Very Basic Questions on Codecs

[SamK]

I messed up my codecs many months back when I uninstalled a codec pack, and I've never been able to get back to where I was.

1. What's the best way of "resetting" my codecs without reinstalling Windows XP?

2. Is there a "standard" set of codecs that I can install so that I could play most available video files?

3. Does having too many codecs installed affect the performance of the PC? There are many codec packs out there that seem to be overloaded.

4. What's the best tool to manage the set of codecs on a PC?

5. What's the difference between a codec and a filter?

Thanks.

[tigerman8u]

I stick with the saying "more isn't always better" when it comes to codecs. I install divx and xvid (Koiepi's build) for avi (mpeg4).