black screen, no video while playing avi, wmv, etc

[DragonReborn]

weirdest thing...i can't play wmv videos. i just get a black screen with audio (no video)

i installed one of those codec packs that was working great until this...i've heard some issues so i uninstalled it. still, doesn't work though.

any ideas? any way I can check to see what i am missing? unfortunately the slick the GSpot utility can't check WMV files.

what happened?

 

[Pirotech]

Could you make the information more exact: did this wmv video play with your codecs formerly?
If no it seems to be a codec problem...
What Codec Pack did you have on your computer?
Maybe you should just update it?
Try to install the latest K-lite Mega Codec Pack from the site and see if it works.

 

[DragonReborn]

yep, sorry for the lack of details. my computer was working perfectly for months (playing videos left and right) and just recently decided to stop working. i didn't install anything new, nada. just stopped playing wmv's.

i started messing around and troubleshooting when i came across something interesting: if i go into display properties, settings, advanced, Troubleshooting and then move down the hardware accel slider a few notches my wmv videos play!! Why? what does that tell me? is it hardware or software related? i just bought a brand new 7900gtx but i don't want to install it until i know what's going on.

 

[Pirotech]

Then problems may be related with your video driver. The first thing that came to mind is to try reinstalling it.
And I also never leave out any virus attack possibility.
Just in case there are several free online scanners:

BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan

Online free Spyware Checker

Online System Checker