watching dvd on the home pc.?

Question

i installed a samsung rw combo,with dvd multi player and,ultra speed compact disc rewrite,for my grand daughter to watch dvd's on the computer i just got her.running win xp 2oo3.
Question.do i have to buy decoder software?seems like the hard ware would of had it but,evidently doesn't.keeps saying windows can't play(or can't open)

it keeps saying ,,,windows media player can not play,a compatible decoder is not installed

Answer 1

you dont need decoding software try hireing a computer fixer uper

Answer 2

Windows Media Player 6 should play DVDs fine, but there are other software players out there. Power DVD is another DVD software player that works well. Are you sure about that operating system? Windows XP comes in Home, Professional (both of these are in service pack 2), and Media versions. The operating system that came before Windows XP was Windows 2000 (or "Windows ME"). So you can see my confusion in which platform of Windows you have. If the player isn't working, i.e. does the DVD drawer open? If not, check the power cable attached to the drive. Make sure that the jumper on the rear of the drive is set to the "MA" (master) position.and if there is a second optical drive, make sure it is set to the "SL" (slave) position. The jumper is a teeny vertical piece of plastic located near the middle lower rear edge of the drive that must be in the proper position for the drive to work right. Make sure the IDE ribbon cable is inserted fully into the rear socket.

Answer 3

Did you load the software that came with the drive? I believe Samsung uses PowerDVD for movies. You need the correct software to play DVDs on the new hardware.

Answer 4

Go to Samsung's web site, check for new drivers for the DVD player.... I find when you buy new hard ware, the drivers are out of date...