Do You Meet 0xc1010103 Error in Windows?

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“I tried playing a video in Windows Media Player but got the error 0xc1010103 message instead. Is there any easy solution to fix this video error?”

If you have been trying to play a video in Windows, then chances are that you can also encounter the 0xc1010103 error. Ideally, the error 0xc1010103 occurs due to a corrupt or unsupported video file. Though, there could be several other issues related to the error 0xc1010103 in Windows. In this post, I will cover all these common issues and discuss some smart ways to fix the 0xc1010103 error.

What Does the 0xc1010103 Error Mean?

This is a common video playback error that is mostly related to Windows Media Player. When we try to load a video, we get a prompt stating that the media file is not supported by the player. Though, there could be some other issues behind the error 0xc1010103 as well.

Chances are that the GPU or the display drivers on your system could be outdated or corrupt, causing the 0xc1010103 error.

Sometimes, there could be an issue with the video instead of the media player. In this case, you can try to resolve these playback errors first.

If the video has been corrupt or severely damaged, then it can also lead to this common error.

Besides that, there could be an issue with the firmware or your system files. For instance, the accumulation of temporary data can be one of the reasons for the 0xc1010103 error.

Important Note:

To diagnose the issue, you can try playing any other video file on your media player. This will help you identify whether the problem is with your video file or the media player.

How to Fix the 0xc1010103 Error in Windows?

As you can see, there could be different reasons and triggers for getting the 0xc1010103 error in Windows. To fix this video error, you can consider following these suggestions, depending on what caused it.

Try Playing the Video on another Media Player

Most of the time, we get the 0xc1010103 error while playing an unsupported video in Windows Media Player. To overcome this compatibility issue, you can check the format of the video you are playing. Therefore, you can consider any other media player for Windows to play the video instead. Some popular media players that you can use are VLC, Kodi, Plex, KMPlayer, MPlayer, and Real Player.

Fix 0xc1010103 With Video Playback Troubleshooter

Microsoft understands that its users can encounter various video playback errors, caused due to different reasons. To help them resolve them, Windows has come up with an inbuilt video troubleshooter that you can use. Here’s how you can use Windows troubleshooter to fix error 0xc1010103 on its own.

1. To launch the troubleshooter, you can go to Windows Settings from its Start Menu at first.

2. As the Windows Settings would be opened, go to the “Troubleshoot” feature from the sidebar.

3. From the provided options on the right, click on the “Run the troubleshooter” button under the Video Playback field.

4. This will open a dedicated wizard that you can follow to troubleshoot video playback errors. You need to enter specific details of what issue you are facing and let Windows scan it.

5. In the end, it will just display the prospective fixes for the error 0xc1010103 that you can implement on your system easily.

Please note that the guide is for Windows 10, but Windows 8 and 7 users can also find the troubleshooter listed under Control Panel or Windows Settings.

Repair Corrupted or Damaged Video Files

If your video has been corrupted or has any other playback issue, then you can also encounter the 0xc1010103 error. The easiest way to fix this is by using a dedicated application like Wondershare Repairit Video Repair. A highly professional yet user-friendly tool, it can fix all kinds of issues related to your videos without much technical hassle.

• Wondershare Video Repair supports the repairing of videos shot on camcorders, digital cameras, smartphones, drones, and other devices.
• Apart from common playback errors, it can also fix more critical issues like picture-audio sync, missing fragments, damaged header, etc.
• You can repair videos in all formats like MP4, FLV, AVI, MOV, and numerous other formats.
• The application will let you preview your videos to check the results before saving them to any desired location.

Therefore, if you are getting the error 0xc1010103 due to a corrupt video, then Wondershare Video Repair should be an ideal pick.

Update the GPU Driver to Resolve Error 0xc1010103

GPU, which stands for Graphics Processing Unit, is responsible for the overall display and visual quality of the system. Though, it relies on display drivers for its functioning in Windows. If the GPU driver has been corrupted or is outdated, then it can lead to issues like error 0xc1010103. Thankfully, you can easily fix it by updating your display drivers to their latest available versions.

1. To update your GPU drivers, first, click on the Start menu, and open the Run prompt. You can also press the Windows + R keys at the same time to get the Run prompt on your system.

2. Once the Run prompt is launched, enter the “devmgmt.msc” command to launch Device Manager. Alternatively, you can also look for Device Manager from the search bar on the taskbar.

3. As the Windows Device Manager would be launched, select your display drivers, and expand them. Now, select the installed GPU drive and choose to update it.

4. That’s it! This will launch a dedicated wizard that you can follow to update your driver. Simply look for the available updates and install them on your Windows system subsequently.

Reinstall the Display Driver

Sometimes, updating the display driver is not enough as there could be any critical problem with it. For instance, if you have installed the wrong drivers or the update has been halted in between, then it can also cause the 0xc1010103 error. To fix this, you can first uninstall the driver, and later reinstall it by visiting its website. Here’s a simple guide to reinstalling the display driver on your Windows system.

1. Before you uninstall your display drivers, it is important to know their specifications. For this, go to the search bar on your Windows and look for “System Information” or access it from its settings.

2. As the System Information window would be opened, go to its sidebar and browse to Components > Display. On the right, you can view the display adapter type, description, and other details.

3. Once you have noted these details, you can again go to the Device Manager on your system from its settings or via the Run prompt.

4. After launching the Device Manager, select your display drivers, right-click, and choose to uninstall it from your system.

5. Later, you can go to the official website of your driver’s brand (like Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA) to download its compatible drivers. Here, you need to enter the details about your system that were noted before to install an appropriate driver.

6. In the end, you can launch the installer and just follow a simple click-through process to install the newly downloaded drivers on your system.

Clean All Unnecessary Files and Temp Data

Lastly, a lot of accumulated data on our system can also cause unwanted issues like the error 0xc1010103. The easiest way to fix this is by getting rid of any unwanted content from it, particularly from the Windows drive. You should try to have minimum data stored in the Windows drive in general. Besides that, you can also get rid of temporary data in Windows by following these steps:

1. Just open the Run prompt by pressing Windows + R keys or from the Start menu. Now, enter the “%temp%” command to launch the Temp folder.

2. Alternatively, you can also go to your Windows User folder > AppData > Local > Temp to view the temp files.

3. Now, just select the temporary files from here and choose to permanently delete them from your system.

It is recommended to restart your system after deleting the temp data to check if it fixes the 0xc1010103 error or not.

Some Smart Tips to Prevent the 0xc1010103 Video Error

I hope that after reading this guide, you would be able to fix the error 0xc1010103 without any issue. If you don’t want to encounter the problem again, then I would recommend the following suggestions:

• While downloading or transferring your videos, make sure that you don’t halt the process in between.
• Save your videos to a secure location and keep an anti-malware installed to make sure they are protected.
• Avoid editing your videos too much or altering their headers/extensions that can make them corrupt.
• Consider updating your media players and drivers to ensure they won’t suffer from compatibility issues.
• Keep in the mind the format of the video and try not to play it with a media player that won’t support it.
• Try not to open several applications at the same time while playing the video as it can overload your system.

That’s a wrap, everyone! Now when you know different ways to fix the error 0xc1010103, you would certainly be able to fix this problem. Though, if you don’t want to encounter issues related to a corrupt or damaged video again, then keep a video repair tool handy. For instance, with the help of Wondershare Repairit Video Repair, you can easily fix all kinds of errors related to your videos in no time.

Originally published at https://recoverit.wondershare.com.