The VideoLAN Forums

Hi there, I have an AVI file that I'd like to play, however when I open it, I get the following message:

"AVI Index
This AVI file is broken. Seeking will not work correctly. Do you want to try to repair it (this might take a long time)?
Yes No Cancel"

It does indeed take ages to repair, and I've tried this, but when I tried to open the avi again to see whether it worked, it again asked me to repair it... If I click on No, it will just play a few seconds then close.

Is there a way for me to permanently fix the file? At the worst, I would just need to view it once...

Thanks,

Cecile.

You might want to try using VirtualDub - a powerful AVI editing tool, and it is able to perform a brute-force AVI index rebuild fairly fast. When you open it in VirtualDub is should rebuild the index, then when it have finished select:
Video >> Direct Stream Copy

Then go to:
File >> Save AVI

And save it.

Hopefully you should then be able to view the new file in VLC without a problem.

Cheers, Arite.

Hi Arite,

thanks for the link! I have downloaded it and managed to go through the rebuild, but at the end it came up with an error:

VirtualDub Error
Couldn't locate decompressor for format 'XVID' (unknown)
VirtualDub requires a Video for Windows (VFW) compatible codec to decompress video. DirectShow codecs, such as those used by Windows Media Player, are not suitable.
OK

Does it mean that I'm missing a file? If so, would you happen to know how I can identify the missing codec and where I can download it from?

Cheers,

Cecile.

Oh right, yes - you may need to download the XviD (or "Xvid", as it is now) DirectShow codec:
http://www.digital-digest.com/software/ ... id=0&did=1

This won't affect VLC's playback since it uses its own codecs, however is required for some applications which use DirectShow (e.g. VirtualDub, Windows Media Player).

Cheers, Arite.

Thank you so much Arite! !!

Cheers,

Cecile.

I don't want to fix the file because I don't need the index. Moreover, I have lots of these AVI files and will continue to get more and more each day because it's the default movie mode of my Canon SD870 camera.

Rather than fix the file, how can I suppress this error message? I found a switch to suppress the error message in version "vlc-0.8.6c-win32.exe" but I can't find the same switch in version "vlc-0.8.6d-win32.exe".

Any suggestions?

N/M - just found the answer within the forum. I'll post a link anyway since it might help others in the future...
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=20841&p=121762&hil ... en#p121796

ou might want to try using VirtualDub - a powerful AVI editing tool, and it is able to perform a brute-force AVI index rebuild fairly fast. When you open it in VirtualDub is should rebuild the index, then when it have finished select:
Video >> Direct Stream Copy

Then go to:
File >> Save AVI

And save it.

Hopefully you should then be able to view the new file in VLC without a problem.

Arite,
I did as you wrote..and indeed VLC can now open it without any error message..BUT I cannot seek in the file, cannot move the play head or the files go directly to the end.
Could you please explain me what is happening? and a possible fix?
Thnaks very much