avi on vista ultimate x64 media center

Microsoft releases tangled software, as usual. An example is their Media Player software. If you install the x64 version, the enabled player is still the 32bits version. Go figure.

Anyways, DivX (.avi) files will run just fine on the 32bits player, but not into the Media Center. Why? Because Media Center is a 64bits application. In other words, if you want to watch an .avi file through your extender, it will not work.

The solution is pretty simple: install a 64bits codec for Media Center. I like the ffdshow tryouts a lot… except that the developers decided not to make a 64bits version. I had to settle with another version, made by celtic_druid.

I downloaded the ffdshow64-rev2546 file, unblock it and ran it as administrator.
I kept only the Addon Plugins and VfW Interface, the rest I toss it. Windows asked me if I want to run this install with the recommended options. OK let’s go the Vista way, install completed.

Now, some of the people complained that they get an error:

error while registering ffdshow.ax

You might laugh, but simply starting first the VFW codec configuration (run it as administrator) will solve this problem. Since the Audio decoder configuration is the first link available, all of us (including myself) click on that one first. Pow, the error pops… once you click it.

One more thing. Switch the media player to be 64bits by default.
Run this command (as administrator):
%windir%\system32\unregmp2.exe /SwapTo:64

Then simply edit this registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wmplayer.exe
Change both key values by removing the (x86) from the path.

That’s it, you are done.