How do I play a DVD on my HP laptop with an external DVD drive?

Answered by Willian Lymon

To play a DVD on your HP laptop with an external DVD drive, you would follow these steps:

1. Connect the external DVD drive to your HP laptop. Ensure that it is properly connected and powered on.

2. Insert the DVD into the DVD drive on the external drive. Gently push it in until it is fully inserted.

3. Close the DVD drive by either pressing the physical button on the external drive or using the software eject button on your laptop.

4. In most cases, your HP laptop should automatically detect the DVD and start playing it. If it does not automatically play, you can manually open the DVD by following these steps:

A. Click on the “Start” button on the bottom left corner of your screen.

B. Type “Windows Media Player” in the search bar and open the application.

C. In Windows Media Player, click on “Play” in the top menu, and then select “DVD or CD” from the drop-down menu.

D. If prompted, select the external DVD drive from the list of available drives.

E. The DVD should now start playing in Windows Media Player.

5. If you prefer using a different media player, such as VLC Media Player or PowerDVD, you can also open the DVD using those applications. Simply open the media player of your choice and select the option to play a DVD. Again, if prompted, select the external DVD drive as the source.

It’s worth noting that some newer laptops may not come with a built-in DVD drive. In such cases, using an external DVD drive, as described above, is necessary to play DVDs. Additionally, keep in mind that certain DVDs may have region restrictions, and your laptop’s DVD drive may not be compatible with all DVD formats.

Personal experience: I recently purchased an HP laptop without a built-in DVD drive. To play DVDs, I bought an external DVD drive and followed the steps mentioned above. It was a simple and straightforward process, and I was able to enjoy my DVDs without any issues.