WMP 12 DVD Playing Problem

[shag00]

I am using Windows 7 x64 and have set WMP 12 x64 as defaut player although the same issues apply if I use the x86 version of WMP. The issue being that I cannot play DVDs on Windows media player, all I get is a black background within the movie player window.

BACKGROUND: Over the last two months I have installed a number of codec packs and video upscaling software packs in an attempt to provide some content for a new HD TV. I have now uninstalled all of these programs except for Metafax (transcoder) and the shark 007 codec package. All this installing and uninstalling also lead to a problem with the operation of the DVD drive itself, whereby the drive would recognise data disks but would have problems recognising multimedia disks, specifically DVDs. To fix this problem I ran Mats_Run.dvd.exe available from the Microsoft site and then manually removed all high and low filters from my registry. I am now able to insert any disk in the drive and be able to access it through Windows Explorer.

CURRENT: As I understand it WMP 12 supports DVD playback natively and I believe I have been able to narrow down the problem to WMP by verifying that the DVD can be played back through VLC and copying the files from the DVD to my hard drive. Again in the case of playing from the hard drive the DVD can be played back through VLC but not through WMP. Other specific problems I now have when attempting to play video through WMP are (non-DVD issues):
- I cannot play any type of video from Windows Explorer, I need to launch them from the library view of WMP
- when selecting a video to play the player always attempts to play the previously watched video
- I am unable to use the seek bar
- I continually get an error message, server execution failed, which I assume is somehow connected to Windows media Centre

So in summary it is a complete dog's breakfast. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[lungjian]

After each step, be sure to reboot Windows, as registry changes only take effect after a reboot.

First, download and run CCleaner. Be sure to run the "Registry" clean and remove all registry entries it identifies. Codec packs and 3rd party software in general is notorious for not properly removing and/or reverting any added or changed registry edits, often leaving a mess behind. There are a few good registry cleaning tools, but CCleaner is one of the best, and more importantly safest, that I've tried.

If WMP still doesn't work properly, try removing and reinstalling WMP (reboot after removing, then run CCleaner again). Nearly every media player changes your defaults to themselves during installation. You can go into the options of WMP and reset it to be your default, but reinstalling might fix some of your other issues as well. After (re)installing any MS software, always go to MS update and get any updates and security fixes. Multiple trips might be required to get all the updates.

Also, try reinstalling DirectX:

http/www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3

(if the link doesn't work, trying copying & pasting into your browser's address bar)

 

[shag00]

After each step, be sure to reboot Windows, as registry changes only take effect after a reboot.

First, download and run CCleaner. Be sure to run the "Registry" clean and remove all registry entries it identifies. Codec packs and 3rd party software in general is notorious for not properly removing and/or reverting any added or changed registry edits, often leaving a mess behind. There are a few good registry cleaning tools, but CCleaner is one of the best, and more importantly safest, that I've tried.

If WMP still doesn't work properly, try removing and reinstalling WMP (reboot after removing, then run CCleaner again). Nearly every media player changes your defaults to themselves during installation. You can go into the options of WMP and reset it to be your default, but reinstalling might fix some of your other issues as well. After (re)installing any MS software, always go to MS update and get any updates and security fixes. Multiple trips might be required to get all the updates.

Also, try reinstalling DirectX:

http/www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3

(if the link doesn't work, trying copying & pasting into your browser's address bar)

Lungjian, after spending a lot of time on this issue I decided to just uninstal WMP and use VLC as my default player. Apart from playing everything you throw at it, it uses less memory and is just a better overall experience. Thank you for your reply.

 

[shag00]

Lungjian, after spending a lot of time on this issue I decided to just uninstal WMP and use VLC as my default player. Apart from playing everything you throw at it, it uses less memory and is just a better overall experience. Thank you for your reply.

 

[hang-the-9]

Media Player will not play DVDs without a codec for it from an outside source, like WinDVD. If you installed a DVD player software, Media Player can use that codec to play DVDs.

This is not a codec issue but a license issue for DVD play-back, and simple codec packs will not help.