"Tom Francis" wrote in message
...
for Windows Media Player?

It would appear that the DVD player in the computer is useless because
it doesn't have a DVD decoder.

Figures.

Any help?

I am sure you've checked, but just in case.....

Do you have other software in the computer that plays a DVD? Usually a
computer comes bundled with some kind of software for playing a DVD if the
computer has a DVD capable drive.
I think you can then change the association to have it play in Media Player
if you prefer.

I also may not know what I am talking about, except that's how mine works.

Eisboch

"Tom Francis" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 5 Oct 2006 21:10:28 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Tom Francis" wrote in message
. ..
for Windows Media Player?

It would appear that the DVD player in the computer is useless because
it doesn't have a DVD decoder.

Figures.

Any help?

I am sure you've checked, but just in case.....

Do you have other software in the computer that plays a DVD? Usually a
computer comes bundled with some kind of software for playing a DVD if the
computer has a DVD capable drive.
I think you can then change the association to have it play in Media
Player
if you prefer.

I also may not know what I am talking about, except that's how mine works.

I've never used the DVD player, but I just received a DVD from
Evinrude and wanted to play it - won't play - tells me I need to
purchase a MPEG-2 upgrade or something.

Bill Gates sucks.

I'll look for it - thanks.

If it works anything like mine, after you insert the DVD in the drawer and
close it, wait for a bit.
The drive will spin and whir, then a DVD player program starts
automatically. Mine is called
"InterVideo WinDVD" or something like that.

Eisboch

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 01:21:25 +0000, Tom Francis wrote:


I've never used the DVD player, but I just received a DVD from
Evinrude and wanted to play it - won't play - tells me I need to
purchase a MPEG-2 upgrade or something.

Try he

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...r/plugins.aspx


More info:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306331/EN-US/


Bill Gates sucks.

Now, you are getting your thinking right. ;-)

"thunder" wrote in message
...

Try he

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...r/plugins.aspx


Of the 4 listed there, I've used all but the Sonic. I reccomend the
Cybelink plug-in. And it's cheap too.

-W

"thunder" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 01:21:25 +0000, Tom Francis wrote:


I've never used the DVD player, but I just received a DVD from
Evinrude and wanted to play it - won't play - tells me I need to
purchase a MPEG-2 upgrade or something.

Try he

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...r/plugins.aspx


More info:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306331/EN-US/


Bill Gates sucks.

Now, you are getting your thinking right. ;-)


It's all a crap shoot, apparently. I had the same problem as Tom with my
Sony laptop. When I first got it, it played DVDs via some software it came
with (part of Windows ME). 6 months later, I reformatted & installed XP Pro.
WMP would not play DVDs at that point. It didn't matter much, so after a few
weeks of looking for solutions, I moved on to other issues.

Two months ago, I did a reformat/reinstall of XP Pro on my desktop machine.
WMP plays DVDs. I did nothing special to make it happen.

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 11:44:26 +0000, JoeSpareBedroom wrote:


Two months ago, I did a reformat/reinstall of XP Pro on my desktop machine.
WMP plays DVDs. I did nothing special to make it happen.

If I'm not mistaken, I think the problem lies with MPEG-2 being
proprietary. Somebody has to pay licensing fees to the patent holders,
via the Moving Pictures Experts Group.

"thunder" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 11:44:26 +0000, JoeSpareBedroom wrote:


Two months ago, I did a reformat/reinstall of XP Pro on my desktop
machine.
WMP plays DVDs. I did nothing special to make it happen.

If I'm not mistaken, I think the problem lies with MPEG-2 being
proprietary. Somebody has to pay licensing fees to the patent holders,
via the Moving Pictures Experts Group.

Maybe. But it's odd that on two machines, I used the same install disks
(yes, multiple licenses), same checklist, did all the MS updates, and the
result is that one plays DVDs while the other does not.

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 12:32:17 +0000, JoeSpareBedroom wrote:


Maybe. But it's odd that on two machines, I used the same install disks
(yes, multiple licenses), same checklist, did all the MS updates, and the
result is that one plays DVDs while the other does not.

As you might know, I'm not really up on Windows, but it could be part of
MS's being your big brother. Their digital rights management is, IMO, damn
intrusive. If I'm not mistaken, those MS updates check the licenses,
hardware, region codes, etc. etc. You may have somehow confused MS.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message news:l1sVg.2425
Maybe. But it's odd that on two machines, I used the same install disks
(yes, multiple licenses), same checklist, did all the MS updates, and the
result is that one plays DVDs while the other does not.

STFW.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...91AC-0AB6-4990
-943D-627E6ADE9FCB&displaylang=en

Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility

The Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility helps you determine if an
MPEG-2 video decoder (also called a DVD decoder) is installed on your
Windows XP computer and whether or not the decoder is compatible with
Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Overview

The Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility helps you determine if an
MPEG-2 video decoder (also called a DVD decoder) is installed on your
Windows XP computer and whether or not the decoder is compatible with
Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

An MPEG-2 decoder is software that allows you to play DVDs and files that
contain video content that was encoded in the MPEG-2 format (such as DVR-MS
files, MPG files, and some AVI files).

If you encounter a problem while using Windows Media Player 10 to
synchronize (copy) recorded TV shows to a Portable Media Center or other
device, use this utility to verify that you have a compatible MPEG-2 decoder
installed on your computer.

Note: This utility only indicates whether an MPEG-2 decoder is compatible
with the synchronization feature of Windows Media Player 10 or whether an
MPEG-2 decoder is compatible with the recorded TV playback feature of
Windows XP Media Center Edition.

This utility:
• Lists all the MPEG-2 video decoders that appear in your Windows registry
(a database that contains information about the hardware and software
installed in your computer).
• Indicates whether each decoder listed in the registry is marked as
compatible with Windows XP Media Center Edition and whether any decoder
listed in the registry is marked as the preferred video decoder.
• Indicates whether each decoder listed in the registry is marked as
compatible with the synchronization feature of Windows Media Player 10.
• Lets you designate which installed decoder that you want Windows Media
Player 10 to use when synchronizing DVR-MS files to a portable device. This
is known as the preferred video decoder.
• Lets you undo any changes the utility makes to your Windows registry.

"Bill Kearney" wrote in message
t...

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
news:l1sVg.2425
Maybe. But it's odd that on two machines, I used the same install disks
(yes, multiple licenses), same checklist, did all the MS updates, and the
result is that one plays DVDs while the other does not.

STFW.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...91AC-0AB6-4990
-943D-627E6ADE9FCB&displaylang=en

Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility

Cool. Thanks.