It is always recommended to uninstall old versions first. However, it is not a requirement. If there only have been a few small changes between your old and the new version, then you can just install the new version on top of the old version. That should work fine, without any problems. If there have been major changes, then the installer will automatically prompt you that you should uninstall first.

This means the installer tries to replace a file that is currently in use by another program.

Close all programs that are active and click on 'retry'. If the same error keeps appearing, then just click on 'ignore' and let the installation continue.

No. You'll have to uninstall the whole codec pack. Then install it again with only those components selected that you want.

You can however disable (and re-enable) all codecs and filters using the Codec Tweak Tool. This will not uninstall the codecs, but it will effectively disable them.

* If it is an .avi file, open it in GSpot Codec Information Appliance. There you can see which codecs the file needs.

* If it is an MPEG file (.mpg .mpeg etc), then see the question below for a possible solution.

* If it is a RealMedia file (.ra .rm .ram .rmvb) then you need to install Real Alternative or the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.

* If it is a QuickTime file (.mov .qt) then you need to install QuickTime Alternative or the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.

* Use Media Player Classic. For two reasons: 1) It is better able to play certain files than other players. 2) It shows more useable error messages.

* You can also try to uninstall and then re-install the K-Lite Codec Pack. Read the information at the beginning of the installation to see what additional components you might need. Not all components are enabled by default on the components screen, so you might need to enable some additional ones.

* Try the VideoLAN player. This player doesn't use DirectShow filters to play files, but it's own plugins.

There are two types of MPEG video, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. The most common one of these two that is used in .mpg/.mpeg files is MPEG-1. Windows should support playback of MPEG-1 video without the need to install any additional codecs or filters. If playback using the default Windows filters fails for some odd reason, then you should enable the internal MPEG-1 decoder of Media Player Classic. You can do that in Options > Internal Filters. Also enable the internal MPEG PS/TS/PVA source filter.

MPEG-2 is the video format that is used on DVDs and also for SVCDs. To play MPEG-2 you need to install an MPEG-2 decoder. The K-Lite Codec Pack has several decoders from which you can choose. If you use Media Player Classic, then you don't need to install one, because MPC has an internal MPEG-2 decoder.

You can use the GSpot tool To find out which type of MPEG video a file contains.

The AVI source filter of Windows is probably broken. You can fix it by doing the following:

Start > Run > regsvr32 quartz.dll

WinAVI sometimes breaks the AVI source filter of Windows. You can restore the filter by doing the following:

Start > Run > regsvr32 quartz.dll

Enable the internal AVI splitter in Media Player Classic. That is better able to handle incomplete files than the default AVI source filter that is part of Windows.

Media Player Classic > Options > Internal Filters > Source Filters

CoreAVC has trouble decoding H.264 video when the video is stored in a container in VFW mode instead of native mode (which is the best way). In the AVI container, H.264 video is always in VFW mode due to limitations of the container format.

The solution for playing these files is to enable H.264 decoding in ffdshow. Go to ffdshow video decoder configuration. At the 'codecs' page, set H.264 to 'libavcodec'.

The solution for playing these files correctly is to enable H.264 decoding in ffdshow. Go to ffdshow video decoder configuration. At the 'codecs' page, set H.264 to 'libavcodec'.

Make sure DirectVobSub is installed. This filter will display the subtitle stream. The K-Lite Codec Pack installs this filter by default.

Now all you have to do is give your subtitle files the same filename as your movie file (except for the extension). If you do that, the subtitles will automatically be detected and displayed.

For example:
This is some cool movie (CD1).avi
This is some cool movie (CD1).srt

Common subtitle file formats are: srt, idx/sub, idx/rar, smi, ssa, sub

* Make sure you are using a player that is capable of displaying subtitles. For example Media Player Classic.

* Make sure DirectVobSub is installed. This filter will display the subtitle stream.

*Try enabling the option "Autoload VSFilter" in Haali Media Splitter. You can do that here: (Start > Programs > K-Lite Codec Pack > Configuration > Haali Media Splitter > Options > Compatilitity).

* You should enable the option called "enable all streams" for the OggDS splitter. You can do that here: (Start > Programs > K-Lite Codec Pack > Configuration > Codec Tweak Tool). Please note that this option is only available when you are using the OggDS splitter, which is not the default Ogg splitter used by the K-Lite Codec Pack. The default one is Haali Media Splitter.

Enable the internal MPEG-2 decoder in Media Player Classic.

Options > Internal Filters > Transform Filters

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/faq.aspx

If you find that a video disappears (turns all black) or turns purple and green about 20 seconds before it stops playing, or that video for every file in the playlist isn't displayed, turn off overlays.

To turn off overlays in Windows Media Player 9 Series or later, do the following:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options , and then click the Performance tab.
2. Click Advanced .
3. Clear the Use overlays check box.

If the problem continues, try turning off the video mixing renderer (VMR). You can turn off the VMR by clearing the Use video mixing renderer check box (available in the same location as the Use overlays check box).

ReClock might solve your problem.

You can solve this problem by installing a different AAC decoder. Using realaac or 3ivX AAC usually solves this problem.

K-Lite Codec Pack Full has four different AAC decoders:
- ffdshow (using realaac)
- ffdshow (using libfaad2)
- CoreAAC
- 3ivX AAC

Select either CoreAAC or 3ivx AAC on the components page of the installer. Or deselect both and make sure ffdshow is selected. In that case ffdshow will be used for decoding AAC audio. You can then choose between realaac and libfaad2 on the tasks page of the installer. You can also switch (without re-installing) between the two ffdshow AAC decoders in ffdshow audio configuration.

Symptoms: video is only showing in the top half of the screen, it is shown twice, both up-side-down.

There are several solutions for this problem.

Solutions:
- In Media Player Classic, go to Options > Playback > Output, select Overlay Mixer.
- Use DirectVobSub v2.33 instead of v2.36/v2.37
- Use ffdshow to decode XviD instead of the XviD decoder.
- In XviD decoder configuration, force Output Colorspace to YV12.
- Enable YV12 in ffdshow video decoder configuration: Options > Output.

You should see a white icon in your systemtray (right-bottom of your screen). That is Haali Media Splitter. Right-click on that icon to switch audio and subtitle tracks.

You should see a white icon in your systemtray (right-bottom of your screen). That is Haali Media Splitter. Double-click on that icon to view its options.
You can also get to the options by clicking on the Haali Media Splitter shortcut in the start menu.

Once you are in the Options screen, click on 'Languages'. There you can set the preferred language(s) for audio and subtitles. The language should be input using a three character code, for example eng for English. A list of codes for each language can be found here.

You should see a green arrow shaped icon in your systemtray (right-bottom of your screen). That is DirectVobSub. Right-click on that icon to enable or disable the subtitles.

Disable the option "Pre-buffer subpictures" in DirectVobSub. This uses a little more CPU power, but karaoke subtitles are displayed correctly.

This can be a result of certain graphics card settings. Try changing the following settings in your graphics card control panel:

- Set FSAA to 'Let the application decide'
- Disable anisotopic filtering (AF)
- Disable antialiasing

This is a common problem that is usually caused by the downmixing of 5.1 channel audio to stereo. Possible solutions:

* Select the correct speaker setup during the installation of the K-Lite Codec Pack. You can do that on the "select additional tasks" page of the installer.

* If you are using AC3Filter to decode AC3 or DTS audio, then go to it's configuration screen and select the correct speaker setup.

* If you are using AC3Filter to decode AC3 or DTS audio, then try the "Boost AC3 volume" tweak. You can enable that using the Codec Tweak Tool. This tweak should increase the volume of the voices/dialogs.

* If you are using ffdshow to decode the audio, then go to "ffdshow audio configuration". Enable 'Mixer' in the left panel. On the Mixer page, select the correct speaker setup.

* If you are using ffdshow to decode the audio, then go to "ffdshow audio configuration". Enable 'Volume' in the left panel.

See above.

This problem may occur if you have the WindowBlinds or ObjectDock programs installed. Disable those programs.

If you have a nVidia GeForce graphics card, then you could try to update its drivers.

Enable the internal Ogg splitter in Media Player Classic. A few files don't seem to work properly with Haali's Ogg splitter.

Media Player Classic > Options > Internal Filters > Source Filters

Enable the internal MPEG PS/TS/PVA source filter in Media Player Classic.

Media Player Classic > Options > Internal Filters > Source Filters

In the menu, click on 'View', then on 'Filters'.

You can make Media Player Classic load a bit faster by storing it's setttings in the registry instead on in an .ini file (mplayerc.ini).

Options > Player > uncheck 'Store settings to .ini file'

It is not recommended to use this tweak if you have multiple user accounts on your system!

Why isn't this done by default? MPC stores it's settings in the user part of the registry (HKCU). Each user account on a system has it's own separate HKCU section, which is not accessable by the other users. This means that the installer can only apply (the recommended) settings for the active user account and not for the other accounts (if any). Using the ini file is the only way to set the recommended settings for ALL users on the system.

MPC Options > Player > Hide CD-ROMs Menu

This usually means that there is a filter missing that is needed to decode one of the streams in the file. The error message should show some information about the required format, but this information is very cryptic. Below you can find some of the values that the error might show you, together with the format that belongs to it.

majortype: MEDIATYPE_Audio {73647561-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
subtype: Unknown GUID Name {726D6173-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
formattype: FORMAT_WaveFormatEx {05589F81-C356-11CE-BF01-00AA0055595A}

The format above is AMR audio. To play this you need to enable AMR in ffdshow audio decoder.

majortype: MEDIATYPE_Video {73646976-0000-0010-8000-00AA-00389B71}
subtype: Unknown GUID Name {31535046-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
formattype: Format_VideoInfo {05589F80-C356-11CE-BF01-00AA0055595A}

The format above if FPS1 video. To play this you need Fraps.

majortype: MEDIATYPE_Stream {E436EB83-524F-11CE-9F53-0020AF0BA770}
subtype: MEDIASUBTYPE_MPEG1System {E436EB84-524F-11CE-9F53-0020AF0BA770}
formattype: TIME_FORMAT_NONE {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

The format above is MPEG-1. Try enabling the internal MPEG PS/TS/PVA source filter and MPEG-1 decoder in Media PLayer Classic. See Options > Internal Filters.

Change the output renderer. You can do that in Options > Playback > Output

Try the different renderers until you find one that works for you. Restart the player each time you change the renderer.

Media Player Classic gives error: GetCurrentImage failed, hr = 8000ffff

The solution is to change the output renderer. The default renderer in Media Player Classic is set to Overlay, since that is the most compatible renderer. However, saving images or taking screenshots is not possible with Overlay.

You can change the renderer in Options > Playback > Output. Set the renderer to VMR-9 (renderless).

Make sure that your DVD drive is set at the correct region, and that the region of your DVD drive matches that of the DVD.

You can edit the region settings of your DVD drive here: Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager > DVD/CD-ROM drives

Media Player Classic can only play DVDs on Windows 2000/XP/2003. Playing DVDs won't work on Windows 95/98/ME/NT4.

Media Player Classic Options > Tweaks > Use the WM ASF reader

Disable that tweak and in most cases you should be able to seek again. However seeking might be slower on other files.

Media Player Classic Options > Tweaks > Use the WM ASF reader

Disable that tweak.

Install the two Windows Media codec packages from Microsoft:

Windows Media Codecs

You need to install both the WMP7.1+ and the WMP6.4 codec packages that can be downloaded at that page!

If that doesn't help, then also install this package:

Windows Media Format 9 runtimes (Windows XP)
Windows Media Format 9 runtimes (Windows 98/ME/2000)

That means that the file is DRM protected. DRM is a copyright protection method. You generally need to get (read: buy) a license to be able to play the file.

If one or more of the following filters is installed on your computer, then disable or uninstall them:

- Matrix Mixer
- Morgan Multimedia Stream Switcher
- DC-DSP

If you have an ATi video card, this is caused by the driver trying to accelerate WMV decoding and failing. You need to disable the WMV hardware aceleration.

With newer ATi drivers, this can only be done from the Catalyst Control Center:

1. Start the Catalyst Control Center.
2. Click "View -> Advanced View".
3. Go to "Video -> All Settings".
4. Scroll down to the bottom.
5. Uncheck "Windows Media Video Acceleration".
6. Click "Apply".
7. Close the CCC and reboot your computer.

If you have an older ATi driver that doesn't use the Catalyst Control Center, you'll find the WMV acceleration setting in the Windows Desktop properties:

1. Right-click the desktop and click "Properties".
2. Click the "Settings" tab.
3. Click the "Advanced" button.
4. Here, find a checkbox called "WMV9 acceleration" or something like it. Uncheck it.
5. Click OK, and reboot your computer.

Start > Run > type regedit and press enter

Navigate to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

If there is an entry in there with the name DivX in it, delete it.

Now navigate to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shellex\PropertyHandler\
Delete the value (default). It will then appear as an empty value.

Close the registry editor and reboot your computer.

Open Windows Explorer (hold the Windows Key and press 'E')

In the top menu go to: Tools > Folder Options > File Types

Now select the file type that you want to change and click on 'change'. Select the program that you want to use to open the selected file type and press OK.

If the file type is not yet in the list, then click on 'New' to add it to the list yourself.

Start > Run > regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll

Start > Run > regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll

Start > Run > regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll

Normally the DirectX installer will refuse to install if it detects that you already have the latest version of DirectX installed. This makes it a pain in the ass to fix a broken DirectX installation. Luckily, there is a small workaround to trick the DirectX installer into a full re-installation.

Run the Registry Editor: Start > Run > regedit

Navigate to this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectX

Change the value of version from '4.09.00.0904' to '4.08.00.0904'.

Now run the DirectX installer.

Most configuration screens can be accessed through:
Start > Programs > K-Lite Codec Pack > Configuration

Media Player Classic: Press O (as in Options)

BSplayer: Press Ctrl+P

Uninstall it and then re-install it, but now deselect the I.263 and Indeo codecs. You may also need to re-install the software that came with your TV card or webcam.

AAC DirectShow parser (aacparser.ax) can also cause problems. Note that this filter is not included in (recent versions of) the K-Lite Codec Pack. But perhaps you have installed in some other way.

Open the MMCompView tool that comes with the codec pack.

Enable all entries that are disabled.

Possible solutions:

* Don't install the Elecard MPEG-2 demuxer.

* Install the DirectShow MP3 decoder instead of using ffdshow to decode MP3.

* Disable Nero audio decoder filter (NeAudio.ax).
You can do that this way:
Start > Run > regsvr32 /u "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\DSFilter\NeAudio.ax"

* Update your graphics card drivers

Uninstall the codec pack. Now install the codec pack again. Only this time select a subset of the components that you had installed previously when the problem occurred. Add one or a few components to that subset each time you install the pack, until you run into the problem again. It is not required to uninstall the codec pack each time during this process. Installing on top of the current installation should work too.

Once you have found the problematic component(s), you can do a fresh install of the codec pack with the desired components selected minus the problematic one(s).

Please also report the problem plus the problematic component that causes the problem. Then that information can be added to this FAQ, or a solution can be devised to prevent or workaround the problem.

You can do that in several ways.

Media Player Classic: While playing a file, click on 'Play' in the top menu, then move your mouse onto 'Filters' in the dropdown menu.

BSplayer: While playing a file, right-click on BSplayer. In the menu that appears, click on 'options', then on 'Filters'.

GraphEdit: Start GraphEdit. Drag and drop a file into the window. A graph will be build showing all filters that are used to play the file.

GSpot: Start the GSpot program. Open a file in it. At the bottom you see "Proposed Codec Solutions and Tests". Click on the "1" below "MS A/V". Now you can see the names of the filters that are used to render that file. Move you mouse over them to see their filenames.

You can do this very easily with the Sherlock or the MMCompView tool. Both are included with the K-Lite Codec Pack.

Sherlock: Start the Sherlock program. It will show a list of all installed audio and video codecs/filters. Click on the 'Save' button to save the information into a text file.

MMCompView: Start the MMCompView program. It will show a list of all installed audio and video codecs/filters. In the menu, click on 'Edit', then on 'Select all'. Now click on 'File', then on 'Save seleted items'. This will save the information into a text file.

You can do this in several ways.

Codec Tweak Tool: Run the codec tweak tool that is included with the K-Lite Codec Pack. It has the ability to disable several DirectShow filters. It will only detect a number of predefined filters. It will not detect all the filters that are installed on your system. Use the methods below for that.

GSpot: Open the GSpot Codec Information tool. In its menu click on 'System', then on 'List Codecs and Other Filters'.

To find the location of the filter, right-click on it and select 'Detailed Properties'.

To disable a filter, right-click on it and select 'Un-Register Filter'.

If unregistering fails, it usually is because the filter is no longer present on your system, but it's information is still present the Windows Registry. GSpot usually indicates (with a red color) if there is a problem. The Codec Tweak Tool that is included with the K-Lite Codec Pack has the ability to scan for broken filters and remove them.

If unregistering succeeds, then the filter is disabled and it won't be used anymore. The file itself must be removed manually.

Be careful what you remove. Don't simply remove everything. A lot of filters are standard components of Windows or DirectX (e.g. quartz.dll). Don't remove those. If you are unsure, then right-click on the file (in Windows Explorer, not in GSpot) and select properties. If is says anything about Microsoft Windows or DirectX in the properties, then you shouldn't touch it.

Manually: To manually disable a filter from the command-line use:

regsvr32 /u filename

If the file is located outside the Windows system32 folder, then you need to use the full path of the file instead of just the filename. If the path contains spaces, then surround it with quotes. For example:
regsvr32 /u "c:\program files\ac3filter\ac3filter.ax"

Go to the Windows Control Panel (Start > Settings > Control Panel) and double-click on 'System' to go to the System Properties.

Click on the 'Hardware' tab, then on the 'Device manager' button. Open 'Sound, video and game controllers'. Right-click on 'Video Codecs' and select 'Properties'. On the properties tab you can remove audio codecs.

Go to the Windows Control Panel (Start > Settings > Control Panel) and double-click on 'System' to go to the System Properties.

Click on the 'Hardware' tab, then on the 'Device manager' button. Open 'Sound, video and game controllers'. Right-click on 'Audio Codecs' and select 'Properties'. On the properties tab you can remove video codecs.

Sherlock assumes that VFW and ACM codecs are always installed in the Windows System32 folder. This is not always the case. As a result Sherlock will report all codecs that are located outside the System32 folder as broken, while they are probably just working fine.

If Sherlock reports a codec as broken and it has an funny looking location like "C:\WINDOWS\system32\C:\PROGRA~1\K-LITE~1\codecs\divx.dll", then it is an incorrect report. The codec is most likely ok, so ignore the error message.

Take a look at the guides section of Doom9.org