- Check your disc to see what type of format your DVD is. If you purchased the DVD from a store, then it is a standard DVD format, and as long as your DVD drive has the word "DVD" on it, then it should work fine. However, if the DVD is home made, and has the word "DVD-R" or "DVD-RW," then it may be incompatible with your drive. Check the front of the drive to see if these DVD sub-formats are supported by your machine.
- Another issue your computer may be having with your DVD pertains to region. Most DVDs produced both in the US and internationally conform to a region code. This code prevents the disc from being pirated and sold overseas. If you have a computer that was sold in another country (like China), and you are trying to play a DVD from the US, the region codes will not match, and the DVD will not play.
- If you cannot see the picture or hear the sound from your DVD, then you probably have a driver issue. To help diagnose this, visit Microsoft's website and download the latest updates. If the Microsoft updater finds that some of your audio/visual drivers are missing, it will automatically install new ones.
- Versions of Windows that are XP and above come with automatic DVD decoding software, but if it was deleted or damaged due to a virus, you can use the Windows DVD troubleshooting application. You can launch the application by going to the Start menu and then selecting "Run." Once the Run dialog box pops up, type in hcp://help/tshoot/TS_DVD.htm. The troubleshooter should launch, and you can diagnose and fix the issue with your decoder software from here.
- If the DVD drive does not have a green power light on or is making weird noises, then the drive itself may be part of the issue. Try shutting down the computer and then restarting it. If the DVD drive won't open, use a paperclip to trigger the manual eject on the front of the drive. If further issues persist, call your computer's technical support line.
