how do I play a dvd on the lap top??....urgent tonight please

[chirpy]

As a new non pc person what is the simplest way...step by step ...to play a dvd on my lap top??

Our garden club has bought a projecter and THEY WANT TO USE MY LAP TOP TO SHOW A DVD OF GARDENS.

I can sychronose everything ....but what do I DO TO PLAY A DVD.

THE SYSTEM IS XP  and it has on it intervideoWin dvd, realPlayer and even Apple Quick time player.

Unless something has corrupted the system I know my son who is in uk has used it successfully to play dvd's.

I recently bought a Canon camera and theirZOOM browser can play slides ok and I have a dvd alredy on the laptopfrom the internt made by tonight's speaker and I CAN PLAY THAT.

BUT IF IF INSERT ANOTHER DVD INTO MY LAPTOP IT DOES NOT PLAY ![8-)]

[Gardengirl]

Have you tried Windows media player? (Ours is version 9) Click on 'start', then on 'all programmes', find 'windows media player', click on that. Wait for 'Windows medis player' to start up, then put DVD in the slot. I then clicked on 'now playing', then 'unknown DVD'. It all went blank for a while, then started. I'm not at all savvy about these things, but asked OH. Hope this helps. [:)]

[Quillan]

Do you get an error message and if so what is it?

Is the DVD that does not play a commercial DVD like a film you bought from a shop?

[cooperlola]

 If GG's method doesn't work try coming at it from a different direction:

IIRC (I've got Linux here so have to do this from memory - which isn't always that great!)

Pop your DVD in the drive

Open "My Computer" in the start menu

In one of the drives you should spot your DVD (if it's a commecially producedone it will probably appear by name)

Right click on the drive where your DVD is and it should say "open with" somewhere on the drop down list. 

Click on one of the available programmes (possibly Windows Media Player as above, DVD Cinema, Roxio or any of many programmes pre-loaded for the purpose.)

If it still won't play then it may just be that your laptop hates the DVD.  It happens.

If I've got this wrong then somebody with a Windows laptop will no doubt correct me.

[Suze01]

On my old laptop it didn't have a DVD player so I downloaded for free the player DIVX which worked a treat - just Google "DIVX"

[DerekJ]

If the above suggestions don't work and if there is something a bit unusual regarding the format of the DVD you are trying to play you might want to download (free) and install VLC Media Player.  I use it and it has a reputation for playing a wide range of formats.

[krusty]

I agree with Derek ...VLC is the one to use ...it always plays everything I try on it.

[AnOther]

Nowt wrong with VLC but I'll recommend KMPlayer, does everything VLC does, and more, and more elegantly [:D]

[briwy]

If you are still having problems open Windows Explorer, right click on the DVD drive and choose "Properties" , usually the bottom option on the menu.

Click on the Autoplay tab

From the Content window choose DVD movies and then choose below which option you want from the Actions window.

If you tick the Prompt Me Each Time box then it will do just that, ask you which program to use.

If none of the aforementioned programs will play the DVD then it does look as if its a duff one.

[AnOther]

FWIW although XP was advertised and sold as being able to play DVD's

the fact is it didn't, at least not natively. You had to install 3rd

party software of some sort in order to do that, it usually came with a

DVD drive.

A con if I ever heard one !