Videos not playing, video black screen, Windows video error codes

[Biohazard]

Warning: Outdated, please use the new help website

This FAQ is outdated. Go to the new help website for a better an updated version of this article: Wallpaper Engine - Troubleshooting & FAQ[help.wallpaperengine.io]

Quick summary

Black screens and other issues with wallpapers of the type "Video" are always caused by either faulty graphics card drivers or faulty video codecs. Try the following steps in the exact order. This solves the problem for 99% of users:

1. Download the latest graphics card drivers for your graphics card (or all of them if you have two, for example Nvidia and Intel):

• Nvidia GeForce[www.nvidia.com]
  
• AMD Radeon[www.amd.com]
  
• Intel Graphics[downloadcenter.intel.com]

2. Uninstall your current graphics card drivers completely and delete all existing settings if asked. Nvidia drivers have a checkbox which says "Perform clean re-installation" which also works.

You can also use Display Driver Uninstaller ("DDU")[www.guru3d.com] if you are unsure on how to do that.

Again: It's very important that you do a clean re-installation - this means your current graphics card drivers and driver settings have to be completely deleted before you install the new drivers, otherwise it will not work.

3. Install the drivers you have just downloaded in step 1.
4. Restart your PC again, see if it works now.

5. If it does not work after this:

• Download the Codec Tweak Tool: https://www.codecguide.com/download_other.htm
  
• Apply these settings: http://i.imgur.com/KcQcmTX.png
  
• Restart the PC and try the affected wallpapers again.

6. If it still does not work after this, download LAV and use DirectShow as described in this guide: Click here.
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In-depth problem solving

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Laptops only: video black screen/active movie window/jittering/cuts/artifacts

For AMD set wallpaper32/64.exe to 'power saving': OLD IMAGE[support.hp.com]. For new drivers this option has been moved, you can follow these instructions: FOR NEW DRIVERS[support.amd.com] More detailed instructions for AMD drivers here: LINK. Restart the PC after changing the GPU.

For Nvidia it should happen automatically when starting the application otherwise set it up in the Nvidia Control Panel. The path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\wallpaper_engine\wallpaper32.exe: IMAGE[i.stack.imgur.com] / VIDEO (Set it to Integrated GPU). Restart the PC after changing the GPU.

Desktops and Laptops: video black screen/active movie window

Run sfc /scannow to try and fix your PC: LINK[www.lifewire.com]

Install LAV decoder filters to add support for more formats (this is a work around for broken PCs too) LINK.

Make sure Windows Media Player is installed and open the wallpaper video in Windows Media Player. Other video players are not relevant for this.

Error codes

If you receive an error code, it indicates an issue with Windows or your graphics/sound drivers. If you have any codec packs installed, either uninstall them or configure them so that they don't disable Media Foundation, it is a Windows component and Wallpaper Engine needs Windows to be functioning correctly. Codec packs that might cause issues include K-Lite, CCCP, Shark007.

• C00D5212: Codec not found. Check steps above to switch to the integrated GPU on laptops. For Windows 7/8 follow this guide.
  
• 800700ea: Enable Media Foundation in codec packs. Install updates.
  
• 8007007e: Module not found. Fix missing Windows components. Enable Media Foundation in Codec packs.
  
• C00D36FA: Disable 'video audio output' as a workaround. Update/Reinstall drivers. Often caused by sound issues, try adjusting the bitrate of your audio device. Can also happen if Wallpaper Engine gets 'sandboxed' by your anti-virus. Or a codec pack disabled video/audio components, enable Media Foundation again. A faulty graphics driver may cause it as well, try rolling back to an older version.
  
• C00D36B4 + Turtle Beach Stealth 450 headset: Update your drivers.

Try the codec tweak tool if you previously installed codec packs that broke system files:

• Download the Codec Tweak Tool: https://www.codecguide.com/download_other.htm
  
• Apply these settings: http://i.imgur.com/KcQcmTX.png
  
• Restart the PC and try playing the video.

The last possible solution to try is to repair/reinstall Windows.

White screen on Windows 7

If you are on Windows 7, you cannot play videos with resolutions above 1080p, the video modules that are part of Windows do not support it. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd797815(v=vs.85).aspx#FORMAT_CONSTRAINTS

Install LAV to add support for more videos on Win7: LINK