up vote 4 down vote favorite
share [g+] share [fb]

I've got some regular CDs that I cannot get to play on my Windows 7 (64 bit) system. When I try to play them I get the message:

"Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file."

This is a relatively new system so I've never tried playing CDs on it before. Do I need to load a specific codec to play CDs? I would think Windows would play CDs out of the box.

link|improve this question
88% accept rate
What are these regular CDs? Are they actually video or audio CDs, or just data discs? Can you open them from (My) Computer? – Om Nom Nom Jun 29 '10 at 15:25
@Om Nom Nom - I would guess that they are audio CDs from the [audio] tag the OP used. – ChrisF Jun 29 '10 at 15:32
"I would think Windows would play CDs out of the box." It should – Moab Jun 29 '10 at 20:26
They are audio CDs. Music CDs, Like you would buy from the store. Standard commercial, published, CDs containing signed artists, the Beatles, 50 Cent, Lady GaGa, that sort of CD – GregH Jun 30 '10 at 3:54
feedback

3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

WMP comes with pre-installed codecs which have never satisfied me. You should install a codec pack and try again. I personally recommend CCCP Codec Pack.

link|improve this answer
Installing a codec pack to play a regular audio CD is crazy. – Graeme Donaldson Jun 29 '10 at 15:28
Believe it or not. This seems to have solved the problem. – GregH Jun 30 '10 at 4:02
feedback
up vote 0 down vote

Have you scanned the system for malware lately?

You can run System File Checker (SFC), see if it replaces any missing or corrupted system files

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

.

link|improve this answer
feedback
up vote 0 down vote

Could it be your CD/DVD Rom is going bad? Does it play any other optical media?

link|improve this answer
Other media (DVDs) play fine. The system is new...less than a month old. – GregH Jun 30 '10 at 3:54
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.