DVD playback troubleshooting

[mokodanu]

Sorry I wasnt sure where to post this. Recently I have encountered a problem when trying to play dvds. Sometimes the dvd will freeze up. The dvd rom will make a noise like the dvd is skipping. If the dvd does not freeze it will have green lines across the screen. I have tried uninstalling then reinstalling my dvd drive. I use powerdvd 5.7 and have uninstalled and reinstalled that too. But I am still getting the same issue. Is this a common problem? More importantly what can I do?

[guns1inger]

Try using Media Player Classic, as it has it's own codecs built-in for DVD playback. This will help isolate if it is the playback software at fault.

Do a read test of the disc using DVD Info Pro or Nero CD/DVD Speed to see if there are issues with the disc.

Also, try playing it in a standalone player.

[mokodanu]

I was going to try Media Player Classic but now I am having a new problem. When I try to play the dvds that were freezing the drive attempts to read the dvd (at least it sounds like it) but nothing is showing up. When I look under My Computer it looks as if I have not put a dvd in at all. But the dvd that had the vertical green lines across the screen is playing with no problem. They do not work in the standalone player I have but I am sure that is because the player is extremely old.

[mokodanu]

I tried updating the driver but am getting a message stating the computer cannot find a better version that what I already have. Since I have not updated any drivers since getting this computer that doesnt seem rite. So how do I update the driver?

[guns1inger]

You need to identify what your card is (Nvidia/ATI etc) then download and install the latest drivers from their site.

[redwudz]

Which drivers are you trying to update? The ones for the DVD drive are part of the OS and likely not your problem.

[mokodanu]

I'm sorry. How do I identify what my card is?

[mokodanu]

I think I found what kind of card it is. It is an ATI radeon express(?). I honestly do not think it is the driver either but thought I should try it. Any suggestions?

[mokodanu]

I have found the driver I use and found the latest drivers I am just not sure I am ready to take the next step and uninstall the driver I currently have. I just tried watching a dvd after running a defrag (I am at the throw everything at the wall and see what sticks phase) and I getting the same problem. The DVD will play fine for a few minuets then will just freeze. It sounds like it is skipping in the drive. When I move the mouse nothing happens (the computer seems to freeze up also) and when I press the eject button the disc wont come out for a few minuets. I use the dvd rom almost everyday but I have never had a problem until last week. I have not installed anything on the computer so I just dont know what the problem is. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[guns1inger]

Do you have a DVD Burner as well ? If so, what happens if you play from that ? It could be that the DVD-Rom is dying.

[mokodanu]

I have reset the BIOS and that seems to have worked. But I'll be back if it doesnt. Thanks for all the advice!

[guns1inger]

Unless you have been fiddling in the bios recently, there should be no reason to do this.