How can I watch DVD's on my company laptop?
 

I have a relatively new Dell, which my company wiped clean of any DVD software. I want to take this with me to Europe so I can keep on top of some work emails, but also would like to be able to watch movies on it during the long flights without carrying a second laptop. Of course, our email is Lotus Notes, which I don't have on any other computer, so I have to use this one only. Is there some free software out there that makes regular movie DVD's viewable?

Do you have admin access? Can you load a program on the laptop?

Doesn't the newest version of Windows Media Player have DVD support? Can you "update" your computer with it?

If that won't work, here's a player that will play just about anything you throw at it that doesn't have to be "installed". You can put it on a thumb drive (or probably in your "my documents" folder, and play it from there.

Download VLC Media Player Portable, VLC Media Player Portable 1.0.5 Download

+ 1 on VLC

Ian

VLC, or really screw with 'em and put Linux on a usb drive and boot from USB, do anything you like :) including use VLC to play dvds (or even bit for bit copies of dvds, or rips, etc. from your hard drive)

+1

vlc

I use VLC now and it works great. Course I am the admin on my computers but guess you could put it on a thumb drive and go from there...

+1 for Ubuntu on a USB key. It will be wicked fast too, and has all you need for e-mails, dvd, internet...
I am on it right now, because there is a virus in my windows 7 partition.
Ubuntu homepage | Ubuntu

Thanks. I will look into these. I'll bring a dvd with me on my trip to San Diego tomorrow and download some of this when I get to my hotel and see if it works.

I went to that VLC link and it downloaded Babylon, changed my toolbar and homepage. The VLC downloaded too, but won't play a dvd. I get a smaller screen and some of the music from the dvd's menu. Nothing else works. Any others?

Babylon...What is that? Did you download from this link: VideoLAN - VLC media player - Open Source Multimedia Framework and Player

You can also download quicktime PC version:
Apple - QuickTime - Download

I would vote for Ubuntu on a thumb drive as well.

Boot from the thumb drive, do whatever you like and they will have no evidence of what you did. I have heard that some companies get paranoid about their company equipment being used for anything except work related jobs.

Ubuntu has a learning curve to make it work, but it is worth learning. I use Ubuntu on my personal netbook.

To clarify the Ubuntu comments. Ubuntu (an open source OS based on Linux) can be booted and run off a flash drive without installing it on your computer. You can boot up the OS, use it, pull the drive and your notebook is not altered at all. You never actually install anything onto the hard drive.

Can I just download Ubuntu to my laptop without consequence? I doubt anyone in my company's tech support will notice or care.

Yes you can install Ubuntu right on your laptop and go to a dual boot system. After install it will come up with a menu and you can choose which OS you want to run. The is assuming you have enough hard drive space. Most likely you do.

Another vote for Ubuntu on a thumbdrive.

If IT won't care about you installing Ubuntu directly or dual booting the box then don't even bother with Ubuntu and just get Windows Media Center or equivalent installed.

+1, use this link.

We run VLC portable right off the same DVD that the movies are copied to, used to do it on the flash drive till they were banned. Or jsut copy the file rightto the hard drive. VLC plays practically everything.

I still can't make VLC work. I have a Goodfellas DVD in the drive. If I go to the DVD drive in My Computer and right click, I get a bunch of files. I have no idea which one is the movie or how to copy it to my computer. There has to be some easy way to do this. What am I missing?