Video thumbnails aren't showing in Windows 7

[blunomore]

When I open my video folder in Windows 7, the thumbnails aren't showing. Instead, some generic icons are displayed.

Can anyone please assist in restoring this?

Thanks

 

[crackersa]

Check you folder settings at the top

 

[mercurial]

In your folder, go to the menu option Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> "Always show icons, never thumbnails"

 

[blunomore]

Check you folder settings at the top

I presume you refer to "always show icons, never thumbnails"?

When I check that box, some of the thumbnails show up, but not all of them. Why would that be?

 

[kripstoe]

I presume you refer to "always show icons, never thumbnails"?

When I check that box, some of the thumbnails show up, but not all of them. Why would that be?

Depends on the file type.

Windows needs a to know how to extract thumbnails from video files, and for files such as .mkv there are specific things you need to have installed and do for Windows to be able to extract thumbnails.

You can Google it, but if I remember correctly it also involves registry changes.

 

[genetic]

You'd need certain codecs installed to display video thumbnails of certain files. It's not as easy as changing a quick settings. As Kripstoe said, it may require some registry changes.

 

[blunomore]

You'd need certain codecs installed to display video thumbnails of certain files. It's not as easy as changing a quick settings. As Kripstoe said, it may require some registry changes.

The point is that I had the thumbnails showing up normally until a day or two ago, when they disappeared! So clearly my PC must have had had the codecs installed.

My question is why they disappeared and how to restore them?

 

[ponder]

You did something.

 

[NomNom]

You'd need certain codecs installed to display video thumbnails of certain files. It's not as easy as changing a quick settings. As Kripstoe said, it may require some registry changes.

You don't need codecs, just VLC Media Player.

blunomore - Type "Default programs" in the search bar on your Start Menu. Open the program listed called "Default Programs" then click "Set your default programs" then click the program you use to play videos with and then click "Set this program as default"

Personally I use VLC Media Player to play videos and Windows Media Player to play Music.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-default-programs#1TC=windows-7

 

[blunomore]

You don't need codecs, just VLC Media Player.

blunomore - Type "Default programs" in the search bar on your Start Menu. Open the program listed called "Default Programs" then click "Set your default programs" then click the program you use to play videos with and then click "Set this program as default"

Personally I use VLC Media Player to play videos and Windows Media Player to play Music.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-default-programs#1TC=windows-7

Thanks!

 

[kripstoe]

You don't need codecs, just VLC Media Player.

blunomore - Type "Default programs" in the search bar on your Start Menu. Open the program listed called "Default Programs" then click "Set your default programs" then click the program you use to play videos with and then click "Set this program as default"

Personally I use VLC Media Player to play videos and Windows Media Player to play Music.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-default-programs#1TC=windows-7

And that makes thumbnails work without codecs? Highly unlikely in my opinion.

VLC just takes care of the playing of the files for you, not the OS level decoding and thumbnail generation.

 

[NomNom]

And that makes thumbnails work without codecs? Highly unlikely in my opinion.

VLC just takes care of the playing of the files for you, not the OS level decoding and thumbnail generation.

Strange works fine for me, with no codecs, just VLC Media Player installed.