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Codecs or Windows Media player trouble
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plado
Newbie
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15. December 2005 @ 05:24 |
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I've got a strange problem where I have two Windows XP machines (home edition on each) one machine has an 18month old version of XP and the other one is new. Only the new machine will play DVD+RW and DVD+R and DVD-R when inserting disks I've made on my new DVD Recorder. All DVD-R and +R is of course Finalised on finishing making the DVD. All +RW is not finalised in the same way (only locked to allow further recording and you can't finalise them like an R disk)
When I try to play any of these disks on my older Windows XP machine it says Windows Media Player 9 cannot read from the disk it might be corrupted or format is not compatible with windows. I've tried running the disks with WinDVD and that won't recognise any disk in the drive. I've tried Windows Media Player Classic and that says No Disk present.
Yet the machine with the later edition of XP plays them all with Windows Media Player 9 or with Media Player Classic. So is this a Disk thing? or is it a Software issue or codecs?
DVDShrink wouldn't recognise a file structure on the DVD+RW disks but could handle and analyze quite freely anything on my home created DVD+R and -R disks.
I really don't know what I'm doing with codecs and think I need expert guidance here.
Thanks I hope someone can enlighten me.
Plado
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AfterDawn Addict
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15. December 2005 @ 06:33 |
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hi
you can finalize a RW disc iwould of said this is a part of your problems, but as you say one machine will read them which is odd? but i would also update from v9 to v10 media player
[is it by any chance the machine that made the disc, reads the dics ok???]
but as you say could be codecs? all i have is the K-LITE MEGA pack loaded on my machine... from http://www.free-codecs.com
Nothing here to see, move along folks.
 This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. December 2005 @ 06:34
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plado
Newbie
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15. December 2005 @ 07:08 |
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Well thanks a lot for that. This could put me well forward in finding out what the trouble is.
hi
>you can finalize a RW disc iwould of said this is a part of your
My DVD recorder doesn't finalize a DVD RW - it just says "you don't need to finalize this disk to make it playable in ordinary machines" when I try to finalize it like a DVD+R would.
>but i would also update from v9 to v10 media player
Well I did go down that road about a year ago when Media 10 came out but it was a real abortion compared with 9 and the designers had mucked about with the front end so much that I could no longer find my Streaming Audio and Internet Radio Stations so I rolled it back to version 9 in disgust.
But again I'll repeat that the newer XP machine plays all the disks without having any file-reading problem and that too is using Media Player 9. Incidentally, it really is the better player than the 10. They upgrade with features that are not in my style to use. I won't use software that is exclusively directed at targetting "youth" and the youth culture. I don't need it for that type of use therefore it has nothing to appeal to me.
[is it by any chance the machine that made the disc, reads the dics ok???]
>but as you say could be codecs? all i have is the K-LITE MEGA pack >loaded on my machine... from http://www.free-codecs.com
Ah now that is a very good idea. I'll go and see what codecs I'm missing.
I was told that PowerDVD will play anything but I used to think that was true of WinDVD until I found it wouldn't read these newly created DVD home made recordings.
I'll try for the codecs for now and report back. Thanks for your help. You have probably been more useful than you know.
Cheers
Plado
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We/I help out for free, so dont shoot us ;-])
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AfterDawn Addict
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15. December 2005 @ 07:13 |
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hi
dvd recorder? AH! this is not a pc drive then?
thats why the file structure is different!!!
list all your files and folders or take a pic and post here...
i have seen the finalizeing be a problem before on here!
Nothing here to see, move along folks.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. December 2005 @ 07:15
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plado
Newbie
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15. December 2005 @ 07:42 |
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Ah yes thanks. I can't list any files because the moment I put the DVD+RW or +R disk in either my PC DVD-Drive E:\ or in the Sony Audio CD Writer drive, windows finds no viewable files on the disk. Can't explore it to show you what's on it.
Yet it plays fine on the newer XP machine with WM Player 9 and WM Player Classic and I didn't answer your question earlier about how it plays in the DVD Recorder machine (Daewoo) that made the disk.
I've just fetched the full XP codecs pack from that site you mentioned. Still no joy. I tried an ISO buster to see if that could tell me what is missing from the DVD+RW disks but even that software won't read anything from the Disk - it's as if the disk is presenting as a complete blank to my XP machine.
When I scour my system for codecs there seems to be hundreds of them all where they should be and only one red mark against an improperly uninistalled WMPlug Audio codec that has nothing using it. So it lists as broken codec. Otherwise they all look OK to my untrained eye.
This really is a puzzler. I think it probably just needs one directory or file putting on it to make it readable. But the Daewoo DVD Recorder won't give me any way to finalize it, as it seems to make it want to stay open for re recording, But the Daewoo will finalize a +R disk - though the mystery is why +R won't play in the older XP machine but will play on the new one with a DVD Writer drive in it.
Could this be because my CD ROM is an old model ROM drive?
It's an SR 8586 Matshita DVD Rom that is read only not writable.
Cheers
Plado
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plado
Newbie
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15. December 2005 @ 08:29 |
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Just another thought. I've just scoured a forum called videohelp and found a long thread where just this identical problem was discussed. Coincidentally the guy also has a computer "upstairs" that reads the DVD RW disk perfectly as I do!
Anyhow the upshot was that it appears that it may be one of two problems.
1. The finalizing in the DVD Recorder is not proper finalizing but "Making Compatible" and they believe this possibly corrupts the bookfile or the ISO files
2. Or the DVD Rom drive in the computer that fails to read the DVD RW disks is not modern enough to cope with DVD RW.
The second one makes more sense to me.
I tried their trick of putting a blank (never formatted) DVD+RW in the PC Rom drive and watched what happened and still it didn't recognize any usable readable media present. So it doesn't read from any DVD RW disk and probably this means it won't read from any DVD+R recordable media either since these disks are quite modern and the DVD Rom drive in my old PC is really getting on in years.
It's drivers were signed 01/07/2001 and I have been unsuccessful in finding updated drivers for it.
Maybe I should give up and go buy a new DVD Rom Writer for the downstairs computer?
What do you think ?
--
Plado
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AfterDawn Addict
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15. December 2005 @ 20:40 |
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hi there...
yes sounds very familiar... with a standalone recorder it puts extra folders/files to a dvd type disc, but this guy i helped his drive saw it, so i was able to get the right files off for him and all was good...
if we cant see the files etc, then we are stumped, but yes try a new drive! (+ - RW drive) or try updating your firmware for better reading of disc media's.
also another thought do you have VIDEO IN on your graphic card? maybe a cabel from recorder to pc could help?
Nothing here to see, move along folks.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. December 2005 @ 20:42
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plado
Newbie
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15. December 2005 @ 23:21 |
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Thanks that's food for thought
>or try updating your firmware for better reading of disc media's.
I wish I knew how. I've had about three attempts online to find firmware upgrades for the old Matshita DVD drive but been unsuccessful even in finding new drivers for it. Any tips on how to get the firmware upgrade?
>also another thought do you have VIDEO IN on your graphic card? >maybe a cabel from recorder to pc could help?
Yes I have a Winfast TV card installed on the older XP machine but unfortunately it's 10 yards away in another room of the house.
Also the DVD drive on the offending computer doesn't record, so I'd be losing quality having to copy to .mpeg or .AVI format and then burn to DVD - it all gets too complicated.
I've just had an email from a friend who I sent a DVD+RW with recorded material on it as a gift, and he told me it won't play in his DVD recorder or on his Computer so I'm stumped.
My sister is yet to test three samples in her brand new cheap DVD Player this week end I hope. I'll know then whether I'm the only one who is going to be able to view these newly created disks. If I am, then the conversion from VHS Tape to DVD has been nothing short of a wet-sponge! I'm not very impressed but then the industry builds in this kind of thing - remember the fight between Video 2000 Betamax VHS back in the 80s? I suppose we were lucky they came to an agreement about a standard.
Thanks for your help
Plado
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plado
Newbie
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15. December 2005 @ 23:57 |
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One further bit of news about the Firmware. When I fetch the Matshita firmware files (zip file containing DWL2.EXE) it refuses to run in anything but Real-DOS mode. That's because the Matshita Drive was installed on a Windows 98 System and of course XP has no real Dos.
I tried Safe Mode Dos and it wouldn't allow it to install from there.
I tried Command Prompt Windows Dos simulator - no go there.
I think the answer is to buy new DVD Rom writer on this old computer or maybe it's time I bought a new computer as well?
Cheers
Plado
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