"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.