All DVD video functions vanished!

[Hunter484]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum.  I'm here because I have a really puzzling issue with my computer, and I'm hoping somebody has heard of this one before, and knows how to fix it.  I've been up and down the internet, danced the customer-support tango, searched your forum, and am still no closer to solving this mystery, so here goes:

I use my computer for a lot of things, like playing games, watching movies, and so on.  This Christmas, I got a nice box set of the Aliens quadrilogy.  Strangely, it wouldn't play on my computer.  I thought that perhaps my favorite DVD player (Intervideo WinDVD 4) might be too old, so I looked for an update.  I downloaded an installed WinDVD 8, but didn't realize it could only be used for 14 days.  Unfortunately, it deleted my original version when the new software installed.  In the end, it didn't make any difference: none of the Aliens disks are playable on my computer (but they work just fine on a regular DVD player).

When my trial version time ran out, that's when the real trouble started.  I uninstalled the now worthless WinDVD 8, and suddenly I can't play a single DVD on my computer anymore.  PC Friendly DVD, InterActual Player, PowerDVD 5 -- nothing works!  The disk autostarts, but is stuck in the DVD-ROM mode, and refuses to access the main menu or the film.  If there's no DVD-ROM data on the disk, it just sits there and does nothing.

I'd really like to get this function back, but nobody I've talked to have any clue why my computer suddenly refuses to recognize a DVD video.  DVD game disks work perfectly, as do all other forms of video playback I have, but I can't play a simple DVD movie on my computer anymore.  I miss watching movies... 

I'm pretty savvy with computers, but when it suddenly says "Please insert a DVD-Video into your DVD-ROM drive" but I already have one in there, it makes no sense!  I have two DVD drives, but both have the same video-phobia, so they can't both be busted.

I updated all my video card drivers, I have the latest version of Direct-X that my video cards can support (9.0c), all my hardware seems to be running perfectly, and nothing else has been affected.  I've tried installing, uninstalling, and reinstalling all my DVD player software, to no avail.  It's driving me absolutely bonkers! 

InterActual's help files suggested that the problem could be due to missing DVD decoders, but the program reports that it has the latest decoders, so that's no help...

Specifically, here's what each program does, but it's not very helpful:

• InterActual PC Friendly DVD displays a splash screen that says "Please insert a DVD-Video into your DVD-ROM drive", and acts like the disk simply doesn't exist.
  
• InterActual Player 2.7 sees a DVD's DVD-ROM features, and will adopt the built-in skin for the movie, but clicking the "Play Movie" button elicits no response at all.
  
• CyberLink PowerDVD 5 initially starts with the default splash screen and blank controls, and if I click the play button, it gives me a little error saying "A disk with an unsupported format in drive D:" nothing more.
  
  

It's gotta be a software glitch somewhere.  both my DVD drives couldn't fail at the same time, but still work for game disks and CDs (but not DVD movies).  Somehow, it's as if all my DVD video codecs suddenly disappeared, and nobody knows why or how to get new ones.

Help me Computer Hope, you're my only hope... 

[truenorth]

It sounds to me like a codec problem.truenorth

[Hunter484]

Yes, I know.  Everything seems to be fine, but pop in a movie, and no workie... 

[truenorth]

Here are a couple of previous posts that have dealt with this type of problem:
1. www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=72151.0
2.www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=73087.0
These suggestions relate to the problem likely to be codecs.
keep us posted,truenorth

[Hunter484]

I'll give VLC a try, and get back to you...


I should note that Cyberlink PowerDVD is working today, sort of.  It will now play DVD videos on my DVD-RW drive (D:), but still gives the same error for my DVD/CD-RW drive (E:)...

I have no idea why it suddenly started working.  I didn't install anything new or mess with any setting yet...  Magical made-in-China crap.

The other two programs are still deader than a doornail, but at least I can watch movies again.    This is too weird...

[Hunter484]

Okay, I just tested VLC with Rambo, and it sees the disk (it even skipped the previews!  ), but the audio is really jerky in the menu, and a little less so in the movie.  The rapid on/off stuttering is still annoying enough to make the video almost unwatchable.

I tried tweaking the Synchronization in the effects panel, but couldn't clean it up. 

[truenorth]

Hunter 484, I have used both Power DVD and VLC. Many Ch forums users speak highly of VLC. I have sometimes found that using VLC will get the disc to function when others would not.My experience with Power DVD is far less satisfactory and i really do not use it anymore. My default player is Windows media player. Very rarely have a problem with that program. However if i do VLC usually can overcome it. The statement seems to be that VLC has all the codecs?? However one of the links i supplied you does refer to another very popular codec grouping that is stated to resolve issues when codecs are the problem.The only way out there other thing i can mention is that if you happen to have both Roxio and Nero programs on the same computer they are know to play mischief with video programs. Don't know if that is applicable.Doesn't sound like a hardware issue to me it is a lack of some type of software or a conflict i would suspect. truenorth