DVD-RW drive region code problem

W

Who, me?

I recently purchased an I/O Magic DVD-RW drive and installed it on a
Pentium 3 machine running Windows XP. I can't get the thing to play
pre-recorded DVDs. The software that came with it (WinDVD) just locks
up. Windows Media Player tells me I'm getting a region code error, but
the message shows that the disk and player are both set to region 1.
PowerDVD tells me I have a problem with the TV output on my display
card. My video card doesn't have a TV out. Most bizarre is that when I
check the drive properties with Windows Device Manager, it shows that it
is set to region 1. When I put a disk (any disk - blank, pre-recorded,
whatever), it indicates that the region code is "not specified". This
happens without starting any players or any other software.

I/O Magic's tech people weren't any help. They suggested using PowerDVD
and, when I told them about the error I got with that program they
suggested I check out the ATI.com website for advice on TV output.
Unfortunately, I don't have an ATI card or a TV output on my card, so I
don't get the logic.

The only useful advice I've gotten so far is to use a player that
doesn't acknowledge the region. I have tried the Blaze player, which
does work, but I'd still like to solve the problem. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

By the way, in case it makes a difference, my video card is ancient (S3
Savage4) and there are no new drivers available for it (although I can't
imagine that the video card is responsible for the region code change),
the DVD-RW drive has the lastest firmware in it, and the DVD drive uses
the generic XP driver, according to I/O Magic.
 
G

Guest

This isn't a solution for your many individual problems. It should make it
possible to play DVDs.

Uninstall every DVD player application. It could be a case of too many
cooks spoil the broth.

Now if you install only PowerDVD, it may still give you the copyright
message regarding TV out and that it should be switched off. Of course there
isn't a way to do this.

You can then use Windows Media Player to view DVDs as it will use the CODECs
from Power DVD.

Now you can watch those DVDs.
 
M

Mike Stewart

Try DVDidle pro, is free to try see if that works, if it does use that i
have used it with loads of different drives an it was no problem at all

HTH

M
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Similar Threads

DVD-RW drive region problem 1
DVD region problem 2
DVD Region Problem 5
DVD region 3
DVD player problem 22
DVD region selection broken 1
Changing DVD region 2
DVD RW drive not working after computer virus 4

Top