Pc Issues, can someone help me out ?
 

I have been given a laptop for my work and I have a few issues. I tried googling a bit but I have a hard time finding ''definitive'' answers to my questions. I hope one of my low end brother will be able to help me out.

The laptop is a Sony vaio core 2 duo 2ghz running on 4 gig of ram and windows xp(64 bits). I mostly run openoffice and do a little internet browsing (Classroom usage).

1- Will I get any performance enhancement from upgrading the Windows OS to windows 7 or 8 ?

2- The blu-ray player does not work... whenever I try to play a bluray disk, I get an error message saying that my AACS Key library is expired. When I try to update it, I get this message:

''Server is unable to process your renewal request

Sorry, the server is unable to process your renewal request.
Please check that you have installed the latest patch for your version of WinDVD. You can find the appropriate link below.

Once you complete the patch update, when you see the renewal message, please follow the instructions to update your AACS key.

If the problem persists, or you still have questions, you may search the Knowledge Base in the Corel Support Center, or contact us.

AACS Update Information in Corel Support.''

Of course, the knowledge base/support center didn't help much. I spent hours reading FAQ on Sony's website and trying different things without success in order to get te BD player to read disk.


Help would be much appreciated !

I can answer #1 off the top -- for Open office and light Internet, my experience is that the laptop will be fastest with XP.

Drivers for DVD/BluRay drives can be tricky; however, that drive might just work right out of the box with Win 7 or 8.

I wouldn't upgrade for what you're doing with it.

As far as your bluray problems, it's a software issue. Have you tried uninstalling/reinstalling the software? If that fails, have you tried finding a different media player? Personally I use http://download.cnet.com/VLC-Media-P...-10267151.html to play my DvDs on my computer. I don't know if it will handle Blurays, since I don't have a Bluray drive, but it might be worth a shot.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with VLC player.

Edit: I'm assuming you've already done this and updated your WinDVD:
http://www.corel.com/corel/pages/ind...anguageCode=en

First thing to do is make sure your firmware and drivers for the DVD drive are current. I always forget to update them, but that often solves problems. I'd hit the manufacturer website and make sure they're current.

I also use VLC on a host of computers - we use it as kind of a campus default, as it does some things Windows Media Player won't.

I know and love VLC but I still get Aacs key errors after installing it. I tried copying different key files to various location without any success.

This is very frustrating, still I thank you for the tips guys.

Okay think I can help you with the blue ray issue
If the WinDVD that you have installed is a purchased copy, then you can download the update directly from Corel.com, you can visit:


http://www.corel.com/corel/pages/ind...61&storeKey=us

but if the WinDVD is a preinstalled copy of WinDVD, then you can read this for assistance to help you with the issue: http://corel.force.com/index
My thought is it was a preinstalled copy and when they reformatted the drive (normal for companies to do) they lost the factory issued copy information needed to launch the program.Talk to your IT guy and see if they backed up the machines data before reformatting the hard drive?

1. Make sure the computer is connected to a 120v power outlet and the power switch is in the "on" position.
2. If the problem persists, reboot the cmputer by clicking Start - Shut Down - Restart.
3. If the problem persists, submit a request for Level 2 technical support.

Thank you for contacting Level 1 technical support, and have a nice day!