Play DVDs on your computer
Published: September 7, 2006
If your laptop has a DVD player and DVD playback software installed, you can use it to watch DVDs. Watching DVDs is a great way to pass the time while traveling, or it can simply unchain you from the TV room.
If you'd rather watch something besides a movie, you can use Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 to burn your favorite media to DVD. You can then take the DVD with you wherever you go and watch it on your laptop—even if it does not have Media Center installed.
To play a DVD on your computer
1. | Insert the DVD into your computer |
2. | If nothing happens, open My Computer, right-click your DVD drive, and then click Autoplay. 
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3. | If prompted, click Play DVD Video using Windows Media Player and select the Always do the selected action check box. Then click OK. |
Note: If the Play DVD Video option does not appear, your computer does not have the required software installed. Check your computer manufacturer's Web site for software you can download. Alternatively, you can purchase and install a DVD Decoder plug-in for Windows Media Player.
Windows XP plays your DVD using Windows Media Player. Use these techniques to control how you want the movie to play:
| • | Watch the movie full-screen. Right-click the movie display area, and then click Full Screen. 
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| • | Return from full-screen mode. Right-click the movie display area, and then click Exit Full Screen. 
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| • | Pause the movie. Click the Pause button in the lower-left corner. 
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| • | Resume playback after pausing. Click the Play button in the lower-left corner. 
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| • | Skip to a different place in the movie. Drag the slider to quickly skip forward or backward through the movie. 
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If you plan to watch DVDs while traveling on a plane or train, or in another public place, remember to bring headphones so you don’t bother the people around you.
