3 Methods to Repair Broken or Missing AVI Index

You may see an error message, “The AVI file index is broken or missing”, while trying to play AVI files on the VLC media player. This indicates that your AVI file index is broken or corrupted. This post leads you through solutions that will help you fix broken or missing AVI index.

Symptoms and Reasons of Corruption in AVI Files

AVI is an abbreviation of Audio Video Interleave, which is a common file format used for playing audios and videos on your Windows system. This format requires less compression in comparison to other file formats, which is one of the primary reasons for its popularity. The AVI files are denoted by the file extension .avi.

The AVI file index refers to the set of rules that define the video performance. These rules apply when you pause, rewind, or forward videos. A corrupted AVI file index makes the videos unplayable and may display the following symptoms.

1. The video stutters while playing
2. The video and audio isn’t in sync
3. You can hear only the audio and there is no video
4. The video is blurry, pixelated, and grainy throughout
5. You can only see the video and there is no audio
6. The video is not playing after some time

Following are some major causes of AVI file index corruption or damage.

1. There are bad sectors on your hard drive, which may corrupt the AVI file index and prohibit it from playing properly.
2. You are using incompatible tools for AVI format conversion.
3. Power failure, abrupt system shutdown, and poor internet connection may also cause corruption in AVI file index.
4. Using the wrong editing tool can cause AVI file index damage. The tool may induce many errors or viruses, which may corrupt the file.
5. The AVI file index may get corrupted while downloading the file from an online source.
6. The AVI file index may get damaged while sharing on the network.
7. It may get corrupted or damaged, if videos are not properly copied while transferring between storage devices.
8. You are using an incompatible media player to play the video.

How to Fix AVI Index Permanently?

You can easily fix or repair the AVI index using the solutions discussed below.

1. Use “System File Checker”

You can easily repair damaged or corrupted AVI file index using system file checker. Follow these steps:

1. Type cmd in the search bar.
2. Select Run as administrator.
3. In the command prompt page, type SFC/scannow.

This command will check and repair all corrupted files on the system and the AVI file will be repaired in the process.

2. Use VLC Media Player to Fix AVI Index

VLC media player is a free media player that is available for Mac and Windows. You can try to fix the AVI index using VLC media player. Follow these steps:

1. Download and install VLC Media Player.
2. Choose Preferences from the Tool tab.

1. Choose the Input/Codecs tab in the files section, select the damaged or incomplete AVI file >> Always Fix, and click on Save.

This media player repairs the AVI file index. However, this solution is temporary. You can repair it permanently using a video repair software.

3. Use a Reliable Video Repair Software to Fix AVI Index

There are several software available that can help you repair videos easily. Recoverit, Remo Video Repair, and Stellar Repair for Video are a few popular tools in this category. Stellar Repair for Video can repair more than 17 video formats, including MOV, MP4, MKV, and AVI. It can repair multiple 8k, 4k, VR, and 360-degree videos simultaneously. It can fix flickering, stuttering, blurry, and other video problems. You can preview repaired videos before saving them. Here are the steps to download and use any of these tools on your system.

1. Visit the official website and launch the free version of the tool (if available).
2. Add the files to be repaired to the interface and click on the repair process. Some tools can repair only one video at a time, however, the Stellar Repair for Video can repair multiple videos simultaneously.
3. You will get a message of completion once the repair process is completed. You can preview the videos that are repaired by the software before saving them.

How to Avoid Corruption of AVI File Index?

Following are some steps you can take to avoid damage or corruption of the AVI files.

• Download the video files from only trusted websites.
• Choose the right media player to support the AVI file index.
• Do not share AVI files on the internet randomly to avoid possibilities of corruption.
• Avoid scenarios where video transfer process may be interrupted, such as weak internet, low battery power, and so on.
• Use only trusted tools to edit the AVI files.
• Create copies of AVI files before sharing it online or before transferring it between systems.
• Install an anti-virus or anti-malware program to avoid infections in AVI files.

Conclusion

AVI file index can be easily repaired using system file checker, VLC Media Player, and video repair software. Of these, the software option is the most effective and the easiest one. You can download Stellar Repair for Video to fix damaged or corrupted AVI videos. In addition to this, you can follow the tips mentioned in the post to avoid corruption in the AVI file index.