Windows tips and tricks [Archive] - Racerplanet Network Forums

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Spiderman
05-09-2002, 11:05 AM
Here's one of mine :)


If you are using Media Player software version 6.x under windows 98 you can enable the DVD player ability. You have to have the DVD codecs installed but this is easy, just install a trial version of DVD software i.e WinDVD or PowerDVD. Just don't uninstall the trial version of the software as it will remove the codecs.

Step 1
Install trial version of DVD software (if you don't have a DVD player installed already)

Step 2
(Warning registry changes can damage your PC if not done right so first back up your registry. Select run from the start menu and type scanregw. To restore the registry at a later date , boot into the command propt and type scanreg /restore)
Select run from the start menu again and type regedit then OK. Click on the plus symbol to expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER entry. Now expand software and you'll see a lot more entries. Scroll down to find the microsoft entry and expand this. Now find and expand MediaPlayer, then Player and finally click on settings. The window to the right should show the contents of the settings branch. Go to Edit on the menu bar, click on New and select String Value.

Step 3
You will see a new value appear in the window to the right, ready for renaming. Type enableDVDUI and click enter. Double click on this new entry, or right click on it and select Modify. In the value data box, type 'YES' (all capital letters) and click OK. Now close the registry editor and reboot the PC. Windows Media Player should now have an open DVD option under the file menu. As a side note, users of Windows ME can simply select Run from the start menu and type 'dvdplay' to uncover a sneakily hidden DVD player.

[Solution c/o pc-utilities magazine - www.pc-utilities.co.uk]

If you break you PC don't blame me ;) Caution please.

I have win 98 so people with other operating systems should probably avoid this tip.

Sepecat
05-09-2002, 11:37 AM
I think it would be just easier to buy a Dvd player and then you dont have to worry about you system not working right. That is what I think
:beer: :HB:

Spiderman
05-09-2002, 11:43 AM
I got a DVD player with my machine. I don't like it because it is bloatware and too snazy for the likes of me. I like things simple. For those that don't have a player it solves a problem. :D

Sepecat
05-09-2002, 11:58 AM
Mine ialso came with my new dell 4400 it is 16x dvd 40x cd and 10x 24x 40x cdrw ^_^

Spiderman
05-09-2002, 12:25 PM
My clone came with.. errr two of those cup holders thingies a view screen AND speakers. I will check the manual one day and find out why I need two cup holders. Especially as they are so close together it is impossible to hold two cups of coffee at the same time.

:confused:

Seems an awful waste when I normally use the machine by myself...

KyzrSoze
05-09-2002, 01:31 PM
Thanks for the tip,Spidey. I am going to try this tonite.:)

Spiderman
05-09-2002, 02:51 PM
It works for me :)

Hey kyzr! Um you forgot to gimme a tip in return dude :nono:

:rolleyes: :D

Oh yes, before some wise guy jumps in i mean a WINDOWS TIP. ;)

KyzrSoze
05-10-2002, 10:16 AM
Oops, sorry:")

Gimme a bit to come up with one, I dont want to throw out something that everyone already knows.:)

Spiderman
05-10-2002, 12:08 PM
No rush, I got all the time in the world. Something simple yet effective will do. :look:

Oh, did the DVD tip work for you?

KyzrSoze
05-10-2002, 01:47 PM
Ok, after a little thought, here’s a trick that is working for me. I upgraded my machine last year and ended up (as many of you have) with a leftover smaller (8g) hard drive. I don’t really need it for extra storage as I use only a third of my 40g drive. This is what I did:

I installed my 8g drive as a secondary drive, formatted and empty.

I then configured my virtual memory settings to use all of this second drive for virtual memory. I know this works for win98 – I have yet tried this with win2k or XP.

In theory it should make the computer work a little faster by splitting the workload between the two drives. It should also increase the life span of the primary HD since virtual memory will not constantly be writing to it.

NOTE: Obviously the speed and size of the secondary drive you use will have an effect on performance.

Oh, and I will be trying the DVD trick tonight. :)