Kalnel
10-19-2006, 07:35 PM
Thought I'd pass on my experience with a "D'oh!" moment on the off-chance someone else comes across the same thing:
I've been able to watch .tivo and mpeg2 files on my desktop through Windows Media Player with no problem for years. Then, one day, it suddenly stopped working -- I could hear audio OK, but I kept getting a message that I didn't have the right codec to play the files.
I couldn't remember making any software changes -- and I've got several DVD editing and display programs -- so I couldn't imagine that I had a codec problem. I even ran Microsoft's codec ID tool to double-check -- it said everything was OK.
I was just about losing my mind over this the other day when I found the solution quite accidentally, as I happened to move the open window for WMP from one monitor to another. When shifted it to the other monitor -- voila! -- I had video as usual.
I run a three-monitor system on two video cards. Turns out that WMP will run video only off the main card, not off the secondary video card. I had forgotten that I'd rearranged which monitor attached to which card a while back, inadvertently putting the monitor where I normally keep WMP on the secondary card.
Anyway, problems like these seem to get so baffling and complicated sometimes, I thought I'd document my dumbness in case it helps anyone else.
kal
I've been able to watch .tivo and mpeg2 files on my desktop through Windows Media Player with no problem for years. Then, one day, it suddenly stopped working -- I could hear audio OK, but I kept getting a message that I didn't have the right codec to play the files.
I couldn't remember making any software changes -- and I've got several DVD editing and display programs -- so I couldn't imagine that I had a codec problem. I even ran Microsoft's codec ID tool to double-check -- it said everything was OK.
I was just about losing my mind over this the other day when I found the solution quite accidentally, as I happened to move the open window for WMP from one monitor to another. When shifted it to the other monitor -- voila! -- I had video as usual.
I run a three-monitor system on two video cards. Turns out that WMP will run video only off the main card, not off the secondary video card. I had forgotten that I'd rearranged which monitor attached to which card a while back, inadvertently putting the monitor where I normally keep WMP on the secondary card.
Anyway, problems like these seem to get so baffling and complicated sometimes, I thought I'd document my dumbness in case it helps anyone else.
kal