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Change the Region Setting on a DVD Drive

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can use this procedure to configure the region setting that determines which digital video disc (DVD) format your computer can play. Typically, you would select the region in which you reside. It is not usually necessary to change the setting again.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.

To change the region setting for a DVD drive

  1. Open Device Manager.

  2. Double-click DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the DVD drive you want, and then click Properties.

  3. On the DVD Region tab, make the changes you want.

Additional considerations

  • The DVD Region tab might not be available for all DVD drives.

  • The region settings can be changed only a limited number of times. When Changes remaining equals 1, and you select a new region, an alert will be displayed warning you that after this, you will only be able to play DVDs from that region. Be aware that you might not be able to change the region setting for some DVD hardware and software decoders.

  • Many software decoders require Direct Memory Access (DMA) in order to function. Check the settings of your IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers to ensure that DMA if available is selected in Transfer Mode. If applicable, check this setting for the Secondary IDE Channel also. To see what mode the device is actually operating in, view the Properties page of the IDE ATA/ATAPI channel, on the Advanced Settings tab, in the Devices list. See Change Settings for an IDE Controller.