Object Is Not Displayed in the Multimedia Tool in Control Panel

ID: Q220963

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

Under certain circumstances, all objects in the Multimedia tool in Control Panel may not be displayed. This may cause problems if you need to configure an object using the Multimedia tool.


CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the size of the following registry key becomes larger than 512 bytes:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32
The Multimedia tool reads this key to obtain a display of objects. If the size of this key is larger than 512 bytes, the Multimedia tool cannot read the entire list of values (512 bytes are approximately 50 objects).


RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).


To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

  • Remove any unused audio or video codecs, sound card drivers, or video capture devices from the Multimedia tool. After the size of the registry key is less than 512 bytes, objects are properly displayed in the Multimedia tool.


  • Change the order of objects in the registry so that the objects that you want displayed are configured to be at the top of the registry key:


    1. Click Start, click Run, and then type regedit.


    2. Find the following registry key:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT \CurrentVersion\Drivers32


    3. Click the Drivers32 data value, click the Registry menu, and then click Export Registry File.


    4. Name the file Mm.reg, and then save it to the hard disk.


    5. Right-click the Mm.reg file, and then click Edit. This opens the file in Notepad so you can edit the registry keys.


    6. Cut and paste the entries that you want displayed in the Multimedia tool to the bottom of the file, leaving no blank lines.


    7. Save the changes to the file, and then quit Notepad.


    8. Double-click the Mm.reg file. A message appears, confirming that the registry is updated.


    9. Restart the computer.



STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0.


MORE INFORMATION

The fact that an object is not displayed does not affect most programs; the driver for a device still loads and is available.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbsound
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug


Last Reviewed: June 7, 1999
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