Need help.. Windows Explorer stops responding


Recommended Posts

I recently reinstalled Windows Vista Ultimate x64 installed on my notebook after reformatting the hard drive and its working a lot faster now.. There is a problem though.. when I open my folder with video files in various formats (DivX, Avi, Mpeg, Mov and Mkv etc). Windows Explorer stops responding and restarts..

I have set my default media player to WMP x64 using this method and it works fine..

I had Vista Codecs and x64 components from Shark007 installed and have uninstalled them and installed <snipped> Codecs Mega pack + 64 bit <snipped> codecs in an attempt to solve these Windows Explorer crashes but they are still there. I've noticed that when I don't install the 64 bit addons for any of these codec packs the Windows Explorer stops crashing but the problem is that if I uninstall it... I cannot play files in my 64-bit player.

Before I reinstalled Windows I had <snipped> Vista Codecs + x64 components installed without problem and I do need the 64 bit WMP coz the hi-def movies play smoother on that and I need the x64 codecs for that but I need to be able to open that folder and select the videos in order to play them and Windows Explorer restarts just as soon as I open this folder..

So.. you see my problem? I think Windows Explorer crashes when it tries to generate thumbnails for MKV video files.

Any suggestions?

Edited by John S.
codec packs mentioned contains proprietary codecs and is considered warez

You might think about disabling thumbnail previews in folders.

  • To make this change, click the Organize button on any folder, and choose Folder and Search Options from the menu.
    Click the View tab, and then check the Always show icons, never thumbnails checkbox.
    Click OK, and you're done.

This should be a crash in the Haali Media Splitter thumbnail handler. Disable thumbnail generation from that or get them to fix their code.

Also, stop using warez and ripping people off. You wonder why you have problems playing multimedia, yet you're actively ripping off vendors and thus discouraging them from making investments in this field to fix stuff like this up.

This should be a crash in the Haali Media Splitter thumbnail handler. Disable thumbnail generation from that or get them to fix their code.

Also, stop using warez and ripping people off. You wonder why you have problems playing multimedia, yet you're actively ripping off vendors and thus discouraging them from making investments in this field to fix stuff like this up.

Whose ripping off who? :o

The codecs are available free of charge.. and there is a process known as DVD ripping you know. Why are you so quick to judge people?

Generalizing things/people is stupid. Even the four fingers on your hand are not equal.

Anyways thanks for the advice. But I had more or less solved the problem.. I removed Vista Codecs from and installed only the 64-bit K-L I T E package. Now all the videos are working fine but I don't see MKV thumbnails. Any workarounds? I know I have to do something in the registry.. but what? :p

Whose ripping off who? :o

The codecs are available free of charge.. and there is a process known as DVD ripping you know. Why are you so quick to judge people?

? You're referring specifically to warez redistributions of commercial for-pay software. Those codecs are not available free of charge.

If you're going to steal, don't be surprised when people call you out for it.

I made no reference to DVD ripping and that's an area I wouldn't touch. I made a very specific reference to the fact that you are ripping off codec vendors such as Ligos.

MKV thumbnails: really, get Haali Media Splitter to fix their code here. That should be your primary option, but it will cause problems on shutdown of HMS from time to time. (I have no idea what the precise repro is, but it looks like you found it too.)

? You're referring specifically to warez redistributions of commercial for-pay software. Those codecs are not available free of charge.

If you're going to steal, don't be surprised when people call you out for it.

I made no reference to DVD ripping and that's an area I wouldn't touch. I made a very specific reference to the fact that you are ripping off codec vendors such as Ligos.

MKV thumbnails: really, get Haali Media Splitter to fix their code here. That should be your primary option, but it will cause problems on shutdown of HMS from time to time. (I have no idea what the precise repro is, but it looks like you found it too.)

The Matroska website is down.. I wanted to try their package as thats the only thing I have problem with.. Haali, I've tried.. same.. files play fine but when Windows tries to generate thumbnails it crashes.. btw I don't need and don't use Indeo.. I need DivX,XVid and MKV for videos + Windows standard..

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • I think there will be a 27H1 for actual users of 26H1 The 25h2 supports ARM too : Snapdragon X, Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite
    • Poll: Grand Theft Auto VI price predictions, cast your vote by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe After years of waiting, Rockstar will be solidifying the launch date of Grand Theft Auto VI with the launch of pre-orders next week. While the studio has confirmed a date for this occasion, it is yet to attach a price to the highly anticipated game. So let's see what our readers think it will cost at launch. The Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders will kick off on June 25 for digital and physical editions. Unless some last-minute changes happen, the release date will be November 19, 2026, across Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, there's still no information about a PC version from the developer or the publisher Take-Two. Now the question becomes, how much will Grand Theft Auto VI cost at launch? The game is predicted by some analysts to be the biggest launch of an entertainment product ever. With the amount of hype that has been built behind it and with ballooning development costs, Take-Two may price this Grand Theft Auto entry differently from other AAA titles. The current price of a AAA game is $69.99. That norm almost rose to $79.99 before calming down. But with such a massive release, Grand Theft Auto VI may be the game that pushes the boundary again. It's also possible that Take-Two keeps the price relatively low to increase the number of players that jump in early and keep them hooked on Grand Theft Auto Online to spend on microtransactions for years to come. Keep in mind that the below poll is asking for a prediction of the standard edition price, not a deluxe or any other special edition that Take-Two will introduce for additional benefits. Also, there is the chance of the company splitting up the campaign and online portions. If you think that will happen, put your vote on what you think will be the total cost of the two. Poll Poll: How much will Grand Theft Auto VI cost? $59.99 $69.99 $79.99 $89.99 $100 or more Submit Vote If you have a very specific prediction in mind, sound off in the comments below.
    • Would you please fix your graphics. They are outdated and don't fit the article.
    • The Light of Life? We actually do glow till our Death, study finds by Sayan Sen Image by Rafael Rendon via Pexels A study by researchers at the University of Calgary has found that living organisms produce an extremely faint light known as ultraweak photon emission, and that this glow appears to drop significantly after death. The research was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry in April 2025 and quickly drew widespread attention, leading to more than 200 news stories about the findings. Ultraweak photon emission (or UPE), sometimes called biophoton emission, refers to tiny amounts of light released by living cells as a result of normal biological activity. A photon is the basic particle of light, and researchers say every living system examined so far, including plants and animals, has been found to emit these photons. The glow is far too faint to be seen by the human eye. “I suppose it has a little to do with people being reminded of auras,” says Dr. Christoph Simon, PhD, one of the authors of the study and a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science. “It is a fact that living beings glow. It’s a very weak glow, but it’s there and visible with very sensitive cameras.” According to the study, the light involved is extremely weak, ranging from 10 to 1,000 photons per square centimetre per second across a spectral range of 200 to 1,000 nanometres. For comparison, a nanometre is one-billionth of a metre and is commonly used to measure wavelengths of light. Detecting emissions at such low levels requires highly specialized equipment. To study the phenomenon, researchers used electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) and charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras. These imaging systems are designed to detect extremely small amounts of light, including individual photons, while minimizing background noise. The technology allowed researchers to capture signals that would otherwise be impossible to observe. The team worked with the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in Ottawa to examine photon emissions in mice. Researchers took two-hour exposure images of the animals before and after death and compared the results. “We saw that the level of light that they emit – this biophoton glow – is distinctly different between living and dead animals,” says Dr. Daniel Oblak, PhD, an associate professor in Physics and Astronomy and the corresponding author of the study. The images showed a clear decrease in photon emissions after death across the entire body of each mouse. According to the researchers, this provided direct evidence that living and dead tissue produce different levels of ultraweak photon emission. “It’s a very small amount and it’s, of course, very tricky to detect,” Oblak says. The study grew out of discussions between Simon, whose research interests include quantum biology, and Oblak, whose work focuses on detecting light for quantum communication experiments. Quantum biology is a field that explores whether processes described by quantum physics, which studies matter and energy at very small scales, may also play a role in living systems. “Since I work as a quantum physicist on light detection for quantum communication, I thought that experimentally we have a lot of the tools to be able to detect the light,” Oblak explains. The researchers also investigated UPE in plants and found that the light changed in response to stress. When plants were exposed to higher temperatures or physically injured, their photon emissions increased. Chemical treatments also affected the glow. Among the substances tested, the local anesthetic benzocaine produced the strongest emission response when applied to injured plant tissue. These findings suggest that ultraweak photon emission is closely linked to biochemical and metabolic activity inside living organisms. Metabolism refers to the chemical reactions that allow cells and organisms to stay alive and function. Because these reactions change when an organism experiences stress, injury or disease, researchers believe UPE may provide a way to monitor those changes. The researchers stress that the glow is a physical and biological phenomenon, not a metaphysical one. Oblak says more research is needed to understand exactly how the light is produced and what information it may reveal about the condition of living tissue. “We must understand what that is to figure out what’s happening,” he says. “If we can understand how that relates to certain influences on the body – stress, diseases – then that could be used as a diagnostic tool.” The researchers believe the technique could eventually help scientists study health and disease without invasive procedures. Because UPE can be measured without adding dyes, markers or labels, it may offer a way to monitor whether tissue is healthy, damaged or alive. In plants, it could help researchers better understand how organisms respond to injury, heat and other forms of stress. While the work is still in its early stages, the study demonstrates that ultraweak photon emission imaging can provide a non-invasive and label-free way to observe biological activity. Researchers say the approach could become a useful tool for studying vitality, stress responses and other important processes in both animals and plants. Source: University of Calgary, ACS publication This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, this material is used for the purpose of news reporting. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      hhgygy earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      AMV earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      AMV earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Collaborator
      ryansurfer98 went up a rank
      Collaborator
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      513
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      171
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      82
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      74
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      72
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!