PC 'bluescreens' if playing MPG or using Media Player - shuts off computer

[chad]

Hi all

When I play any video file in Windows Media Player, I get an instant bluescreen and the pc shuts off and restarts...

Using XP Pro, 2 gig of memory, the vid card is a Nvidia 8500GT GeForce

I have tried to update drivers for the vid card but it tells me I have the best drivers already. The thing was working fine one day, then doing this the next.

In Device Manager, I have two devives with yellow !! next to them, I believe they are unrelated to this, they are the 'Other PCI Bridge Device' and "SM Bus Controller"

What are they? I thought they are USB components? I have also tried installing drivers for these without success...

thanks...

[Soviet_Genius]

What is the error message on the blue screen? You don't need all the text because it is always the same, only the numbers that look like 0x00000000.

[Broni]

See, if VLC: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ will work.

[chad]

What is the error message on the blue screen? You don't need all the text because it is always the same, only the numbers that look like 0x00000000.

Hi

I can't read it... it bluescreens for half a second, then shuts down... I'm about to try VLC.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

How is VLC fairing?

[chad]

How is VLC fairing?

No good... the same problem exactly.

Thing is, if I open a vid, and quickly stop it, I can then play it through, yet if I open a vid and let it run, it crashes... VLC or WMP.

Happens with AVI, MPG, WMV files...  very wierd. The Nvidia 8500GT vid card is only 6 months old and ran fine since installation... might need an upgrade anyway.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

I would first try to reinstall the drivers for the Video Card.

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

[Chir6]

Chad, may I suggest you have a look at your video codecs and directx settings?  Since you are a movie buff, I am guessing you may have installed a low quality video decoder codec into your system.  If you are thinking of an upgraded computer, I would warn you to exercise caution when installing certain free decoder packages available freely today.  I'd be interested in hearing what codec packs other users of this forum have installed.  Just for you consideration....

-Good luck with this one.

[Broni]

Get SpeedFan: http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php, and post your computer temps, while idle, and while you attempt to play any video.