CD's DVD's unusable via windows versions.

As members may have gathered. I am a persitant studier. Searching through my diskcs. I find that so many are not readable by todays windows. I have forked out loads of cash, buying medical and scientific info. Now all is lost. Please help me. I admit IT and me are far from being friends. Talk to me on science. Wowee! Talk to me on IT. ??????!!!!!
So please. Is there any way that I can use my discs and benefit fom my expenditure.

 

Download VLC media player (or something the same) it will play all formats, and you should be able to play straight from your cd/dvd's

Tis free here a link

Download official VLC media player for Windows - VideoLAN

 

Agree with @Jiffy if they are any type of audio or visual formats.

However do wonder exactly what files you are referring to and what program/s you originally read them with ? plus can you specify the typical file type names eg 1234.jpeg or 1234.docx ?

 

Well Mike, until I saw this I hadn't realised my laptop wouldn't play DVDs anymore..
It did the last time I used it, via windows media player, but somehow, I 'm guessing during windows updates, its been removed.

Just done the download Jiffy suggested and it works again now.

 

Thanks Jiffy & Ricky. I followed the instructions but I don't think it downloaded. Anyway I'll get the grand kids to sort it. I am total rubbish with computers.

I was a bit annoyed at first with Microsoft etc, as they change things so much. Many of the disks that won't play are ones that I paid for in connection with various courses I have done.

 

@Mike Allen,..another one you could use and its free of course like VLC Media Player,..is
Pot Player,.PotPlayer - Download.

 

@Mike Allen ,I maybe wrong but when it downloads you then have to "open " it or "run " it.
You then get a box open up asking if you want to allow changes to your computer .
Click on yes and it then gets installed, after which you can use it.

 

Is it just that autoplay is switched off ?

Go into settings (cog on start menu in win 10) then into devices, click on autoplay (left hand menu) and enable autoplay

 

Some times a video being played in VLC will be squashed (like the two side are push together) this can be sorted by

open VLC
click on tools
then preferences
then Video
And where it say "Force Aspect Ratio" (about half way down) Put in 16:9 or 4:3 or both and this should make the video playing bigger on the screen
then click save

 

Think you need to tell us a little more about what exactly is not working, one step at a time.

You say "so many are not readable" which suggests that some of the discs Are readable ?

So can you confirm that some discs can be read, not necessarily the course discs, so we can know if the dvd drive is actually working ok ?

When you say some discs cannt be read, what happens, does the dvd drive just make whirring noises and nothing happens on the screen, or does it give some kind of error message ?