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Miscellaneous Software

Video / Audio Playback Problems? Examine Codec and Filter Details

SUMMARY: InstalledCodec displays details on installed codecs and DirectShow filters, allowing you to disable individual items if needed.

Having difficulty listening to or viewing audio and video files downloaded over the Internet? One possible problem may be not having the correct codec to play the file. But perhaps you think you already have the right one installed - how can you be sure?

InstalledCodec for Windows from NirSoft displays a list of all installed codecs and DirectShow filters. For each entry you can view the name, type, description, driver filename, CLSID, and other information. You can access related registry entries, and codecs / filters can be disabled if some are causing trouble. Or if you're not sure about a particular entry, data can be exported in several formats including text, CSV, XML, and HTML for posting online or giving to a computer tech.

Viewing a list of installed codecs and DirectShow filters via the InstalledCodec utility

InstalledCodec can be downloaded at the following address, and the utility comes as a ZIP file. Unpack the file into a new directory and run InstalledCodec.exe - no installation is necessary.

* InstalledCodec: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/installed_codec.html

This tip was written regarding InstalledCodec v1.15 running on a Windows XP machine. Features, information, and screenshots for other versions / operating systems may vary.