Hello there
Did anyone actually find a solution to this problem? I have what appears to be the same problem, on at least 2 different models of PC (IBM 6287 & Compaq DeskPro P3-667) with Windows 98. The files in question are MPEG video (marketing advertisements or product demonstrations), consisting of a .DAT file in a MPEGAV folder on the CDROM. Some can be played with any MPEG player, others need Xing or Lalim to play. These PCs used to play these CDs fine, but somewhere along the line something has interfered (I thought possibly a Windows update?) - now my "image file" for the 6287 carries this problem, so I'm trying to nail the problem on my DeskPro first.
These CDs play fine on other PCs (we have various models of IBM & Compaq desktops, plus Compaq, Dell, IBM & Toshiba notebooks). When I try to play the CD on the problem PC, I get the error "The file format is not supported". If I try to "copy" the DAT file from the CD with this PC, I get the error "Cannot read from the source file or disk", although other files copy off ok.
However, if I copy the file from the CD with another PC onto a "shared drive" on the network, I can then play the DAT file properly on the problem PC. So it seems to be related to the handling of .DAT files read from CDROM (if I create a .DAT file on a floppy-disk, it reads & copies ok).
By default, .DAT files are handled as text files, hence the need for particular MPEG players in this case. Changing the definition in the registry doesn't change the problem. Cyberlink PowerDVD doesn't handle it either.
Any clues?
Thanks & regards
Alistair