Article ID: 272985 - Last Review: January 29, 2007 - Revision: 1.3

Description of DVD Player in Windows Millennium Edition

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SUMMARY

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me) includes a redesigned version of Microsoft Windows 98 Digital Video Disc (DVD) Player. Unlike the Windows 98 version, the new Windows Me version supports software decoding for playback of DVD movies without a dedicated decoder card.

Windows Me DVD Player supports software DVD decoding if the decoder is installed by a third party. Windows Me does not include a DVD Moving Picture Experts Group 2 (MPEG2) software decoder. After you install a compressor/decompressor (codec) or a program that comes with a codec, Windows Me DVD Player can play back a movie without the need for one of the special hardware decoders that DVD Player supports.

When you start DVD Player, if you do not have a supported hardware decoder, or a previously-installed software decoder, you receive the following message:
To use the DVD player, you need to install either a software DVD decoder, or a hardware DVD decoder. For more information, click Help.
A Pentium II 333 megahertz (MHz) processor or higher is required for the software decoding of DVDs.

You must manually start Windows Me DVD Player from a command prompt because there is no shortcut for the program on the Start menu, or on the desktop.

To create a shortcut to DVD Player, follow these steps:
  1. Double-click My Computer.
  2. Double-click the icon for the drive that contains the Windows folder (usually C), and then double-click Windows to open the Windows folder.
  3. Right-click Dvdplay.exe, point to Send To, and then click Desktop as a shortcut.
Windows Me DVD Player also includes the ability to capture still images from movie playback as long as the software or hardware decoder supports this feature as well. If your decoder card or software decoder does not support still image capture, you receive the following message:
DVD player is unable to capture the image because the decoder on your system does not support it.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about DVD Player, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
263760  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263760/EN-US/ ) Unable to Change Resolution While DVDExpress Program Is Playing a DVD
261737  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/261737/EN-US/ ) Cinemaster Software Decoder Causes Computer to Stop Responding
265380  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/265380/EN-US/ ) Yamaha DS1 WDM Driver Causes Static When You Play a DVD
250177  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/250177/EN-US/ ) You Receive a Bluescreen Error When Ejecting a DVD in Windows Me DVD Player
265769  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/265769/EN-US/ ) Creative Dxr2 Hardware DVD Decoder Does Not Support the Zoom In/Out Function
259990  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/259990/EN-US/ ) No Sound from DVD After Clean Windows Me Install on Dell Inspiron 7000
259867  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/259867/EN-US/ ) No DVD Audio with ESS Maestro Sound Cards
258936  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/258936/EN-US/ ) Switch from DVD Player to Full-Screen MS-DOS Session Creates Pink Lines
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
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Retired KB ArticleRetired KB Content Disclaimer
This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.
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