# Where do I get DVD playing software? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-i-get-dvd-playing-software/129407 "2002-09-24T03:59:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-i-get-dvd-playing-software/129407/1 "2002-09-24T03:59:02Z")
My little sister got a used laptop for college, and it’s got a DVD-ROM drive, but as far as I can tell, no DVD player software. I thought the latest Windows Media Player might do it, and it does, but only if you have XP, apparently. She’s got 98, and won’t be switching to XP anytime soon. So where the heck do I get a player that works in 98? I’m not looking for anything fancy. She doesn’t need region-free, or DivX ripping or anything like that, just a simple pop-in-charlie’s-angels-and-hit-play functionality. And I’d prefer not to have to pay for it, if possible (i.e. free/shareware, not warez.) ideas? ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-i-get-dvd-playing-software/129407/2 "2002-09-24T04:03:33Z")
First, to play DVDs on your computer, you need either a software or a hardware decoder. If you have one or the other, try running “mplayer2.” There should be an “Open DVD” option in the File menu. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-i-get-dvd-playing-software/129407/3 "2002-09-24T05:29:27Z")
There are a few good software DVD players. I prefer [WinDVD](http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/Product_Profile.jsp?p=WinDVD), but the software will cost you $50. [Here](http://www.fwnetwork.com/description/fsdvdplayer.html) is a link to a freeware player. I’ve never tried it, but if you don’t want to spend any money, it’s worth a try. You may also want to enter the words “freeware software DVD player” into a search engine to see if you can find any others if you don’t find that one to your liking. ---
**Author:** ![DarkScooterPie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b3f665/32.png) [@DarkScooterPie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkScooterPie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-i-get-dvd-playing-software/129407/4 "2002-09-24T08:29:45Z")
If the DVD player came with the laptop, it should have came with the software to use it. First, put a DVD in the player and see if it auto starts. I am assuming you already went through c:\Program Files. Try looking through CDs that came with the laptop. If it is a major brand laptop, you can go to the manufacturer’s website and download it. Jim ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-i-get-dvd-playing-software/129407/5 "2002-09-24T15:03:23Z")
Thanks for the tips. The DVD player did come with the laptop, but as I said, it was used, so if it came with the software, it’s not there anymore. (I looked through the whole harddrive.) The DVD does autostart, but only to say “exit this program and start your DVD player application”. **typhoon** I don’t think there’s a decoder there, but I don’t know. how do I tell? Of course, I missed the obvious that **DarkScooterPie** picked up on. It’s a Dell, and if she just called Dell in the first place, they proably could have helped her. So that’s what I told her to do. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try “mplayer2” or **neutron star** ’s links. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-i-get-dvd-playing-software/129407/6 "2002-09-24T15:32:41Z")
I’ve found a lot of DVD’s include playing software. The one I’ve seen frequently is the _Interactual_ player. Pretty good - although at times it seems to have problems with aspect ratios. It’s free, though. Disney was putting it on their DVD’s for a while - I haven’t checked lately. The [Interactual site](http://www.interactual.com) suggests looking for a “PC Friendly” logo in the DVD.