Videos not playing anymore

[rdeckert]

Some of the videos I have on my pc have stopped playing. They used to, but they have stopped working one at a time over time. When I open the file in WMP it just doesn't play. There's no error or anything and it won't even show in the playlist. And if I right-click on the file, the only options listed are: Play, Add to Now Playing List, Add To Playlist..., Add to Sync List, Add to Burn List, Open With... and Sent to. That's it. None of the other options are viewable. I'm sure it's not a codec problem or else an error would pop up when I tried to play it.

[Sylvander]

1. Load a distro of Linux from a "live" optical disk and see if the files will play OK in that software environment.

2. "if I right-click on the file, the only options listed are"
The right-click "Context Menu" is constructed by Explorer using settings stored in the registry, so if context menu items have been lost it means the registry linkages or keys have changed.
If you know how you can examine those settings for the file type 3-letter extension.

3. "When I open the file in WMP it just doesn't play"
Hmm, not so sure what might be causing that.
Either the file are corrupt [1 above should test that], or the player is no longer functional [in which case uninstall & re-install], or the registry settings are screwed [try 4 below].

4. Try this:
(a) Open WMP and minimize it onto the Taskbar.
(b) Drag 'n drop a video file.
To do that...
Hover it over the WMP button on the taskbar until the window maximizes onto the screen, then drop the file onto the window.
(c) The file aught to play. Because drag 'n drop uses different registry setting arrangements you may find that it plays OK.

5. Try playing the files using VLC Media Player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) [doesn't implement DRM].
Or use VLC Portable (http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/vlc_portable) [doesn't put settings in the registry, so can be run from anywhere that Windows can access (Flash Drive?)]
You can even run this using [a cut down version of] Windows [BartPE?] loaded from a "live" CD.

6. Download this Sony DRM scanner & eliminator (http://www.sophos.com/support/disinfection/rkprf.html) to see if you are "infected".

7. Which version of Windows are you running?
Not Vista I hope.