All media players suddenly can't play files >500Mb
 

Hope this is the right place for this question.

Until this morning, Windows Media Player was able to play any .avi I threw at it. Now, though, it crashes when trying to play any .avi file over about 500Mb.

I tested the same file on a different pc. No problem. Video is perfect.

I uninstalled and reinstalled WMP 11 - problem remained.

I tested it in Real Player - crashed.

I tested it in QuickTime - plays, but looks dreadful (pixellated, as though it was v low res).

I tried with a bunch of other files, less than and greater than about 500Mb. Same problems. Less than 500Mb takes much longer than usual to start playing but then plays OK. Over 500Mb, lots of HD activity then it crashes.

I cannot think of a single thing that has changed on this pc in the last week or so, let alone anything that might have caused these problems.

My system is Win XP, SP2 (cannot install SP3), Quadcore, 2Gb RAM.

Anyone got any ideas? This one has me stumped!

Thanks,

Ian . . .

Ian, did you try deleting one of the files and then reintoduce it to the PC? Could they be corrupted? Or are these .avi files on an external drive and you are simply moving the plug back and forth between PCs, meaning of course the avi's are fine?

If that is the case and you know the files are not corrupted, while it might not fix anything, I often turn disable virtual memory, reboot, then delete the page.sys file, defragment once or twice and then try things again without a page file. I admit it has never fixed anything when I've done it, but I always feel better having a clean start in that department anyway.

Hi Jeff,

Well, it gets weirder! I tried a few files on a different drive and I got the same results - until I tried to play a 2.2Gb file. No problem!

I even tried re-rendering the first file that I discovered the problem with, using the the Vegas default avi preset (Widescreen PAL DV in this case). Still no joy.

I have run some of the files through G-Spot and there are clearly some problems, although the files render ok within the teensy G-Spot window.

I have also uninstalled and reinstalled the codec pack I use (WEPC) - and have used for ages without problem.

I'll have a go with your suggestion (thanks for that) and see if that clears up this issue.

Cheers,
Ian . . .

I wonder if this is a hardware issue (processor, memory, etc.)?

That worrying thought has crossed my mind . . .

Update
 

I looked back through my system restore points and came across an installation of Windows Media Format Runtime (which I believed to be only required in instances where the user did not wish to install WM Player so I'm unclear as to why it's there). The install took place two minutes before the installation of Windows XP KB926239 so I am guessing this was done automatically.

Restoring to just before this point resolved the issue.

One thing that has confused the situation slightly is the fact that I now see that I installed a trial copy of Sorenson squeeze 5 a short time after the automatic update had taken place. So I'm not 100% sure whether it was Squeeze or the Runtime that caused the problem. I wish I had restored in two steps rather than one.

Anyway, for the moment, panic over. Phew . . .

Nice job of diagnosing. Almost makes me want to re-enable system restore. Almost...

Hehehe. I have to admit I would rather not have it on, but there are times when I'm thankful! Still feel a bit foolish that I didn't remove Squeeze first, to see whether it was the culprit. Hey ho. Live and learn.

reason number 4,765,454,343,757 not to allow automatic updates. set it to notify of new updates, and look at what is being installed.
just my 2 cents worth.

Yep, agreed 100% - in fact my system is set up just that way, ie NOT to install automatically. Looking at the date and time of install, though, I can see I wasn't actually in the house - the finger of guilt points firmly at whichever of my kids was not able to get onto one of the other pc's in the house at the time! No-one is owning up to it!