did you see this:
Troubleshooting playback in Windows Media Player for Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306317/
here is a snippet:
How to troubleshoot CD-ROM playback
? Try playing a different CD-ROM title, which may indicate whether the problem is specific to one CD-ROM).
? Enable error correction:1. In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Devices tab, click Properties for the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive that is being used for playback.
3. Under Playback, click to select the Use error correction check box.
? Disable SRS and the graphic equalizer:1. In Windows Media Player, on the View menu, click Now Playing Tools.
2. Select SRS WOW Effects and Graphic Equalizer respectively.
3. Click the On/Off toggle button to the Off mode.
? Make sure that the sound card drivers and CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive firmware are up-to-date.
? Try to use analog playback instead of digital:1. In Windows Media Player on the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Devices tab, click Properties for the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive that is being used for playback.
3. Under Playback, click Analog.
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How to troubleshoot DVD playback
For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
306318 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306318/) Troubleshooting DVD playback in Windows Media Player for Windows XP
