Why wont a .dat file play on my Media Player

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Hello everone. My friend just bought a VCD from Vietnam of the movie Mission Impossible 2. I tried to play it on my computer using Media Player 7.1 and the .dat file wouldnt open. An error screen pops up and says "A device attached to the system is not functioning." When I checked under "Advanced" this pops up:

Using Windows Media Player and Windows Media Services on the same computer Error ID = 0x8007001F, Remedy ID = 0x00000000 This error happens if you use Microsoft Windows Media Services and Windows Media Player on the same computer and attempt to view a file in Windows Media Player that is streamed by the same server.

Windows Media Player must be installed on a different computer than Windows Media Services.

I know I can play .dat files on WMP because I have other VCDs that work. Also, my friend said that Mi:2 worked on his computer, so it is not the vcd that is faulty; it must be my comp.

Please help me. Thank you.

-- Dan (Anomaly385@juno.com), August 15, 2001

Answers

Hi Dan,

I came across the same problem before. My computer was working perfectly well and there was nothing available at the MicroSoft website that can explain the error message as you mentioned. In my case, some dat's can play on the computer with Media Player 7.0 and some couldn't. What I did was to re-encode the dat file with VCDGear, a freeware, (look up www.vcdhelp.com), back to MPEG1 and then reburn the MPEG1 file back to VCD. Then the dat file will work with Media Player 7.0 every time. So I think the probelm is the VCD itself and not anything else.

Hope this helps.

Tony

-- Tony (afhung37@hotmail.com), August 15, 2001.


I am having the same exact problem. I bought the vcd's of Star Wars. They will play in my dvd player, but not in my computer. I am also using Media Player (newest version). I am getting the same error message as above. I need some help with this.

-- Jeffrey L. Hillery (jhillery@netscape.net), August 16, 2001.

Try this free player instead. http://www.angelfire.com/mb/lalim/images/vcdplay.htm

-- mojohand (mojohand@angelfire.com), August 17, 2001.

Windows Media Player v 9 does sopport *.dat files, and plays VCD's fine.

-- Jack Arenberg (gh0988@hotmail.com), February 28, 2003.

Sorry, this is not an answer to the question. My OS is windows xp and the version of media player is 9. I can't play the ".dat" file even though I tried so many other software suggested above. I tired to play with powerdvd, powervcd and many other other vcd player software, they all give me the same error message such as: format not support or driver is used by another program... I got really fed up and frustrated with the problem. Please someone help!!

-- William (will_tan66@hotmail.com), April 20, 2003.


Dear friends, this is rather an extension of the same problem.. I too encountered the same problem when playing VCDs (more than one) in my computer, but when I tried the same VCD in my friends computer with same version of media player, it works!!!!!!..I am running Windows ME and he is running XP.. any suggestions ??

thanks in advance

-- gowri (gowri25@emirates.net.ae), September 06, 2003.


Hi all,

I have an interesting situation: I am able to play one of the VCD movie series CDs (.dat file extension), but not others from the same series.

Thanks!

Alan

-- Alan (alan02109@comcast.net), October 12, 2003.


I have a problem. I can play a vcd fine in a vcd player (like Sony). But when I try to play the vcd in my computer I get some error. I think the issue is that the .dat file in the vcd is corrupted. I know this because I am not able to copy the .dat file on my computer. But in my sony player it plays fine and the frame in which the file is corrupted, it just skips that frame and starts and the next good frame. Does anyone know how I can play such a vcd on my computer?

-- Sanju (sanjuchand@yahoo.com), October 22, 2003.

Tyr playing it with WinDVD it plays VCDs as well DVDs I had similar problem but could play it using WinDVD

-- HK (khiteshk@yahoo.com), March 06, 2004.

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