CODECS.COM Articles: Latest Codec Guides and Media News

GuideSep 16, 20269,941 views4 min read

How to Copy Multiple ISOs to One USB Drive and Boot Any OS with Ventoy

Set up one USB stick that boots any ISO you drop onto it - the Ventoy install, the step that erases the drive, and the Secure Boot screen.

GuideSep 16, 202611,347 views3 min read

Xvid Codec Download for Android? Why There Isn't One

There is no Xvid codec download for Android, and Xvid APKs are often fake. Install VLC for Android instead and your Xvid AVI files play right away, free.

NewsSep 16, 20261,115 views3 min read

AV2 Is Final - What the New Codec Means for Your Videos

AV2 is finished and nothing you own can play it - what the new codec promises, and how long AV1 suggests the wait will be.

GuideSep 15, 202610,413 views6 min read

How to Run ChromeOS Flex from a USB Drive Without Touching Windows

Boot ChromeOS Flex from a stick to test an old laptop without touching Windows - the Rufus steps, the BIN file trap, and what is not saved.

GuideSep 15, 202614,752 views3 min read

How to Play Xvid Files on Android - No Codec Needed

Which free Android players open Xvid AVI files without any codec, how they compare, and why no Xvid codec APK exists for Android.

GuideSep 15, 2026618 views5 min read

How to Open ProRes and ProRes RAW Files on Windows

ProRes opens on Windows today and ProRes RAW does not - how to tell the two apart, and the three free routes that open the one that refuses.

GuideSep 15, 20269,612 views5 min read

How to Create a Bootable Ubuntu USB Drive - and Rescue Files from a Dead PC

Build a bootable Ubuntu stick with Rufus and use it to boot a dead PC and copy the files off - every Rufus setting, plus the drive letter error.

GuideSep 15, 20264 comments58,586 views5 min read

How to Open and Save AVIF Files in Photoshop - With or Without the Plugin

Current Photoshop opens AVIF with no add-on - how to check your version, save AVIF files, and install the free plugin on an older copy.

NewsSep 15, 2026604 views3 min read

Firefox 156 Uses Up to 20 Times Less Memory on Big JPEG Photos

Firefox 156 now shrinks big JPEG photos as it decodes them rather than after - what that saves, and the cases where it quietly does not apply.

NewsSep 15, 20261 comment11,936 views3 min read

AV1 Upgrades Android Video with VideoLAN's libdav1d Codec

The 2024 decoder swap that made AV1 video play smoothly on ordinary Android phones, and what it means for your device now.

GuideSep 15, 202617,168 views6 min read

How to Create a System Image in Windows 11 - and Actually Restore It

The five-step walkthrough for imaging a whole Windows install, plus the restore half most guides leave out and the folder mistake that quietly breaks it.

GuideSep 15, 202623,699 views6 min read

How to Install foobar2000 Components (and Fix 'Failed to Load DLL')

The one-minute way to add foobar2000 components, plus why a 32-bit add-on will not load in 64-bit foobar2000 and what to do instead.

NewsSep 14, 20268,602 views4 min read

How Microsoft Turned Windows 11 Setup Into an Endurance Test

One year on from the announcement that made Windows 11 setup longer, there is finally a button to skip the wait - and one step that got harder instead.