I am inclined to agree with Jo. In my case, I think my dvd rom is dirty or defective. Now he mentioned paying the $14.99 (that's for the decoder that will go with Windows Media Player, right?). Well I downloaded a free codecs decoder and it told me it wasn't compatible. So am I to understand that this $14.99 will be for a compatible decoder for my Windows Media Player?

And if this is so, THEN HOW CAN THIS BE, because I downloaded Nero, it brings up the Video and Audio (exactly the same as VLC because I tried this last night). And other dvds too. They play exactly the same way.

When I insert the dvd, it plays in slow motion and the sound is in slow motion.

If I downloaded the $14.99 decoder thing, this means it will play and sound like a regular dvd is supposed to play?

I mean, if the nero and the vlc has the same results, (do these things have decoders, or when playing these things they DON'T have decoders?).

It's not the $14.99, it's the fact that if I pay $14.99 and download it, and I get the same slowmotion playback and audio, then I will have thrown out $14.99 (just like I did with the $7.99 lens cleaner).

I still wish I could get this lens clearner to be recognized by my system. I tried opening it with VLC, with Nero with anything I could get my hands on.

My system DOES NOT RECOGNIZE IT BEING IN DRIVE E.

Now if I pop in Avatar, THERE IT IS ,in drive E.

But not the lens cleaner.

I know, I know. Later on or tomorrow, I'll unplug all of this, I'll get Alan to put it in my shopping cart, and I'll lug it over to the computer guy.

BUT BEFORE I DO THIS, I'm going to try and borrow his can of air.

I never thought I would ever be saying this.

I'M GOING TO BORROW SOMEONE'S CAN OF AIR!!

lol lol lol

Melody

UPDATE UPDATE

computer guy is closed on Sunday. I went back to the place where I bought the dvd lens cleaner. When I described that all my dvds play and sound like they are in slow motion, one of the people there said "That sounds like your dvd rom drive speed thing is screwed up.

Hey, I might be on to something. So before I go carrying this thing into the computer guy, I'm going to go and see what they say on the internet about dvd rom speed stuff.

Don't know if I'll find something, but I'll try.

Melody

Ok the very first dvds I tried to play at the beginning of all this- still don't work.

I got a few from the library to try.
the first one is very scratched up and didn't play on WMP 11 - the copyright message comes up.

but it does play on VLC!

Okay, here's what I just did. I went to Microsoft XP help (it seems that they have this software that once you type in what problem you have, they run a scan, they detect the problem, and then you click on FIX IT, or I'LL FIX IT, (guess which one I tried)? lol

So it said it detected something. (I was prompted to put in a readable dvd), so I put in the Disney one. It said "unable to read cd writer), or whatever it said.

Dring this whole fix it thing, they tell you to insert a dvd, and then they scan the drive. It said it found a problem, and then it fixed it indicating "problem solved". Then you are told to try and play the dvd and you are still having problems, you write a note and then you click on submit.

Want to know what happened after they FIXED IT?

Still played in slow motion.

So I'm just curious. If I paid the $14.99 and download the correct codec thing, why would that fix it. If it doesn't play right in Nero, and it doesn't play right in VLC, why on earth would it play right because I downloaded something for $14.99?

See my dilemma? I mean, if Nero plays in slow motion, and VLC plays in slow motion (sound also in slow motion), how could adding a codec decoder automatically make it play just fine.

This is what I need to know.

Thanks IF ANYONE KNOWS THIS before I unplug everything tomorrow and bring it in.

Melody

Hi again Melody.

Please understand that without a tech looking at it, and without a fair amount of experience, and without doing real time chat with a tech, the only option you leave is to rule things out one at a time.

There is no guarantee that the $14.99 will solve your problem. It is just one more thing to rule out before moving on to the next thing to try.

Ideally you can download the latest Windows media player, and then the Microsoft recommended decoder for $14.99, and then you will know for a certainty that your problem is no longer a decoder compatibility issue.

This does not guarantee to solve your problem, it only rules out one piece of the possible problem. It is very possible that you have multiple problems. That is why you have to rule them out one at a time.

You know, it is even possible that when they changed out your motherboard they forgot to maximize your memory, and so with an underpowered system you get a slow DVD playback even with the correct decoder and an undamaged drive.

This is why I have been saying all along to get the tech to look at it. He worked on it, he did not set it up correctly, and he may have even damaged it. He will be able to diagnose and fix this problem very quickly.

I appreciate your eagerness to learn about your system. But this problem goes beyond just pressing a few buttons. In a live chat session with a tech, you can go through several possibilities step by step and rule them out relatively quickly, and then be left with a clear idea of what problem your dealing with and how to go about solving it. Even so, after all of that, you may very well need to take it in to the shop to get it fixed.

I hope this was helpful. God Bless You.

Bernclay-

I had a big post written about updating your drivers and had to log off suddenly..so poof it went...

Instead of typing it all again here's some info & links of how to do it and why.

I checked the display adapter, cd/dvd drives - you might need to check your sound card too since the sound is not right.

How To Update Drivers in Windows XP
[Updating drivers for a piece of hardware is necessary when Windows XP doesn't install a device automatically, when the hardware is having some kind of problem, or as part of some other hardware troubleshooting.

Updating a driver is often the solution to a Device Manager error code. Updating the drivers for a piece of hardware will sometimes enable additional features for the hardware as well.]
more of the info-
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixthe...tedriverxp.htm

How To Find and Download Drivers From Manufacturer Websites
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/driver...iverdlmfgr.htm


Is your system set to get all the Microsoft updates -they usually come out Tuesday evenings/Wed mornings.
My system is set to just notify me of them and then I decide what ones I want to install.
Your system might be set to automatically install which is fine - or something else if the fix it guys changed it.
might be good to check that.
To check it go to control panel & Automatic updates and see what it is set for.


I also downloaded some of these while I was trying to figure out this puzzle - sooo maybe ...

Windows Essentials Media Codec Pack 2.3d -free
http://download.cnet.com/Windows-Ess...-10662709.html

Codec Pack (Advanced) 7.9.1
http://download.cnet.com/Codec-Pack-...-10354286.html

more stuff that might help..
http://download.cnet.com/VideoInspec...-10305777.html
http://www.cnet.com/topic/codec.html?tag=mncol

Hi. thanks for all those links. I will look into them.

Bernclay said the computer people might not have optimized my memory. When they changed the motherboard, WE ADDED RAM. So, while I'm not sure if this is what he's talking about, we did add more RAM

And I got my answer with the $14.99 thing. I just wanted to make sure.

I'm going to do the codec thing one more time. If it doesn't work, I'll bring it in whenever my husband feels well enough to help me pick up this tower thing and put it in my pushcart.

I SHOULD HAVE A LAPTOP. It would BE MUCH EASIER TO TRANSPORT.

lol

Thanks much

Melody

Jo:

Hi. Here's what I did this morning (been very busy haven't I??) lol

I removed the whole NERO program. OH MY GOODNESS, WHAT A BIG THING.

I did not remove the VLC. I have no idea why, but I didn't.

I then installed the codecs thing (from one of the links you provided).

The name of the codecs thing that I installed is:

cole2k.media-codec.pack.v7.9.1.-advanced-,setup.exe (I might have misplaced some letters, but it's the codec v7.9-1 thing.

So I installed it, THEN I PUT IN AVATAR.

Nothing autoplayed, so I went to My Computer, right clicked on Drive E where Avatar was (the icon was on the screen, so my drive is being read).

I opened it up in Windows Media Player (so the codecs thing worked, right??)

But..... it played a bit slow and the audio was a bit slow.

So I gather there is something wrong with my dvd drive (either it's dirty, or it's broken).

Now here's a good question.

What is the difference between paying the $14.99 for a codec, and the free codec I downloaded?

Are codecs different? I mean the film came up, the picture was quite stunning but the actual video played a tad slowly, and the music was choppy.

I can't wake up Alan yet and tell him "we have to unplug the tower and take it to the guy". He's too exhausted.

So I'm taking a walk to the guy and telling him what I did and what it's doing.

If I have no choice, and the guy says "I need to check it", then I'll wait until Alan can help me. This is no emergency, and I do have my portable dvd player, but I will not bring this thing in and be told "oh, you need a new dvd drive, blah blah".

Not going there. I don't play dvds usually. I have Avatar and that's the only one I'll play.

But what I'm really curious about is ....what the heck is the difference between what I downloaded (the codecs) and what they are asking me to pay $14.99???

Thanks much

Melody

UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE

Okay, here's what happened 30 minutes ago SO THIS IS THE MOST RECENT UPDATE ON MY ADVENTURE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH MY DVD ROM DRIVE.

I took my dvds and the exact codec info and I went to the computer guy. He played Avatar using his Windows Media Player (also, and this happened on my computer also), it comes up in Windows Media Player as being Blu-Ray. ONLY IT'S NOT BLU-RAY. I said to him 'look, on the right here, where it says AVATAR, it indicates a Blu Ray dvd".

He said 'yeah, but this is NOT a blue ray dvd. It's not. The package does not say Blu-Ray, and the dvd itself does not say Blu-Ray.

Doesn't matter because IT PLAYED PERFECTLY ON HIS COMPUTER, (as I knew it would). I then explained the whole thing to him. I showed him the dvd cleaner thing. He didn't know why it is not readable on my computer.

I then asked him "do you think my dvd rom drive could be dirty or faulty". He said "bring it in (yeah, I'll do it this week when I break it to Alan, after he is up and around for a bit).

I then asked him for a can of air, he didn't have one. He said "you can go to Radio Shack, but I don't think the lens is dirty".

I then walk the two blocks to Radio Shack and got the nicest young man and I showed him the lens cleaner that I tried to use, I told him exactly what was happening and he whispered to me "doesn't sound like your dvd rom is dirty or the lens is dirty, because it wouldn't be playing your dvd's in slow motion, it would be choppy.

I said "it's not choppy, and all my dvds play the same way in all the media players that I tried".

He said "it's probably something on the lens, or a pin is lose in the dvd rom drive.

I very much thanked him for his honesty, I walked the two blocks back to the computer guy and told him exactly what the Radio Shack guy said

"He said "yeah, sounds good, bring it in when you can".

I then looked him square in the face and said "Listen to me, my dvd rom drive worked just fine before you changed my motherboard, so please don't tell me I have to pay for ANYTHING'

He laughed and said "no, don't worry, no charge, it will take one day, we'll check and fix it".

So, sometime this week, this is what I'll do and then when I get it back and I've played a dvd, I shall say '

"GLORY HALLELUJAH, THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD, AND I WATCHED AVATA

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Melody

The only difference is the buzzers and whistles. Most free ones are a stripped down version, pretty straight forward. The ones you pay for have more options to play with, but I have found that it is something rarely if ever used anyways.

Here is a link to some fairly cheap DVD burners

http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category...-Burners-Media

You probably dont really need lightscribe, but if you want to stay with what you have you can find it here.

Allen:
When you say dvd burners, you are talking HARDWARE, right?

I would have to hook it up to my computer? I don't burn dvds. I just wanted to play avatar and other dvds that my friends lend me.

When I got this computer it had two drives. A dvd cd-writer drive, and a cd rom drive.

I think I've played maybe 5 dvds in my whole life on this computer. I'm not a dvd person.

I'm a vcr person.

lol
Melody