Media Offline

[Ken Mitchell]

You might want to load the divx and xvid codecs into your computer..
That is what handbrake uses for .avi files..(MP4)

[Chelsea Volz]

This is what changed your drive letter! DAEMON Pro Tools is software that creates virtual drives. It took the drive letter that you were using for your hard drive for itself. That explains it.

Is there any way to reverse that effect? As in, uninstalling it or just doing the system restore back to the point before I downloaded that program?

As I said, AVI is just a container. It’s like a paper bag to put groceries in. We need to know what groceries you put in the bag. Since you created the AVI in handbrake you should be able to select a codec to use. What did you select? In the future, try using a codec that edits well in Vegas (Huffyuv, Lararith, DV, MJPEG, etc.)

I didn’t select any settings other than the output settings > format: avi.
Here is a screenshot.

[IMG]https://i46.tinypic.com/29tusm.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

Personally, I think it’s time format your PC and start over. Who knows what you have downloaded to mess things up. You should seriously consider finding the restore DVD that came with your computer. Take inventory of all the applications that you really use (find their install disc and license codes, etc.) and restore your PC to it’s original state and re-install only the programs you really need. Then stop downloading things.

I don’t mind doing this at all. However, I no longer have any of the programs/discs/booklets that came with my laptop. I’ve moved quite a few times since I bought it and the box that everything initially came in has been lost in the shuffle. 🙁

It’s impossible for us (and you) to know what caused this because of the many downloads (DAEMON Pro Tools being the latest thing that messed you up). I wish I had a better reply. System Restore might help if you only could remember when it started going wrong then pick an earlier date.

I think, of all of my options, this is the best one, other than finding the codecs that Handbrake uses, which I am unsure of how to do. Is there some place online that could walk me through how to do a system restore back to the point before I downloaded Daemon?

And again, I know that this must be really trying, so thank you so much for helping. 🙂

[Chelsea Volz]

This definitely sounds like a good option to at least try. Do you know where I can re-download those two codecs?

Thank you so much! 😀

[Joe Mantaratz]

At this point the best option is to pick a point in the restore and go back to a time where you know for sure you had no problems. The problem with not going back far enough is you will still have the virus affecting the system. Have you done a full virus scan? The best way to do it properly is to remove the drive and buy an adapter to power and connect it to another computer as you would an external drive. (About 20 dollars) Then run the full virus/spyware scan and see what you find. Other than these choices I agree with John that you may have let in a whole army of Trojans that are causing major problems. Sorry there is no short cut fix…

[Chelsea Volz]

I did a virus scan last night and it came up with nothing. I don’t think a virus is what is causing the issue. I mean, yes, it definitely might be, but I also think that there is a good possibility that it is just a combination of the drive letter changing me not having the right codec. But, again, I’m not sure. In a week or so, I could bring my computer to an Office Depot or something of the sort and get a professional virus scan before I do the restore. But until then, how would I about re-downloading those two codecs you said are most commonly used for .avi? I would like to try that option and see if it will fix the issue of my .avi clips not working. And if that doesn’t solve the problem, I will do the system restore. Also, is there a place where I can go online that will give me a walkthrough of how to go about doing the system restore? 🙂
Thanks so much! 😀

[Chelsea Volz]

I downloaded the codecs that Ken recommended, but it didn’t seem to solve the problem. Unless, maybe, I didn’t install them correctly. But I extracted them all and let them automatically install. And I restarted my system afterwards.

Also, I uninstalled Daemon Pro Tools.
And, I discovered that I downloaded the Daemon program on January 2nd, 2010 so I just tried doing the system restore. However, the system restore only goes back to 1/21/2010 and I can’t figure out how to create a manual restore point that goes back far enough.
Any advice?

[Joe Mantaratz]

You can’t go back further that the computer has already recorded. A manual restore point is one that you create. so if for example you wanted to be sure to be able to go back to this moment after you installed XYZ then you could because you asked it to record a snapshot of the system.

[Bob Peterson]

My guess is that you are down to two choices;

reinstall Windows from scratch

buy a new computer

It is unfortunate that you do not have the original disks for all of your programs. That can get expensive. We’ve probably all been there in one way or another. All you can do is make sure that you don’t lose these things in the future.

[Chelsea Volz]

Thanks for responding everyone. 🙂

And okay. I am okay with re-formating my computer and starting from scratch. The only issue is that I am not sure how. Do I need to go purchase Windows Vista (even though I’d probably buy Windows 7) because I no longer have the disk?

And also, once I do this reinstall/reformat, my .avi files will work once I reinstall Vegas and everything?
I don’t have a virus, and it seems as if the Daemon program is what caused the mix up, so once I redo everything and start from scratch, when I plug in my external, it’ll be recognized in the correct drive?

Finally, is there some sort of tutorial that I can follow on the internet? I have a Gateway but the instructions for their “restore” options seem to be incomplete on their website.

Thanks again.

-Chelsea

[John Rofrano]

You might want to contact Gateway and ask if they can send you the Restore DVD for your laptop. They may charge you for shipping it but at least you can get your laptop back to brand new condition that way.

I was surprised by your screen shot of Handbrake. Your version has way more options than mine does and I have the latest 0.9.4. My copy of Handbreak doesn’t even have AVI as an option; just MP4 and MKV. Perhaps it’s from other stuff that you downloaded?

Anyway, you need to show us a screen hot of the Video tab. That’s where the codec is listed. That will tell you which codec was used. If the codec on the video tab is h.264, try installing x264vfw codec. That might fix your problem with your AVI’s.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com