I have here a certain original DVD, which shows the following issue:

If I try to play it with the Windows Media Player (WMP) as well as with the Media-Player-Classic (MPC, Version 6.4.9.1), it starts without problems.

If I try to play the same DVD in the same computer even with the same programm MPC 6.4.9.1, but under Win98SE, it does not start.

Instead of starting I get an error message in MPC "DVD copy protect fail".

I must say that I have installed Nero under WinXP, but not under Win98SE. Could this be an explanation for that mystery? Or are there other possible explanation, maybe any WinXP-built-in DVD-codec, which is missing in Win98SE?

PS: I suppose that the Toshiba DVD-drive has a hardware-built-in region code "2", and the DVD is also region "2".

Nero may have installed the decoders. A search on MPC and the message doesn't give any solution, so one would suspect... (Nero has decoders in the package for its Player - Cyberlink PowerDVD also...)

ZDNet article...

OK, I have found out some new "mysteries":

- the DVD plays in WinXP with MPC 6.4.9.1 (I told this yet)

- the DVD plays not in Win98SE with MPC 6.4.9.1 (I told this yet)

Then I tried, just for testing, PowerDVD-Version:

Now the DVD worked! But I don't want too many programs; I wanted it get to run with MPC (if possible).

So I manually registered the PowerDVD filters and choosed them inside of MPC: A none-copy-protected DVD worked with this filters (used by MPC). But the "problem-DVD": No way!

- the DVD plays with PowerDVD filters and PowerDVD

- the DVD plays not with PowerDVD filtes, used by MPC.

Then I inserted the problem-DVD into an old Notebook, which has the same MPC-Version (6.4.9.1). Result:

It played immediately, without any "hacks" or settings changed!

What could be the remaining problem on my PC:

- DVD-drive (I don't think so, because it works in the same DVD-Drive with PowerDVD)

- MPC-Version (6.4.9.1) (I don't think so, because it works on the notebook)

- Win98SE & KernelEx (I don't think so, because it works on the notebook)?

Maybe it has to do something with DirectShow?! Is PowerDVD an application which uses DirectShow? If so: Is it possible to convince MPC not tu use Directshow?

That's all very mysteriously, in my opinion.

I must say that I have installed Nero under WinXP, but not under Win98SE. Could this be an explanation for that mystery? Or are there other possible explanation, maybe any WinXP-built-in DVD-codec, which is missing in Win98SE?

Then I tried, just for testing, PowerDVD-Version:

What happened to testing with Nero? Why did you "change horses" to PowerDVD?

Try to register only CLVSD.AX from powerDVD on Win98. Then give it a shot

Edited October 22, 201114 yr by PROBLEMCHYLD

Try ffdshow. Not sure if it will helps but it costs nothing to try.

At a last resort, decrypt it with a DVD decrypter, and play it from the HD...

Try to register only CLVSD.AX from powerDVD on Win98. Then give it a shot

I tried this. Even registered all PowerDVD filters. You can see them inside MPC here:

The "Cyberlink Video/SP Decoder" is your suggested CLVSD.AX. I can indeed get it to be used by MPC to play DVDs.

But even if I activate all Cyberlink Filters from PowerDVD, I still get the error message "Copy protect fail".

I have still no solution for the problem, but I have now a idea what could cause the issue:

While I played a "no-problem-DVD", I looked at the used-filter-list. I noticed that MPC used the

"DVD Navigator" from Microsoft, although it was blocked(!) and i hat set the priority of the "Cyberlink DVD Navigator" to high.

I could not get MPC to use "Cyberlink DVD Navigator" instead of the Windows built-in "DVD Navigator".

I found out that the Windows "DVD Navigator" is hidden inside the file "qdvd.dll" in C:\Windows\System.

I did the following test:

I temporarily deleted this "qdvd.dll".

Then I inserted the Problem-DVD and tried to start it with PowerDVD itself. Result: It started. That seems that PowerDVD makes no use of "qdvd.dll".

Then I tried to play dhe Problem-DVD with MPC. Result: I got an error message

"Failed to query the needed interfaces for DVD playback"

before the "Copy protect fail" message could appear.

So I suppose this qdvd.dll could be the issue. Furthermore I found a website at Microsoft with descibed the possible problem. But I can not install the linked patch there?!

Furthermore I found out that my DVD-Device is CPRM compatible .

But the DVD-Device in the notebook which plays the DVD with MPC under Win89SE is not CPRM compatibly.

This would explain why the DVD plays not in my PC, but in the notebook - with exactly the same system settings.

Any hints how to "delete" the CPRM compatibility from my DVD-Device? I dont't want to by a new (or old) one.

Of course you cannot install that patch: it's for Win 2k.

But you can open the patch installer with 7-Zip, extract just qdvd.dll from inside it and substitute the old one you have by this new one, by hand.

Any hints how to "delete" the CPRM compatibility from my DVD-Device? I dont't want to by a new (or old) one.

DVDFab Passkey is supposed to be able to remove this kind of thing. It won't work on 9x tough.

- the DVD plays in WinXP with MPC 6.4.9.1

- the DVD plays not in Win98SE with MPC 6.4.9.1

- the DVD plays with PowerDVD filters and PowerDVD

- the DVD plays not with PowerDVD filtes, used by MPC.

Maybe it has to do something with DirectShow?! Is PowerDVD an application which uses DirectShow? If so: Is it possible to convince MPC not tu use Directshow?

Windows 98SE requires a different version of MPC 6.4.9.1, than does Windows XP. The 98SE version is non-unicode, and some of the internal codecs are different from the Windows XP version. You can get both versions here: http://www.free-codecs.com/media_player_classic_download.htm

The last Windows 98SE version of MPC 6.4.9.1, which version I use, is revision 82. The latest XP version has a higher revision number, but also contains internal codecs incompatible with 98SE. If your notebook is 98SE, and plays the DVD's, copy the notebook MPC to your desktop PC, and see if the notebook version also works on the desktop. Again, there are different versions of MPC 6.4.9.1, even with the same version number.

MPC 6.4.9.1 is a DirectShow media player, as is Windows Media Player. Thus, MPC is able to use external DirectShow codecs to play DVD's, but you must first turn off related internal codecs in MPC. External codecs in MPC may be incompatible with Windows 98 SE. If so, some (but not all) of these external codecs may be made compatible using Kernelex. (If Kernelex is installed, right-click on the codec's dll or ax file, select properties, change Kernelex compatibility to Windows 2000 or Windows XP). Note only DirectShow filters, whether internal or external, work in MPC.

Any hints how to "delete" the CPRM compatibility from my DVD-Device? I dont't want to by a new (or old) one.

DVDFab Passkey is supposed to be able to remove this kind of thing. It won't work on 9x tough.

This is software running in background for copying DVDs.

But I want not copy the DVD.

I thought that is would be maybe possible to hack the firmware from the DVD-Drive with any tool?

I know that there are tools to do something for other hardware components, for example video cards (see Nvidia BIOS Editor as example).

The last Windows 98SE version of MPC 6.4.9.1, which version I use, is revision 82. The latest XP version has a higher revision number, but also contains internal codecs incompatible with 98SE. If your notebook is 98SE, and plays the DVD's, copy the notebook MPC to your desktop PC, and see if the notebook version also works on the desktop. Again, there are different versions of MPC 6.4.9.1, even with the same version number.

I have also revision 82. I also tested revision 107, which seems to be the latest "non-home-cinema"-version for WinXP - it worked with KernelEx. I could not notice any major differences between this 2 revisions. Both show exactly the same (not)-DVD-playing effect with the problem-DVD.

Relying to the MPC version from the notebook: I copied this version from my PC to the notebook some time ago; so it's the same version .

The mystery is, that the same version works on one computer and not on the other one.

I suspect the DVD-Drive now (in combination with the file qdvd.dll), becaus the DVD-Drive in my PC has RPCM-ability (unfortunately), but this one in the notebook not. Maybe I should swap both Drives...

MPC 6.4.9.1 is a DirectShow media player, as is Windows Media Player. Thus, MPC is able to use external DirectShow codecs to play DVD's, but you must first turn off related internal codecs in MPC.

I turned off all internal codecs in MPC. But it still uses the MS-built-in DVD-Navigator...

PS: I copied manually the qdvd.dll for Win2000 to the system directory, but this version doesn't work. It can not be registered by regsvr32.exe, and MPC does not play any DVD with it. So this qdvd.dll seems to be indeed incompatible.

Try this update before it is removed from M$ website. This is for Win98/SE/ME.

http://download.windowsupdate.com/msdownload/update/v3-19990518/cabpool/WindowsME.Windows98SE-KB904706-DX9-x86-ENU_3120a22628e0848051a2449a878677f.exe

Edited October 29, 201114 yr by PROBLEMCHYLD