How to Repair AVI File Index

By Chad Anderson

Repair AVI File Index
i Ciaran Griffin/Lifesize/Getty Images

The AVI file container is one of the most popular containers for digital video files. A common problem with AVI files is that their index becomes corrupted. The index is used to seek through the file and to properly time the audio track with the video track. If an AVI file's index is corrupted, it will cause the video to freeze, stutter or otherwise cease to function. While many AVI players will automatically repair the index, others do not and will require the use of a third-party repair utility.

DivFix++ (Linux/Mac/Windows)

Download and install DivFix++ from the developer's website (see Resources). Launch DivFix++ once you have completed the installation.

Click the button with a folder on it in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog. Select where you want to save your repaired AVI file.

Click the "Add File(s)" button and select the file or files you need DivFix++ to repair.

Click the "Rebuild Index" button in the lower left-hand corner of the window to begin the repair process.

VideoLAN (Linux/Mac/Windows)

Download and install VLC media player from the VideoLAN website (see Resources). Launch VLC once the installation is complete.

Click "File" and then "Open" and select your corrupted AVI video from the file browser window.

Wait for VLC to scan your AVI file and discover the corrupted index. When the pop-up window asks if you would like to repair your AVI file's index, click "Repair" to let VLC repair it.

Mencoder (Linux)

Launch a terminal window and type "mencoder -v" and press "Enter" to see if you have mencoder installed. If mencoder is not installed, use your distribution's package management system to install the mencoder package.

Use the "cd" command to navigate to the directory where your AVI file is stored.

Type "mencoder -idx movie.avi -ovc copy -oac copy -o fixedmovie.avi," where "movie.avi" is your AVI file's name and "fixedmovie.avi" is the repaired file's name. Press "Enter" to fix your AVI with mencoder.

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