This is the problem , I just recently finally upgraded a ME machine to XP since then I keep getting this message "dvd decoder upgrade" , windows detected a dvd decoder that might not be compatible with your system . Your option is to click upgrade you try that and it takes you to a national semiconductor page that there is no upgrade on . I downloaded a "divx codec" and this installed ok but still getting the message. DVD usually plays fine . The other problem I am having is my dvd and cd drives will occasionally not recognize anything in the drives , "G" is a cd/dvd , :H: is a cd burn drive . Don't know what to make of this problem have deinstalled and reinstalled both drives . So far XP isn't worth the trouble ,had a lot less trouble with ME and everything worked the way it was supposed to and it was faster . Not impressed so far.

Is this IBM machine one that you've owned for a long time or one that you just recently purchased?

No its an older machine, bought in 2001 . Probably should have just wiped everything out but I went the upgrade path . the funny thing the dvd's play even in windows media player 9 so the codec that I downloaded must working because media 9 won't play dvd's without an external codec.

Is it an XP CD with SP2 updates included? (It will say so on the surface of the CD). "I keep getting this message "dvd decoder upgrade" , windows detected a dvd decoder that might not be compatible with your system ." It sounds like you have DVD decoder software loaded that is compatible with ME but not XP. If you used an actual XP Upgrade CD, take a look in your Add/Remove programs list to see if there is a program that plays DVDS there and if there is uninstall it. XP doesn't come with DVD decoder software - that is in DVD player programs. You probably got a CD when you got your DVD drive with DVD player software on it that is a version that will work in XP you can load . Or - some video card software, e.g. for an ATI chipset card - has a DVD Player/decoder if you load the full software package for the card. "my dvd and cd drives will occasionally not recognize anything in the drives , "G" is a cd/dvd , :H: is a cd burn drive After Setup is finished you must load the XP drivers for the mboard, particularly the main chipset drivers, in order for Windows to have the proper drivers for and information about your mboard hardware, including it's AGP or PCI-E, ACPI, and hard drive controller support. If you have the CD that came with the mboard, all the necessary drivers may be on it if it supports XP. If you load drivers from the web, brand name system builders and mboard makers often DO NOT have the main chipset drivers listed in the downloads for your model - in that case you must go to the maker of the main chipset's web site, get the drivers, and load them. If you don't load the main chipset drivers, it is common for the drive controllers to not be detected properly, and if they aren't it is common for DVD drives and CD burners to not be detected properly because Windows is running them slower than they are capable of. If the DVD drive is a combo CD/DVD burner capable of 16X DVD +R or DVD -R or greater, it must be connected to an 80 wire data cable to work properly. You must also install the XP software and drivers for your video card in a slot if you have one, and other cards in slots if you have them, and other devices you have, if they are not detected automatically by XP.

If the DVD/CD drive in that machine is the original it may need a firmware update to recognize DVD's and the only fix I'm aware of is a bootleg type thing that may or may not work. Download SIW if you don't have it..... just Google SIW will find it and then post the specs on that drive so we can determine if that drive may get persnickety with XP.

Cuffy The firmware updates usually have little or nothing to do with compatibilty with whatever operating system you are using. In any case you don't take the risk of using them (updating the firmware can fail and make the drive useless) unless you are having a problem mentioned in the release notes for the firmware, or in previous release notes for versions newer than the drive has since usually the newest update includes all previous update improvements unless they were found to be no good. All CD and DVD drives will work fine with some media - certain brands and types of CDs or DVDs - the media a particular model gets along with varies a bit - but there may be some media they don't work properly with. Usually the firmware updates mostly improve the drive's compatibility with media it wasn't getting along with previously. The CD or DVD drive manufacturers often have lists of the media a partcular model works fine with, and some media brands list the CD or DVD drive models the CD or DVD type is known to work fine with. If you use those brands/types, you usually never have to update the firmware. Somrtimes updating the firmware may improve how well the model works with burning software, but if the release notes don't mention a problem you are having, don't update the firmware. If vipergg was able to read the same DVDs or CDs in ME previously, the most likely reason he can't read them now is the mboard drivers have not been loaded in XP.

Unfortunately I own one of the machines he's having problem with. The DVD/CD drive won't recognize a DVD. I found one source for a fix! Model HL-DT-ST dvd-rom GDR8162B Manufacturer LG Electronics Device Type CD / DVD Operating Systems WinXP File Name HL-DT-ST_dvd-rom_GDR8162B.zip (Firmware) File Size 380.2 KB 54 seconds @56kbps 3 seconds @broadband Uploader Notes found on the danger brothers web site after about 4 hours of search. this worked fine for my dell hl-dt-stdvd-rom gdr8162b. first run win2-2020s00a, reboot, let windows recognize the drive, check if it has firmware 0020 (started with 0015 or 0017) then run win-2033s00a,reboot, let windows recognize the drive, firmware should be 0033. use at your own risk" The fix didn't work! I had to replace the drive! Usual or not....... that's the way it is. If he has that same drive it's likely he'll have to replace it. He may get lucky and the firmware fix will work. I didn't. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...