<Rant mode: On>
For more years than i can remember I've used the 'Media Player Codec Pack' for codecs:
http://www.mediaplayercodecpack.com/Since my last clean install of Win7 a few months ago i could never quite rebuild my PC to its former state, noticeably i was constantly having issues with media files... older video files in particular were a major headache... videos would load in WMP with audio but no video, or video with no audio.
In days of old i used to have to supplement the media pack with various manual codec installs to get it to run everything i have... 3ivx, vobsub, divx, mpeg4, ac3filter etc were to name some... as media packs progressed i need fewer and fewer until i thought i didn't need any additional codecs.
That was until the last time i did a fresh install of Win7, i downloaded and installed the latest "Media Player Codec Pack" and i was asked if i want to run something in something, this time, not this time, every time, never.
I hadn't seen this before so i wasn't sure how to answer but played the game.
[Not the actual wording, but suffice it means the same.]Not having a clue what i was being asked i answered 'not this time' and ran the video... it played so next time it asked i chose 'never'... big mistake because it's taken me months to work out how to be asked that question again so i can change the setting... whatever it did it rendered ALL my older videos without audio.
I knew this was a codec issue because VLC and Media Player Classic would play them with audio thanks to their preinstalled codecs.
Anyways, i tried a couple of times to uninstall Media Player Codec Pack via Control Panel but i could never see the option menu where i could change that preference... i went nuclear and decided to uninstall WMP via Programs and Features... Revo Uninstaller to remove the Codec Pack... and uninstall any other codec i could find... not many.
Re-installed WMP and the codec pack.... bingo, option to change settings upon playing an older video... play a bit with the settings using 'this time only' and finally have audio back on old media files in WMP.
Codec packs, in particular the "Media Player Codec Pack" are doing my head in, either they have no support information or they baffle users with too much.
In my case they're is no support, possibly not a bad thing?
It needn't be this way, indeed, it shouldn't be that way.
When they work, codec packs are awesome, when they don't... OFFS!!!!
<Rant mode: Off>