How to Solve Problems with DVD Playback in Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center is one of the best programs for playing DVDs. It has simple, easy-to-use buttons and menus and supports playback with a remote control. There still may be times when Windows Media Center experiences problems with playing DVDs properly. While these problems with DVD playback can be frustrating, there are basic steps you can take to solve them.

Before you start trying these troubleshooting methods in Windows Media Center, make sure that your DVD drive is working properly. Open your "Computer" folder and see if the DVD drive appears in the drive list. If it does, attempt to play the DVD in another media program, such as Windows Media Player. If it plays properly in the other media player, the problem is probably with Windows Media Center. If it doesn't, you may have another hardware or software problem. If your problems are not caused by Windows Media Center, you can solve them by downloading a DVD driver update from your computer manufacturer, running System Restore or by backing up your files and reinstalling your operating system. These instructions will work only on Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers.

No "Play DVD" Button in Windows Media Center Menus

If your "Play DVD" has disappeared from Windows Media Center or was never present to begin with, chances are your registry has been edited to hide it. If this is the case, you must edit your registry to show the "Play DVD" menu option. However, use caution; making improper edits to your Windows registry can require you to reinstall your operating system.

Close Windows Media Center. Log into your computer as an administrator. Click the "Start Search" box and type "regedit." Press "Enter." Select "Export" from the file menu to create a registry backup. Navigate to a location on your computer where you typically save important documents or backups. Save your registry backup file with a file name you can remember. Click "Save." If your changes cause problems later, you can restore the registry backup by clicking "Import" from the "File" menu in the Registry Editor.

Click through the registry keys until you find the subkey named "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Start Menu." Check the "HideDVD" value. If the value is set to "1," the DVD menu is hidden in Windows Media Center. Select "HideDVD," right click and select "Modify..." Type a "0" in the field and click "OK." The "Play DVD" menu option should now appear in Windows Media Center.

If this troubleshooting step doesn't work, you may need to repair Windows Media Center with the System File Checker. Click the "Start Search" box and type "cmd." Right click "cmd.exe" at the top of the Start Menu and select "Run as administrator." Type sfc/scannow at the command prompt and press "Enter." Wait for the scan and repair process to complete. When the repair is finished, read the notice to see whether Windows was able to repair all the corrupted files. If not, read this knowledge base article to learn how to repair them manually.

DVDs Won't Play

If you can't play DVDs in Windows Media Center, your computer may lack the codecs or decoders to play DVDs. This can happen if you install a DVD drive on a computer which didn't originally come with one. You may also experience problems if another DVD software program has been installed on your computer. First, uninstall any other DVD player software that may be conflicting with your DVD playback in Windows Media Center. If the DVD still won't play, install ffdshow, an open source Video for Windows (VFW) codec and DirectShow filter. The ffdshow codec supports the MPEG2 format in which DVDs are typically encoded.

Your DVD-ROM drive may not support the type of DVD you're trying to play. Some DVD drives can't play certain DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW or VCD disks. Your DVD may also be encoded for a region that your DVD drive doesn't support. Also, make sure you in fact have a DVD drive. A CD drive looks exactly like a DVD drive, but it can't play back DVDs.

DVDs Play Automatically in Another Media Player

Windows Vista and 7 have controls that allow you to configure DVD autoplay settings. Log into your computer as an administrator. In Windows Vista, click the "Start" button, then select "Control Panel." Under "Hardware and Sound," click "Play CDs and other media automatically." In Windows 7, click the "Start" button, then select "Hardware and Sound" and "AutoPlay."

Beside "DVD movie" and "Enhanced DVD Movie," select the option you want. You can choose another program to open the DVD automatically, allow Windows to open a folder automatically, have Windows prompt you or take no action. You can't set DVDs to play automatically in Windows Media Center, either in Windows Vista or Windows 7. Your best bet is to select the "Take No Action" option, then open Windows Media Center and click the "Play DVD" icon to play your movie.

For more ideas on this topic, read How to Listen to Free Radio Stations in Windows Media Center and How to Stream Netflix Movies and TV in Windows Media Center.

Sources:

"Troubleshoot problems with DVDs and movies in Windows Media Center." Microsoft.com