Is there a cheap external DVD player only

DJ5354:

 

Ok, let me make one suggestion that might provide immediate help. Try the VLC Media Player (link in my signature). If this is a decoder issue, then that might fix it. If it's a drive issue, then you need to work through the troubleshooting steps.

Hi, DJ5354:

You're throwing good money after bad unless you first diagnose the problem. In other words, if this is a software issue, adding an external drive is only going to result in your having two drives that don't play DVDs.

Please work through these standard troubleshooting steps, including the Dell diagnostics on your drive. When you post back with the results, I need to know what model your DVD drive is.

Thanks for your help. He's only 57 and is smart with computers but this is a tuff one. Unfortunately I'm an Apple person.

Will do that. Its for my brother who is in a nursing home I'm trying to help him out with it. We both are trying to troubleshoot it. It will be a while until he can get on his computer. I bring him DVD movies to watch and having this not work is dreadful. So I'll get back to you later probably in the day. But thanks you have been of great help. Also there are some things he cannot do but hopefully what he can do will work.

Ok, so run through those steps and let me know exactly what happened.

just for now: Its Hitachi HL-DT-ST  DVD+RW GWA4164B

well he tried everything nothing works. So i guess he'll wait till Vista and perhaps that will clean things up. We have tried everything!

I'm skeptical whether Vista will "fix" anything.

You might want to try the firmware update for that drive.

Okay, will tell him that, Guess we have nothing to loose. Many thanks.

Well he's done everything and you seem to know a lot. Now we want to try an external DVD just to be sure its the DVD player before he goes and gets someone to put one in. Do you have any reccomendations on that end. If I need to pick up a cheap one I will. Any make better than hitachi thats in there or I guess its neither here nor there since its external Thanks

For internal drives, I recommendyou shop Newegg, but for external drives, you should shop Newegg! :)

 

You are not likely to find an external DVD drive that is not also a burner. I'm very sour on generic junk like Memorex and IO Magic.

Excellent! Glad everything is back up and running. :)