I’m normally not a friend of codec packs because they tend to install many codecs that are not needed on most systems and could pose compatibility problems with codecs already installed on the system. Windows Vista on the other hand misses some essential codecs that can be quite easily added with the Vista Codec Package which can be customized during installation. That is right, unlike other codec packages you can select to install all or only some of the codecs offered.

Most possible conflicts have already been dealt with and the settings have already been altered for best results. The Windows Vista codec package does not ship with a media player which means that no file associations are being made. Just fire up your favorite media player, I recommend VLC or Mplayer, who automatically will use the codecs that are installed on your system.

Windows Vista Codec

All the important codecs are in the package, including xvid, windows media video 9, ffdshow, ogg and ac-3  acm. The codec package can be installed in Windows Vista and Windows XP and runs on 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the operating systems.

Installing a Windows Vista Codec Package can have direct impacts on system performance, stability and multimedia output. It is therefor recommended to be very cautious when installing a Windows Vista Codec Package.

Windows Vista Codec Alternatives

A viable alternative is to install a media player that comes with so called binary codecs which can only be used in this program and cannot be accessed by other applications. This has the immense advantage that those codecs cannot “pollute” the system and cause stability and performance issues which windows vista codec packs can.

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