# Video thumbnails cause Windows XP to crash. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247 "2011-06-12T20:52:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/1 "2011-06-12T20:52:19Z")
I am running Windows XP on this machine and am really happy with it, except for one issue: when viewing a folder with video (.AVI mostly) files, the Explorer crashes, then restarts. It’s really, really annoying, and it only happens with video files. Is there any solution to this _other than_ disabling thumbnails? ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/2 "2011-06-12T21:58:39Z")
I had this problem with Vista. It was some codec conflict. I resolved it by uninstalling all my codecs and using an up to date version of K-lite. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/3 "2011-06-12T22:07:16Z")
I just remembered, it could also just be one corrupted video file that’s causing the crash. I’ve had that happen too, even after I fixed the general problem. All the thumbnails were working except for one folder with a bad file. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/4 "2011-06-12T22:19:38Z")
> [@gladtobeblazed](#): > > I just remembered, it could also just be one corrupted video file that’s causing the crash. I’ve had that happen too, even after I fixed the general problem. All the thumbnails were working except for one folder with a bad file. Yes, I’ve had one bad video file crash explorer. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/5 "2011-06-13T09:37:13Z")
I too had this, with AVI files, in XP sp 2, and fixed it by installing K-lite > **[Download K-Lite Codec Pack](http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm)** > > Download links for the K-Lite Codec Pack. A free software bundle for high quality audio and video playback. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/6 "2011-06-13T17:16:59Z")
I get this too. What really makes it annoying is that it only happens sometimes. I find myself opening folders containing videos and scrolling through slowly as if to sneak up on them and not trip to the bug that makes Explorer crash. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/7 "2011-06-13T17:17:40Z")
Dont bother installing codecs they cause a bunch of problems and the K-Lite codec pack is just a brute force fix, install VLC media player instead ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/8 "2011-06-13T17:27:47Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I am running Windows XP on this machine and am really happy with it, except for one issue: when viewing a folder with video (.AVI mostly) files, the Explorer crashes, then restarts. It’s really, really annoying, and it only happens with video files. > > Is there any solution to this _other than_ disabling thumbnails? For those who don’t know how to disable thumbnails > [@](#): > > Tools -\> Folder Options -\> View Tab -\> UNCHECK always show icons never, thumbnails I’ve searched and searched and it is a codec conflict. If you reinstall your codecs I have VLC media player and it still happens every so often. The only absolute fix is to disable thumbnails. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/9 "2011-06-13T17:46:02Z")
You probably still have codecs installed when you don’t need them. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/10 "2011-06-13T18:47:12Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I am running Windows XP on this machine and am really happy with it, except for one issue: when viewing a folder with video (.AVI mostly) files, the Explorer crashes, then restarts. It’s really, really annoying, and it only happens with video files. > > Is there any solution to this _other than_ disabling thumbnails? have you installed any software that might have brought its own video codecs with it e.g. Nero or similar? What happens is that Explorer has to load the codec so it can “play” part of the video files to generate the thumbnail, and if the codec messes up the entire Explorer process has to be killed. disabling thumbnails will at least cure the symptom of Explorer crashing. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/11 "2011-06-13T18:52:14Z")
I installed K-Lite and it fixed the problem. (It also makes the thumbnails pop up a LOT faster!) I have been running VLC for years. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-thumbnails-cause-windows-xp-to-crash-why/585247/12 "2011-06-13T19:00:36Z")
That’s because VLC doesn’t have anything to do with how the rest of the system decodes videos. It’s not a brute force fix. If you want thumbnails at all, you have to have a codec that can read the file.