x64, Can’t Play DVDs in WMP

Forums Operating Systems Windows Server 2008 Applications Compatibility x64, Can’t Play DVDs in WMP

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    • #43785

      As I’m sure you all know, Server 2008 doesn’t come with a codec to play DVDs. After umming and ahing for a while, I bought one of the upgrade packs Microsoft offers via its WMP site. The one I got was from Cyberlink, though it actually contains nothing but Microsoft DLLs and an installer.

      The installer fails silently, so I used the expand utility to extract DVDPackForVistaAMD64.cab (one of the files in the install package). I then copied these to %SYSTEMROOT%system32 and tried to register msmpeg2vdec.dll, msmpeg2adec.dll, msmpeg2enc.dll (the MS DLLs for playing DVDs) manually via regsvr32 from an elevated command prompt. Despite this, I got error 0x80004005 (access is denied). I can’t see any permission problems in Process Monitor, but I’m not really sure what I’m looking for there.

      After discovering this post on upgrading Vista Enterprise to play DVDs, I had another go using pkgmgr

      pkgmgr.exe /ip /m: DVDPackForVistaAMD64.cab /s: 

      Unfortunately this doesn’t work either, giving event 4374 (Windows Servicing identified that package Windows Media Codec Pack(Feature Pack) is not applicable for this system) in the system log. Pkgmgr seems to give up after extracting update.mum and update.cat from the cabinet. Is there something in either of those that I’ve missed to say which OSes are suitable, or any other way to bypass this check?

      I’m kinda stuck at the moment. Any assistance or pointers gratefully received.

      I can supply the mum file or manifests for the individual DLLs if that’s useful.

    • #49011
      Arris
      Moderator

        I’ve investigated these msmpeg2*.dll files [localurl=/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3970#p3970:3kh1dz2y]before[/localurl:3kh1dz2y] and it looks like it is a licensing problem. It shouldn’t be a license-problem for you because you paid to install these files, but it might be related…

      • #49012

        Interesting. Expanding the CAB gave me 3 licences as well as the DLLs (the 3 you mentioned in the other thread). In the post on getting DVD playback with Vista Enterprise, it says that the DLLs should be installed before the licences. If that’s right (you may know better of course), that suggests the problem may not be a lack of licences, but that Windows doesn’t like the package for some other reason.

      • #49013

        melancholy

        Like you I have been casting around for a DVD software player. I’m not sure about Media Player under 2008R2 as on my machine the program terminates every time I select the “DVD” tab under “Options”.

        I initially tried old copies of PowerDVD (this is a Cyberlink product) and WinDVD but although they installed, they refused to run, even in Windows/XP mode.

        I then tried a trial of Corel WinDVD2010 but again, whilst this installed, running it produced….nothing. In desperation I installed the trial of PowerDVD2010 (which, as it is by Cyberlink may well contain the same Codecs you have bought) and this installs and works without any problems I can see. I appreciate that the product is somewhat more expensive than the Codecs pack you have bought but I offer my experience in case it should prove helpful to you and others. PowerDVD is available in three “flavours” with the HD variety (which is the basis of the trial version) being the most costly.

        Regards

      • #49014

        I use PowerDVD Ultra v9.0.1501.0 and Shark007’s Vista Codecs package. This combo seems to work good for me. Worth a try.

        http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5326

      • #49015

        use vlc

      • #49022

        use vlc

      • #49016

        use this for Vista “Vista Codec Pack” http://shark007.net/vistacodecpackage.html

        plus optionally from the same site “x64 components”

        Install first the x86 version as prerequisite, later the x64 addons in that order.

        In x64 Windows you have two versions of wmplayer.exe, one 32bit ( default ) and a x64 one ( unused )

        with the second ( optional ) tool from the page you can make the x64 player the default one.

        In any case wmplayer.exe WILL be able to play about anything, including DVDs, vobs, flvs, mp4s, mov, mkv, avi , divx, xvid .. in other words : most every video and audio format around.

        Set file associations manually or by rightclicking a mp4,flv etc and say in the open with dialog “Windows Media Player” . Thumbnails will be generated once the files have been used first time or once they are inside your WMP Library.

        SVCDs/DVDs will playback automatically via Shell Autorun in the “play DVD with ..” dialog.

        As a bonus you will get the pretty thumbnails and file details in eplorer for the video files that are normally unsupported before the pack, even those youtube files or divx .. the Elvis movie example in my screenshot is a divx file.. Windows normally doesn’t open it and does not know what it contains. WMP would tell me that the required codec is missing. So normally I would need divx player or VLC. Same for the flv file which is a downloaded youtube music clip, Windows cannot play anything youtube .. Now it does ( and playback is smoothly working, even fullscreen ).

        If you use Server08R2 you need the windows7 version, take care to choose the correct one ( vista = 2008, win7 = R2 ).

        Notice also the DVD tab in wmp ( either 32 or 64bit version ) – enabled only with installation of a bove free codec pack , no DVD decoder or mpeg2 files .. only the package above 😉

      • #49023

        use this for Vista “Vista Codec Pack” http://shark007.net/vistacodecpackage.html

        plus optionally from the same site “x64 components”

        Install first the x86 version as prerequisite, later the x64 addons in that order.

        In x64 Windows you have two versions of wmplayer.exe, one 32bit ( default ) and a x64 one ( unused )

        with the second ( optional ) tool from the page you can make the x64 player the default one.

        In any case wmplayer.exe WILL be able to play about anything, including DVDs, vobs, flvs, mp4s, mov, mkv, avi , divx, xvid .. in other words : most every video and audio format around.

        Set file associations manually or by rightclicking a mp4,flv etc and say in the open with dialog “Windows Media Player” . Thumbnails will be generated once the files have been used first time or once they are inside your WMP Library.

        SVCDs/DVDs will playback automatically via Shell Autorun in the “play DVD with ..” dialog.

        As a bonus you will get the pretty thumbnails and file details in eplorer for the video files that are normally unsupported before the pack, even those youtube files or divx .. the Elvis movie example in my screenshot is a divx file.. Windows normally doesn’t open it and does not know what it contains. WMP would tell me that the required codec is missing. So normally I would need divx player or VLC. Same for the flv file which is a downloaded youtube music clip, Windows cannot play anything youtube .. Now it does ( and playback is smoothly working, even fullscreen ).

        If you use Server08R2 you need the windows7 version, take care to choose the correct one ( vista = 2008, win7 = R2 ).

        Notice also the DVD tab in wmp ( either 32 or 64bit version ) – enabled only with installation of a bove free codec pack , no DVD decoder or mpeg2 files .. only the package above 😉

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