GTA Vice City and K-Lite Codec Pack

[kj79]

I have installed GTA Vice City and I was first wondering, why it always crashed after skipping intro movies.

 

I tried different things, but finally tracked the problem down to K-Lite Codec Pack.

 

I have made sure that I use "Microsoft"-codec for MPEG-PS, the format used by GTA Vice City intro movies. Using "LAV" will also crash. Using "Haali" won't crash, but videos become invisible.

 

Has anyone found a solution to prevent GTA Vice City crashes when using K-Lite Codec Pack? (It's the newest version v13.7.5 (Mega).) Without codec pack, GTA VC works fine.

 

My temporary solution is to move both movies away from .\movies -folder. Hitting ENTER twice will start the game.

 

This problem is not a big one, but I'm curious. One possibility is to install all the needed codecs separately, but of course it will take more work.

 

Thanks.

[ReyZie93]

Same problem with GTA 3 & VC.

Windows XP Pro x64.

[inadequate]

Same problem with GTA 3 & VC.

Windows XP Pro x64.

Just an advice, upgrade your OS at least to Windows 7.

[kj79]

It took me a while to figure this one out. When I browsed around the Net, many people have had crashes after playing intro or ingame movies. My guess is that it's a common problem with games that use MPEG-PS-format for movies. I tried two different things:

 

1. Installing K-Lite Codec Pack differently

 

I did it many times, and in the end found a solution that was something completely unexpectable. Here's what you will need to do:

 

- Install K-Lite Codec Pack by using "Advanced" Installation Mode.

- Remove "DirectVorSub (a.k.a. VSFilter)" on "Select Components"-screen.

 

Note: This may prevent setting your player to read external subtitle-files and add them to playing movies. So, make sure that you don't absolutely need this feature before using this solution.

 

But there's another workaround for this issue:

 

- Install K-Lite Codec Pack by using "Advanced" Installation Mode.

- Select "Install codecs only for MPC-HC" on "Installation Preferences"-screen.

 

Use the solution from above if you don't need other codecs like LAV Filters with any other media players than MPC-HC.

 

(Tip for the users of LAV Filters. If some games have too small movies, just disable "mpeg1"-format from LAV Filetrs configuration. This may not be a problem for the players of the GTA-series.)

 

That fixed the crashes and also random crashes that occured after playing CD:s with Windows Media Player.

 

This is something you should try whether your operating system is Windows XP, Vista, 7 or newer.

 

2. Installing LAV Filters and MPC-HC separately

 

Use this method only if you don't need a full codec pack. This method fixes the crashes, too.

 

But there may be a side effect that may affect all the people who use their PC:s for Blu-ray playback with Autoplay-feature.

 

When installing MPC-HC along K-Lite Codec Pack, Blu-ray discs are correctly detected as Mixed Content -discs. But, when installing MPC-HC as standalone application, Blu-ray discs may be falsely detected as discs containing pictures.

 

Here's a quick and dirty way to fix it:

 

Save the following contents as *.reg file and then, apply it:

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers\EventHandlers\ShowPicturesOnArrival]
"MPCPlayVideoFilesOnArrival"=""

 

(Uninstall by removing the line from the Windows Registry manually.)

 

You will also need to make sure that you have allowed automatic playback for discs containing "Videos" in MPC-HC's "Settings > Player > Formats".

 

Now you can choose MPC-HC to launch your Blu-ray discs when Autoplay has scanned the disc and prompts an action from you.

 

Note: If you own picture discs, don't allow computer to select MPC-HC automatically after the scan is complete.

 

There should be a more sophisticated method to fix this issue. I don't understand why Windows Autoplay sniffs the disc contents differently when MPC-HC is installed along K-Lite Codec Pack, or as a standalone application.

 

K-Lite Codec Pack won't touch:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers\ContentTypeSniffers

 

EDIT:

 

Important extra note for those who may have unexpected crashes after skipping intro movies and the above solutions won't apply or be helpful:

 

- If you have imported your own MP3-music files to the game (.\mp3\-folder), make sure that you have given permissions for all of the users who will play the game for those files. If you haven't, the game will crash.

Edited September 7, 2018 by kj79