Member Avatar for dobbin2

I have tried to play a dvd on my lap top and got an error message saying no decoder present. I installed a dvd decoder [sonic cine player] and now each time I insert a dvd the computer hangs. I have tried with both Windows media player and real player. I have downloaded the latest drivers from Toshiba web site, tried uninstalling the dvd player, tried lowering the screen resolution and reducing the colour but still it hangs. I have uninstalled and reinstalled sonic cine player .I have even tried inserting a laser lens cleaning disc.

I am running win xp home sp2 and the dvd player is a Toshiba DVD-Rom SD-R2512 and the laptop has an Athlon[m]2600+

What else can I try?

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Dani AI

Generated

A short diagnosis and focused next steps tied to the thread posts.

The fact that a third-party player could show video when hardware acceleration was enabled while Windows Media Player still locked the machine points strongly to a DirectShow / codec (filter) conflict rather than a mechanical drive fault. That pattern — one player using a different decoder path while another chooses a broken filter — is a common cause of hangs during DVD insertion. (codecguide.com)

Safe, quick checks (do these before registry edits):

  • Prevent the freeze on insertion by turning off AutoPlay/Autorun so the system stops building a playback graph automatically. (kb.cert.org)
  • Try the same disc with a player that ships its own decoders (VLC) to isolate whether the problem is Windows’ DirectShow stack or the drive/media. (en.wikipedia.org)
  • Put Windows into a clean boot (msconfig) to see whether a third-party service or startup item is involved. (support.microsoft.com)

If those tests point to a codec/filter problem, inspect and repair the DirectShow graph:

  • Use a codec/filter manager (Codec Tweak Tool from the K‑Lite family) to scan for broken filters, reset DirectShow defaults, or temporarily disable suspect filters. (codecguide.com)
  • Use GraphStudioNext (or GraphEdit) to build the DVD graph and identify which filter locks up; an offending filter can be unregistered (regsvr32 /u "C:\path\badfilter.ax") or disabled. Back up the registry and create a restore point before making changes. (github.com)

Notes tied to earlier posts: firmware and driver updates (as suggested by ) and removing Nero were reasonable steps but won’t fix a corrupted DirectShow filter left by an encoder/decoder install. Gathering the Codec Tweak Tool log and relevant Event Viewer errors will make further troubleshooting faster and safer.

Recommended Answers

All 16 Replies

Member Avatar for gerbil

..this is going to sound really silly, but will it work with power adaptor plugged in instead of from battery?

Member Avatar for dobbin2

..this is going to sound really silly, but will it work with power adaptor plugged in instead of from battery?

It hangs even if the power adaptor is plugged in

Member Avatar for xcellpro6

Hi

Download Power DVD from this link and install it should solve your problem

Cheers
Darren

Member Avatar for dobbin2

Thanks for the suggestion, I have downloaded 'power dvd' but it still makes the computer hang. I then tried it again after uninstalling cineplayer as I thought there may be a conflict, but it still made the computer hang

Member Avatar for xcellpro6

Hi

Thanks for the reply. How much memory do you have on the Laptop ....RAM ??


Darren

Member Avatar for jbennet

have you been doing your windows updates?
older versions of XP have dvd issues

Member Avatar for Member #129437

Is any of that software using hardware decoding (i.e. your graphics card)? If it is, then try disabling that, but if it isn't, try enabling it. It may be one of those methods of decoding isn't working well for you. I'd recommend hardware decoding if at all possible.

Member Avatar for dobbin2

Win xp is up to date as it is set to update automatically but I will try a manual update just in case

Member Avatar for dobbin2

Darren,

448mb of ram according to 'System properties'

Member Avatar for dobbin2

Is any of that software using hardware decoding (i.e. your graphics card)? If it is, then try disabling that, but if it isn't, try enabling it. It may be one of those methods of decoding isn't working well for you. I'd recommend hardware decoding if at all possible.

As far as I can tell my graphics card is a Radeon IGP 320M and I .cannot see any options for enabling or disabling hardware decoding. It maybe that I am looking at the wrong thing - please advise if this is so.

Member Avatar for Member #129437

Hardware/software decoding should be in the settings menu of your DVD playback software (PowerDVD, Cinemagic etc...). It might even be an option called "Use hardware acceleration" or something along those lines.

Member Avatar for gerbil

Uninstall your burning software and see what happens... sonic cine should be ok with your setup.

Member Avatar for dobbin2

Hardware/software decoding should be in the settings menu of your DVD playback software (PowerDVD, Cinemagic etc...). It might even be an option called "Use hardware acceleration" or something along those lines.

I have enabled hardware acceleration in 'powerdvd' and I do now get sound and the occasional picture without it making the computer hang, so this is real progress.

I then tried to play a dvd in Windows media player, [could not find a way to enable hardware acceleration here] and the computer just hung again. Not sure what to try next. At least I can fiddle around now without having to reboot as long as I use powerdvd.

Member Avatar for dobbin2

Uninstall your burning software and see what happens... sonic cine should be ok with your setup.

I have uninstalled nero, this has not made any difference.

Member Avatar for TT4Titans

Go to toshiba and get the firmware update for the drive.

Here

Member Avatar for dobbin2

Go to toshiba and get the firmware update for the drive.

Here

Thanks for the link and I have updated the firmware but I regret the computer still keeps hanging.

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