also if you uninstall the codec pack, that does NOT mean that all the codecs gracefully back out and detach themselves from the system. No, the uninstaller basically just rips the codecs out and leaves a smoking, burning, sparking mess in its wake.

For example, after changing the DVD decoder to the "alternate" in Windows Media Player 9, and then uninstalling the Codec Pack, the DVD decoder menu basically disappeared, leaving some weirdly named value boxes that could not be changed, and attempting to play a DVD would actually crash WMP9.

I then tried to upgrade to 10 and it did not repair the problem. DVD playback still crashed WMP10, and the only way to get some semblance of functionality was to reinstall the XP Codec Pack, and the codec config options now magically reappeared in the DVD preferences of WMP10.


At this point after several months of playing with it, it appears I am only managing to make things worse and worse, and my multimedia subsystem is totally hosed.

I'm probably going to have to do a full Windows reinstall to clear out the screwed up codecs. I cannot even get a basic AVI or WMV to play. It just opens in WMP and stops on a single frame and won't advance or play audio.


Is there some way to go into the registry and just delete vast swaths of FFDshow, and AC3Filter settings, delete all of WMP9 settings, delete the whole Windows multimedia registry tree, uninstall all the multimedia hardware, and then reset the config to defaults, without having to totally reinstall Windows?

- Dale

Frankly, there's a prob;em with doing a re-install. Win simply takes back a lot of it's old settings, so you're still hosed! IMHO, you should do what I do when Win needs to be taught who's boss. Save all the data on your C: partition, toss in the Start-up diskette or CD or whatever, and do a Format C:. That does it everytime. Then there's no need to try and find crap in the Registry, etc.

Sounds drastic, but it only takes a few hours to do it and reinstall all your apps. Better than farting about for months! In fact, it's become Standard Operating Procedure with me to do that about every 3 month. Keeps Win running really well.

In case you don't have the stuff to make a Startup CD, I'm attaching a ZIP of same.

Or, do it like my style, make a clean image of the WINDOWS partition before you install ANY codec, using Norton Ghost or Acronis or whatever prog that you like. Yes, it will take some of your precious space, but better than reinstalling/formatting from scratch. Restoring from image takes about the same time you copy big files to your HD, reinstalling Windows and EVERYTHING you needed, except codec takes more than that. Some of this prog can make differential backup, so try use it for change.

Why I recommended this? Because I'm fed up by reinstalling the Windows, after the codec corrupted. Fixing the registry won't make much differences, because you don't know WHERE to fix actually.

Oh yeah, do not try to REPAIR the Windows from the Windows Install CD, because it just make it worst.

Why don't I use the System Restore?? Because it just restore back SOME of the registry and settings keys, NOT ALL. Basically, MS wants you to blame on the old Windows, buy new one, and blame it again when new Windows came out. Heheheheh.......