Hi everyone- Anybody can help me to fix my windows media player. I just hooked up my dvd player on my computer and I assumed that winxp recognize the new hardware. I have this message when I tried to play the dvd "windows media player cannot play this dvd because a compatible dvd decoder is not installed on your computer." So what should I do? I tried to down a software but I don't know that was a right one, and I still have the same problem. I can't tell which compatible sofware I have to downoad. Please advice in details. Thanks in advance.

go here and read all that is available. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q306331 You should run the decoder checker program to see if you just need to update or install a new decoder then click on one of the links as listed. I personally like power dvd. IN THE MATTERS OF STYLE, swim with the current; in matters of principle, STAND LIKE A ROCK

If your strapped for cash you could try this free dvd player. Worked for me until I scraped the pennies together for Power DVD... Interface is a tad weird and not intuative, but hey... it works! http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something, and if everybody does something, then everything will be done.

ehh. how comes you videolan ass lickers are everywhere, promoting this disgusting piece of crap on every single forum? you get money for praising it? anyway, the original poster showed no intention in switching to another player. if you want to get mpeg2 content working in WMP (mpeg2=dvd) you need mpeg2 decoders. imho intervideo ones are the best. get yourself the files iviaudio.ax and ivivideo.ax and register them on the system using the regsvr32 filename directives. Or just install any intervideo product, afterwards WMP will play all dvds. If you wanna play avi files with ac3 sound, you still can use the intervideo decoders, you just need a better ac3 parser than the one provided with Windows. Search for the AVI2AC3Filter.ax on the internet and register it on your system

Nice! He wanted to watch DVD's so I told him what I knew. I do apologise for trying to help. Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something, and if everybody does something, then everything will be done.

Thank you so much everyone. I will try all your advice. I hope I can fix it. I will ask more help if I can't figure it out.