My Laptop freezes while playing video

[Mindzablank]

Hi Phanos,

Is your laptop display setting set to its highest, which I should imagine is either 16 or 24 bit? (Right click desktop/Properties/Settings)

To try and permanently correct the Direct Draw issue, so you can leave it enabled, you could try updating DirectX from Microsoft. It *may* help resolve the issue - no guarantee it will, but is perhaps worth trying.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.mspx

When installed, and you've rebooted your laptop, it will probably display a few windows advising a codec or driver isn't Microsoft certified. Make a note of these and then you can find newer versions for those, either from the hardware manufacturer's website or by googling the exact file name.

Your current installation of DirectX should display uncertified drivers in the Notes footer of the DXDiag 'Directx Drivers' tab.

See this link for a fuller explanation.

http://www.updatexp.com/directx-diagnostic-tool.html

[Phanos]

Hi Mindzablank,

I apologize for the long delay to respond back but I have been extremely busy lately. Thanks a lot for your replies, they have been very helpful :).

I tried your suggestion about the directX but it didn't worked, I already had the latest version of directX for some time now and I have the latest drivers for my manufactureâ s website as well. Also I can not find any uncertified drivers in the notes footer of the DXDiag Directx Drivers Tab. Are you sure that after installing the directx that a message will appear to inform me that the drivers are not Microsoft certified?

Yes I do use the highest resolution possible at my laptop. 1280 x 800 at 32 bit. (There are only 16 and 32 bit available here). Do you think that by lowering my resolution or colour quality will fix the problem? To be quit honest when I try watch a tv program on my laptop and the resolution and colour quality is set to highest, I get horizontal lines on a part of the tv window surface, and some other part of the laptopâ s screen. This problem seems to be degraded when I lower the colour settings, but does not seems to go away entirely. Also this problem is found under linux as well.

Thanks,

Phanos

[Bassam_1]

Hi,

I own an HP Pavilion z5000 and I have the same exact problem, I have tried everything mention and I finally got my laptop to stop freezing up when watching or playing something. However I was wonder if there are any other options besides disabling directdraw. It takes away from the quality of the DVDs playing and also if the video is not on top of everything else, even the DVD player menu, it will freeze.

[westek12]

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@Mindzablank wrote:
Although an IRQ (interrupt request) conflict on the motherboard power supplies between the mouse and graphics card may be the issue, there is another possibility to explore regarding the graphics card capabilities. There may be a different model/spec of graphics card fitted in a laptop compared to similar laptops, explaining why some have the 'media freeze' issue, and others do not.

On my PC I have to switch off Direct Draw Acceleration or every media file will freeze the mouse when played - the media file will not continue to play video, only sound, and the mouse pointer sticks, making the computer unusable without a reboot. As to why it should do this when a mouse is moved while a movie is successfully playing on a laptop it may be related to the fact that a mouse screen pointer requires output from the graphics card at the same time as the movie is placing high demand.

Type dxdiag into Start/Run and on the Display tab disable 'Direct Draw Acceleration' and see if this cures the problem. You can always set it back again. The downside of disabling it may be that some programs requiring it, for example Nero Showtime, may not function, but on my PC all other media players work (Realplayer, VLC, DIVX, PowerDVD, Mediaplayer etc).

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Mindzablank! You little bisquit eater you. Ok, tell me me what you want and I will get it for you. Huh? Want a cake? I will bake you a cake and send it to you. What kind do you like? Whats that, you would rather have a 12 pack of your favorite beer? No problem. I will pack it up and send it to you my man (or woman). I know, assuming that you are the former, I think we should all pitch in and buy you a weekend pass at the Mustang Ranch in Las Vegas. Any way, thank you ( and Phanos) for pulling this year-long thorn outta my keister.