Album Player returns "Could not load the decoder error"

[highstream]

This is a DIY comptuer (through multiple iterations over the yeasr), so I'm not sure what the difference is between "reset" and a clean Windows install. I have plenty of imaging options and experience, but what I don't understand about your repeated mention of Macrium is how one can restore an image and not overwrite the reinstall of Windows. Or vice versa, how Marcrium can reinstall programs, and not just copy back files.

I do have other music players. Album Player is sonically the second best I've come across for use on a single PC, and is much more efficient and not much behind the best, Bug Head, which takes a few minutes to get going each time.

 

[brooksndun]

ok, my choice of words in describing the process of Macrium may not be that great..

I think you already know how images work.. So Ignore all of this if you already know.

If you download the Macrium reflect free program, and install it right now and run it -

This is what would happen:

1. you would let it make a "recovery cd/usb"

2. You would then put that "recovery CD/USB away (as in on a shelf in your room and don't lose it - Don't put it near magnets etc..)

3. you would then make a full entire backup Image using Macrium by selecting your entire drive like so in picture below. (This requires a second USB stick or probably more like External Harddrive plugged in by USB or a bunch of DVD/CD's if you have a burner.. (depending on how large your original Hard drive is with Windows installed on it, is what determines what you would save on here ... either USB or External Hardrive USB etc..) -

I currently have my images saved on 32Gig USB sticks and an External 1Terabyte Hard Drive.) I ran a Macrium backup Image right after I installed windows for the first time So I will always have it - And that is the one on the 32gig USB stick)..

4. Anyway, after that Image finishes from step 3. - which it should also Verify it, - You now have an exact copy of your entire hard drive on a USB/External Harddrive/ or CD/DVDs - (whichever you chose to save the image on in Macrium.)

How long this process takes depends on how fast your USB speed is, and How large Hard drive you have to copy..

Very Important, there are also some settings in Macrium Options to change to make it go faster.. I can tell you those if you want.. (options like Compression off and etc.. but turning Compression off means it will be larger size and you'll need an external USB Hard drive instead of a USB stick.. got it?)

ANYWAY,
If all goes well, you now have an exact copy image of your computer as it is right this second!..

Ok, hope that is the clearest possible to explain Macrium and the image if you created one right now..



Now,

After you have a "recovery USB/CD" and a "macrium image", You can now totally change whatever you want in Windows and not care.. because:

After you try whatever you want and mess with settings or reinstall windows clean etc.. then you would :

A.) take that Recovery USB/CD you made in step 1 above and Restart your computer with that CD/USB stick in..

B.) then also insert wherever you saved that image from Step 3 Above, (the External Hard Drive or USB stick with the Image on it..)

C.) Let Macrium put back that Image you made in step 3...

D.) Restart your computer one more time and you will be right back to the second before you made that Image in step 1 above.. (All programs, All things will be there just like before)

Hope this clears it up to the max..

 

[highstream]

Thanks for all that, but I'm still missing the logic of restoring an image that's going to overwrite whatever I've done with Windows, e.g., clean install, taking it back to where I started. Please explain.

 

[brooksndun]

Lordy! haha..

Look, the reason you would make this "image" I'm constantly talking about is for Troubleshooting purposes. so you do not have to ever reinstall windows again..

I remember you specifically saying you had to reinstall windows 3 times in the past summer etc.. You wouldn't have had to do that if you had this image that last summer!

I'm really just telling you this because you can do your own "troubleshooting" after you make this little image using Macrium..

for example:
After you have the Macrium image, lets say you want to try a new driver for your audio card.. or lets say you want to open up audio preferences and start changing stuff like below..



And after changing things, if something goes terribly wrong or you don't like the outcome and start having problems and errors.. you would just use that Recovery CD/USB and put that image back onto your hard drive and all the sudden those changes up above pictured, are right back to like when you never even touched them!

So what I'm also saying, is I wanted to see if you get that "decoder" error from a Clean Reinstall of windows.. the kind of reinstall that formats your hard drive and puts a fresh new windows on.. not a "repair" windows.. see what I mean?

I just wanted to test the album player program with a new fresh install of windows on your machine..

it was just to test and see if.. etc..

You won't ever have to reinstall windows if you make this "image" I'm telling you about right now..

However, there is new information that apparently this program runs the first time without that decoder error.. so that brings new factors to the table.. but it still sounds like incompatibility with your USB "special" sound card setup and/or your Motherboard audio settings..

But I"m not much help right now about that.. I'm just showing you that you don't have to be afraid to change things you would never "touch" if you make that Image I won't shut up about...

 

[highstream]

Now I see... On one hand, you suggested making an image as protection while I troubleshoot, while on the other hand you've suggested a clean install of Windows, for which the image is irrelevant. No wonder I've been confused. Look it, I'm well covered on imaging software - Windows image backup, System Restore, Todo Home and SyncBack Pro (files). And as I've mentioned, I'm experienced with clean installs, as well as other repair ones. Been at this a long time. Thanks,

 

[brooksndun]

Ok then now you see why I was overly excessive about this macrium image..


It was so that you can do things like try.a "reset windows" and then try the audio program..

Then you would just put your "image" back

Your trying to find out why you have a decorder error and see if a fresh driver install was helpful among-st other things..

I personally think it's something in the way your special setup sound card driver controls things ..

Did you mention to the developer the exact sound card you have?

And did you ever install any other codec packages before??

 

[highstream]

Re the USB card, the developer says "definitely not." and I believe him. Codec packages long installed and updated as part of Zoom Player Pro.

Don't see what a clean install would get me, because even if Album Player works I wouldn't know what had been wrong, while if it doesn't, I'd have to install program by program. Not in the mood for that at the moment. Btw, I have Yamicsoft's Windows 8 Manager and have run its repair module w/o success re this problem.

 

[brooksndun]

Well then you'll need a deeper knowledge of how your system runs.. like how that program chooses the codecs to decode.. which apparently the developer isn't going to help you..

Only other thing to not have to reinstall clean fully is to try a different sound card.. is there built in sound on the motherboard you can enable?

 

[highstream]

Actually, all I had to do was be patient, wait for a couple of the files to show up in a Comodo CIS weekly scan, apparently false positives. Exclude them and the player is restored.

 

[brooksndun]

god almighty.. it was commodo.. the dragon strikes again.. that software firewall could be cool.. and I'm not going to start my rant on it again as I sometimes do.. but as of this point in time still, commodo hasn't setup their firewall to be user friendly or make sense in the way they have you use it..

different zones.. and etc.. HIPS could be so cool if they worded it right to the user..


anyway, Glad you got it working..

funny because if it was just commodo, then if you had tried this 4 weeks ago I guess it would have worked...

notice what I say..

 

[highstream]

But it wasn't the firewall, but my weekly scan. It finally dawned on me when I saw the backup copies of the zipped file and in particular the decoder file being identified as malware. It gave a name for the malware, which wasn't a PUP, so I submitted it as an FP - and just got a reply that it's been fixed in the new database.

 

[brooksndun]

Yes ok, but either way whether it was anti-virus or firewall whatever.. it's commodo and you wouldn't have installed it in my post 4 weeks ago.. as that's part of troubleshooting to see if it works without commodo.. and apparently now it would have with a clean windows install.. (meaning no comodo installed - be it anti-virus or firewall)

the point is, good you got working! and apparently comodo does take file uploads serious when you send them information..

I want to use Comodo for it's HIPS.. google that and you'll see why we should all be using something like Commodo, but they should have followed the trend of user-friendly wording and explanations and settings of today with things like simplicity, "yes or no" or "allow or block" - such as Sphinx windows Firewall or TinyFirewall or Binisoft Windows Firewall.. etc.. but comodo has 40 rules to block one program and nobody has the time to set 40 rules for one program when we use 30 programs on our computers,,

ok I better stop.

your good to go with that amazing media player now.