Troubleshooting Video Codecs in Windows 95

• Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

This article lists troubleshooting steps to help you troubleshoot problems with video codecs in Windows 95. A video codec is an algorithm used to compress and decompress video files. The following problems are addressed in this article:

• Missing codecs
• Damaged codecs
• Conflicts between 16-bit and 32-bit codecs

MORE INFORMATION

Missing Codecs

Windows 95 includes 32-bit versions of several common video codecs. These 32-bit codecs are installed by default when you install Windows 95, and are used by multimedia programs even if a 16-bit version of the same codec is available.

To verify that the 32-bit codecs included with Windows 95 are installed, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.

2. Click the Windows Setup tab.

3. Click Multimedia, and then click Details.

4. Verify that the Video Compression check box is selected. If it is not selected, click the check box to select it, and then click OK.

If the codec used to compress the file is not one of the codecs included with Windows 95, contact the manufacturer of the codec for information about troubleshooting the problem. The following 32-bit video codecs are included with Windows 95:

• Intel Indeo R3.1 (IV31)
• Intel Indeo R3.2 (IV32)
• Supermatch Cinepak
• Microsoft RLE (MS-RLE)
• Microsoft Video 1 (MS-CRAM)

1. In Control Panel, double-click Multimedia.

2. Click the Advanced tab.

3. Double-click the Video Compression Codecs branch to expand it.

If the codec used to compress the file is not listed, use the following steps to install that codec:

1. In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware.

2. Click Next, click No, and then click Next.

3. Click Sound, Video, And Game Controllers, and then click Next.

4. In the Manufacturers box, click the appropriate item:

       - for RLE and Video 1, click Microsoft Video Codecs
       - for Cinepak, click SuperMatch
       - for R3.1 or R3.2, click Intel
   

5. Click the appropriate codec in the Models box, click Next, and then click Finish. If you are prompted to restart Windows 95, do so.

Damaged Codecs

If you still cannot play a particular video file after verifying that the codec used to compress the file is installed, the codec may be damaged. To ensure that you are not using a damaged codec, follow these steps to reinstall a codec:

1. In Control Panel, double-click Multimedia.

2. On the Advanced tab, double-click the Video Compression Codecs branch to expand it.

3. Click the codec used to compress the file you are trying to play, click Properties, click Remove, and then click Yes.

4. Restart your computer.

5. In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware.

6. Click Next, click No, and then click Next.

7. Click Sound, Video, And Game Controllers, and then click Next.

8. In the Manufacturers box, click the appropriate item:

       - for RLE and Video 1, click Microsoft Video Codecs
       - for Cinepak, click SuperMatch
       - for R3.1 or R3.2, click Intel
   

9. Click the appropriate codec in the Models box, click Next, and then click Finish. If you are prompted to restart Windows 95, do so.

If you still cannot play the file after reinstalling the video codec, you may need to remove all the Windows 95 multimedia files, and then reinstall them. To do so, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.

2. Click the Windows Setup tab.

3. Click the Multimedia check box to clear it, and then click OK.

4. Repeat steps 1-2.

5. Click the Multimedia check box to select it, and then click OK.

Conflicts Between 16-Bit and 32-Bit Codecs

If the 32-bit version of a video codec that Windows 95 needs to play a particular video file is not installed or is disabled, Windows 95 uses the 16-bit version of the codec if it is available. If the 32-bit version of the codec is installed and is not disabled, Windows 95 uses the 32-bit version by default. However, you may experience problems when both the 16- bit and 32-bit versions of a particular codec are installed.

The following 16-bit video codecs are installed by the run-time version of Microsoft Video for Windows and by many other Microsoft multimedia programs:

• Intel Indeo R3.1 (IV31)
• Intel Indeo R3.2 (IV32)
• Intel Indeo R2.1/RAW (RT21)
• Intel Indeo R2.1/RAW (YVU9)
• Supermatch Cinepak
• Microsoft RLE (MS-RLE)
• Microsoft Video 1 (MS-CRAM)

The following lines in the System.ini file correspond to the 16-bit video codecs that are installed by Microsoft Video for Windows version 1.1d:

   [drivers]
   vidc.rt21=indeov.drv
   vidc.yvu9=indeov.drv
   vidc.msvc=msvidc.drv
   vidc.iv31=indeov.drv
   vidc.mrle=msrle.drv

   [drivers]
   vidc.msvc=msvidc.drv
   vidc.rt21=indeov.drv
   vidc.iv32=ir32.dll
   vidc.iv31=ir32.dll
   vidc.mrle=msrle.drv
   vidc.yvu9=ir21_r.dll

   [drivers32]
   vidc.cvid=iccvid.dll
   vidc.iv31=ir32_32.dll
   vidc.iv32=ir32_32.dll
   vidc.msvc=msvidc32.dll
   vidc.mrle=msrle32.dll