Bugged MKV files

[Eagerstriker]

So I've been noticing some weirdness with the mkv files that downloadhelper puts out on my end, and ima list the issues here to see if anyone else is having problems (and yes, before you ask, I have checked mkv files from other sources and they do not seem to be causing issues. Also ran CCleaner just in case, but no luck)

- When the folder containing the file is open, the folder constantly is trying to discover items even though everything is shown (the green bar in the address field is constantly loading as if its looking for something)

- Right-clicking and attempting to go into the Open with menu freezes the window completely, requiring task manager to close the window

- Deleting is difficult as it hangs at discovering items. Shift + Delete has been a bit of a dice role on weather it wants to work or not.

- Trying to play the mkv file Kmplayer causes it to freeze (player works fine with mkv files not generated by downloadhelper). VLC still seems to work.

Anyway, that's it for what I've noticed so far. Really annoying bug! I hope this is fixable...

[Wild Willy]

This is an incomplete problem description. In order to complete this problem report, you
need to supply the information detailed over here:

https://groups.google.com/g/video-downloadhelper-q-and-a/c/_DmryjDe_Ck

I might add that I have never observed the behavior you're describing.

[Eagerstriker]

Opps my bad sry! Here is the info:

Windows 10 Pro, 21H1 (19043.1052)

Firefox 89.0.2 (64-bit)

Video DownloadHelper 7.4.0 with a license

VdhCoApp 1.6.1

and here are a few examples of vids that are giving me trouble:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WD7g3JxcY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYPapE-3FRw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM_HPAXwJFw

[Wild Willy]

I hesitate to break this to you but they all downloaded & played fine for me. The
attached file details my results. Now here's what's different about our setups:

You're on Windows 10; I'm on Windows 7 64-bit. I don't believe this is a significant
difference.

We're both running the latest Firefox 89.0.2 64-bit. No difference there.

You're running licensed VDH 7.4.0; I'm running licensed VDH 7.6.0a2 beta (the latest). I
don't know how these differ or what impact this difference has. I have asked here what's
new in the new VDH but I've not received any answer. My gut feeling is that there is no
impact due to the difference in our version of VDH. Still, you might try the latest beta
& see if it does make any difference.

You're running CoApp 1.6.1; I'm running CoApp 1.6.3 (the latest). I think there may be
an impact here. Typically, when Michel responds to YouTube's latest frivolous change, he
has to update the CoApp. So maybe there's something in the CoApp that makes a
difference. Once again I say you might try the latest version of the CoApp to see if it
does make any difference.

I feel heavily influenced at the moment by Richard Feynman & Neil deGrasse Tyson so bear
with me. If you do decide to upgrade your versions of VDH & the CoApp, please do them
one at a time. I would upgrade first VDH only, then try your 3 videos again. If they
still fail, I would conclude the problem isn't in the extension itself, which is my
initial gut reaction. If they suddenly work, then I was wrong & the problem is lurking
somewhere in the extension & Michel fixed the problem somewhere between the 2 releases of
VDH. After trying the newer VDH, only then would I install the latest CoApp. If the
downloads now give you functional MKV files, we know the problem was in the CoApp &
Michel fixed it at some point between the 2 releases. If they continue to fail, then I
am out of ideas. You'll have to get help from someone smarter than me.

[Wild Willy]

Oops. Sorry. I forgot to identify the files described in my attachment above. Test #1
is the animal video, Test #2 is the Feynman video, Test #3 is the NdGT video.

[Eagerstriker]

Sadly, none of the combinations of versions yielded any results :( Even tried 7.4.0 with coapp 1.6.3 (cause I noticed it after the second message I sent, but before you replied again) and that did not work. But, I do have some slightly good news; I figured out why it was constantly trying to discover, freezing on open with, and having trouble deleting. Its because the files are having trouble generating a thumbnail image for the icon. Ones the did successfully create thumbnails I had none of those problems (although still would not play in KMplayer, which again doesn't have issues with MKV files from other sources). Its weird though because thumbnail generation seems inconstant and random. Example, the animal vid for a while (like a day or two) did not have one, but now randomly does. Meanwhile, a few other vids that I got on the same day, still don't have one. The redownloads of those test vids all got their icons like instantly. Thankfully convert is an option, so any vids I come across that wanna download as MKV I can switch to MP4 or whatever before it gets to my drive to cause havoc, but still its annoying. Hopefully, someone will pop in with another idea.

Also, you said you're using Windows 7.......... WINDOWS 7 FOR LIFE HOMIE!!!!! *throws up a 7 shaped gang sign* XD (I miss it! I had far FAR fewer problems with 7 than I do 10! And now we got windows 11 coming along after Microsoft spoon feed us all that BS about 10 being the last version of windows they would ever make!)

[Kerell]

I had this problem as described in the first post in this thread. If I navigated to the dwhelper folder in Users, Windows Explorer would freeze up and I'd see the Green Bar of Death in the address field.  I'd have to use task manager to close the window, usually be selecting restart for Explorer.  But then any other folder I navigated to with Explorer -- downloads, pictures, etc. -- would have the same issues (freezing, green bar of death). Only upon restarting my PC, would things return to normal.  But if I opened the dwhelper folder in Users, the freezing and green bar of death would start all over again.

There was one mkv file in the dwhelper folder -- a Youtube vid -- and sure enough that file was lacking a thumbnail. Based on what I've read here and elsewhere, I surmised that file was the problem. But since Explorer would freeze as soon as I opened the folder, I couldn't delete the file.  The solution was mercifully simple:  I booted into Safe Mode, and was able to navigate to the dwhelper folder without Explorer freezing and delete the thumbnail-lacking mkv file. That has solved the issue.

I'm running Win10 Pro

Firefox 104.0.1 (64-bit)

VDH 7.6.0 (no license yet)

[Wild Willy]

I have to say I have never encountered the problems being described here. The "green bar
of death" on the Windows Explorer screen has never actually been a death sentence on my
system. In directories that have hundreds or thousands of files, it can take 5-10
minutes for the green bar to make it all the way to the right end. But it does always
make it to the right end for me (on Windows 7 64-bit). I say you have simply not been
patient enough. Let it crunch. It may take, like I say, a ridiculously long time. Let
it. Wait for it to do its thing. Be patient. As long as your disk activity light is
flickering, let it run. To be more scientific about it, look in Resource Monitor on the
Disk tab. See what files are getting the most activity. Watch it for a bit to see if
the files getting the most activity keep changing. As long as the system appears to be
doing something, just let it run. Don't be so eager to cancel tasks & reboot. Let it
run. Be patient.

I have also never had any particular problem with MKV files. They are just another file
type that VLC is perfectly happy to play. I see no difference with MKV compared to WEBM
or MP4 or any other file type. They all play fine in VLC.

Now here's something that's a bit of a wild-ass guess. I have something called K-Lite
Codec Pack. I do not remember when I got it. At least 6 or 7 years ago, maybe even 10
years ago. I also don't remember why I have it. I have a faint memory of having a
problem that led me to believe some video player was having trouble playing some file I
had & I got the idea in my head that I didn't have the proper codecs for playing that
content. I think I might have seen a recommendation via Google searches to get K-Lite.
I believe it didn't solve the problem & I just forgot I had the thing. A few months ago,
out of the blue, I got this popup notification saying there was a new version of K-Lite,
would I like to get it? I sat there for a few minutes trying to remember what the
software was. I considered the possibility I had a virus. A Google search soon
reassured me that it was legitimate software, even if I couldn't say what it did or why I
had it. After I finally pieced together the faint recollections I've just described, I
wondered why it took the program so many years of lying in the weeds on my system before
it decided to suddenly tell me it wanted an update. I'm sure I skipped over 200 version
numbers to go from what I had to what I have now. As far as I can tell, K-Lite is
actually an alternative to VLC. The codecs in the K-Lite product are not used by VLC. I
actually can't figure out how to use K-Lite. But I thought what the heck, I've got it,
my system is running fine with the painfully out of date version, it can't hurt to update
to the modern era. So I went ahead & installed the update. Within a few hours I started
noticing that my MKV & WEBM files had suddenly started displaying properties that they
didn't used to display. Apparently, base Windows has no support for MKV & WEBM format
files. Whenever I had opened the Properties dialog for any MKV or WEBM file, the Details
tab showed almost no meaningful information. But suddenly I was getting durations, video
resolutions, video bit rates, video frame rates, audio sampling rates, audio bit rates.
I can attribute this only to K-Lite. It has to be that.

So I'm wondering if K-Lite Codec Pack might help in your case. If it doesn't help, just
remove it. All I can say is I've come to rather like the fact that I'm seeing properties
on files that had none before. I now let the thing give me an update about every 2
weeks, which is when I have it pop up its update notification. Maybe you're feeling
adventurous. It's up to you to decide. All I know is I have never seen your problem.

Also, it might be helpful to post a few URLs of pages where you got some of those MKVs
that are giving you trouble. I could download them & see if they work for me.

[John Moore]

Install "FreeCommander" then use that to navigate to the folder

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John Moore

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Information Systems - Information Technology

Professional IT services

[mjs]

This discussion is a duplicate of another discussion , one where we diagnose the problem and find a solution. There is no need to go into

safe mode to delete the problem file. Read the full post for more info here :

https://groups.google.com/g/video-downloadhelper-q-and-a/c/9hEPBtvWjZ4/m/iZY1EwX4AQAJ