Vista - WMP (Vista) will not play MPEG-2 files...

If I had any hair I would certainly be pulling it out about now.

WMP plays all of the file types that you would expect it to, including DVDs,
but will not play MPEG-2 files. I will swear that WMP and Media Center
have played MPEG (MP-2) files in the past. In fact, I think that I remember
having to install the Vista codecs to get them to play properly. I can
think of nothing that I have done that would change that. Every other video
application that I have plays them just fine.

Since discovering that WMP no longer plays them I have removed the Vista
Codecs -- would not play MP-2. Re-installed them -- still wouldn't play
them. I have removed the Vista codecs and installed the K-Lite codecs but
they still won't play.

By won't play I mean, the picture is just a bunch of horizontal lines though
the sound seems ok.

Thanks in advance for anyone's help with this.

Howard
ASUS P5NSLI, E7200@xxxxxx, 4 Gb DDR2, Vista Ultimate sp1, c:=500 Gb SATA2,
d:=500 SATA2 Gb, I/O Magic DVD Writer, Pny geForce 8500 GT w/512 MB
================================
Video Codecs
Type Name Format Binary Version
ICM Microsoft RLE MRLE msrle32.dll 6.0.6000.16386
ICM Microsoft Video 1 MSVC msvidc32.dll 6.0.6001.18000
ICM Microsoft YUV UYVY msyuv.dll 6.0.6000.16386
ICM Intel IYUV codec IYUV iyuv_32.dll 6.0.6000.16386
ICM Toshiba YUV Codec Y411 tsbyuv.dll 6.0.6000.16386
ICM Cinepak Codec by Radius cvid iccvid.dll 1.10.0.12
ICM Intel Indeo(R) Video R3.2 IV32 ir32_32.dll 3.24.15.3
ICM Intel Indeo® Video 4.5 IV41 ir41_32.ax 4.51.16.3
ICM Indeo® video 5.10 IV50 ir50_32.dll 5.2562.15.55
ICM Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec V2 MP42 mpg4c32.dll 4.1.0.3920
ICM Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec V1 MPG4 mpg4c32.dll 4.1.0.3920
ICM TechSmith Screen Capture Codec tscc tsccvid.dll 2.0.4.0
ICM Sony DV software CODEC dvsd
ICM PICVideo M-JPEG 3 VfW Codec mjpg pvmjpg30.dll 3.0.0.12
ICM Studio MP10 Decompressor I420 vdrcodec.dll 1.0.0.0
ICM Xvid MPEG-4 Codec XVID
ICM ffdshow Video Codec FFDS
DMO Mpeg4s Decoder DMO mp4s, MP4S, m4s2, M4S2 mp4sdecd.dll 11.0.6001.7000
DMO WMV Screen decoder DMO MSS1, MSS2 wmvsdecd.dll 11.0.6001.7000
DMO WMVideo Decoder DMO WMV1, WMV2, WMV3, WMVP, WVP2, WMVR, WMVA, WVC1
wmvdecod.dll 11.0.6001.7000
DMO Mpeg43 Decoder DMO mp43, MP43 mp43decd.dll 11.0.6001.7000
DMO Mpeg4 Decoder DMO MPG4, mpg4, mp42, MP42 mpg4decd.dll 11.0.6001.7000

MPEG/DVD Filters
Type Name Binary Version
video ffdshow Video Decoder ffdshow.ax 1.0.5.2037
video VOB MPEG2 Video Codec vobmpg2.ax 1.0.4.0
video ArcSoft MPEG Video Decoder mpgvideo.ax 2.4.0.34
video Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder msmpeg2vdec.dll 11.0.6001.7000
video Pinnacle Systems MovieBox USB Render ksproxy.ax 6.0.6001.18000
video Pinnacle MPEG 2 Decoder PCLEMPEGBox.ax 5.0.712.0
video Pinnacle MPEG 2/AVC Multiplexer PCLEMPEGBox.ax 5.0.712.0
video VOB MPEG2 Video Transcoder vobtrans.ax 1.0.0.66
video Pinnacle MPEG Adjust PCLEMPEGBox.ax 5.0.712.0
video CBVA DMO wrapper filter cbva.dll 6.0.6001.18000
video Pinnacle MPEG 2 Splicer PCLEMPEGBox.ax 5.0.712.0
video Pinnacle Systems MovieBox USB Device ksproxy.ax 6.0.6001.18000
video Pinnacle Systems MovieBox USB Device ksproxy.ax 6.0.6001.18000
audio AC3Filter ac3filter.ax 1.3.1.0
audio Spdifer
audio ffdshow Audio Decoder ffdshow.ax 1.0.5.2037
audio Pinnacle Audio Codec PcleAudioCodec.ax 1.0.264.0
audio Arcsoft MPEG Audio Decoder mpgaudio.ax 2.4.1.8
audio Microsoft MPEG-1/DD Audio Decoder msmpeg2adec.dll 11.0.6001.7000
audio Pinnacle Audio Codec PcleAudioCodec.ax 1.0.264.0
audio Pinnacle MPEG Layer-1/2 Audio Decoder PCLEMPEGBox.ax 5.0.712.0
audio Pinnacle MPEG 2 Splicer PCLEMPEGBox.ax 5.0.712.0