Yet Another Computer problem

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mikeysaling
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Yet Another Computer problem

Post by mikeysaling »

My Dell laptop just developed an odd problem . The DVD/ROM drive will play dvds recorded on my TV but will not play commercially available dvd's - It used to but as i use it mostly to view things i record on the box i didn't realise until i recently purchased LAST ORDERS starring michael caine, tom courtney, david hemmings, bob hoskins, helen mirren and ray winstone (I'm sure you have seen it on the box or even in the flea pit) . Anyway , no way will it play on my computer cd/dvd player but it will play on the dvd/tv so its not the dvd. I also tried some earlier purchases like the Italian Job Top Gun etc and none of them will play on the computer when they did before.

Anyone any ideas - i have downloaded a complete list of codecs etc plus lots of other software ideas from the internet - NO LUCK

May time for a new computer :xcomputer:
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prospero
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by prospero »

Might be just the drive Mikey. Don't know how easy they are to swap on a laptop. :?
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by IFGL »

did it ever play commercial dvds ?
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by JohnMcafee »

Could well be a Region issue

Have a look at this item on how to set your DVD's region.

http://grok.lsu.edu/Article.aspx?articleId=2334
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prospero
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by prospero »

Some (all?) PCs let you switch regions a certain number of times. 5, I think. After that you are knackered. :(

When DVDs first came on the market there was a huge selection of Region 1 (US) already available if you knew where to get them. You could also get multi-region players that had either been hacked or were supplied with instructions on how to access the secret menus. 8)
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mikeysaling
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by mikeysaling »

Hi All and thanks for suggestions - tried everything (several times) - have now determined that the drive must be knackered. Yes it did work fine on both commercial and 'home burned' dvd's - still works on 'home burned'. But its well past its mean-time to failure (its 5 years old) . These OEM drives are VERY cheap and do fail (so i'm told) . I have now ordered a USB driven external drive from the 'big lady' . Fingers crossed :P
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by prospero »

I had an external HD. That went tits-up just when I had all my stuff backed up on it. Which somewhat defeats the object. :roll:
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mikeysaling
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by mikeysaling »

Was thinking of also getting an external HD - maybe not a good idea now . It is time for a replacement computer anyway - thinking of one with solid state drive :D anyone any experience of these drives - are they similar to dvd player ssd's ? are they worth the extra dough.
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by David McCormack »

Our first computer (ever) was an iMac G4 which we got in 2002 and then we got an additional Mac mini in 2006. Both get used every day (iMac for 10 years now!) and have simply never had any problems! :clap: However, both are very slow now compared to Macs with Intel processors and all that and we can't watch BBC iplayer but one day we will have to upgrade :D
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by carter2 »

This is just a general issue...Just restart it and it will be solve
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by theframingwizard »

SSD's are far and away better than HDD's if you can afford them!! they dont have moving parts so are much less likely to break, they read+write faster and fragmentation isnt an issue.
If you need storage for backing up files, a good internet connection and a 'cloud' (online storage) may be the safest way to back up data as it is almost impossible to lose,If its confidential you can get specialist packages but we don't hold financial details on the computer so we just use dropbox.com . if you are dead set on physical storage, would a 32gb pen drive be big enough? they're only about £30 and the class 10's are lightening fast over usb3.
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Re: Yet Another Computer problem

Post by carter2 »

This kind of problem exist in Dell Laptops....Try to Re-install the software :xcomputer:
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