Reference number: CH000329

Getting around DVD region number scheme.

Issue:

Getting around DVD region number scheme.

Cause:

If a DVD is made for a specific region it is possible for a DVD region error to occur. This is caused to help prevent software piracy or to prevent a DVD movie from being seen in a country that it has not yet been released in.

Solution:

Microsoft Windows XP and above users

With Windows XP and above and most DVD players today users do have the option to change their DVD region scheme a few times (often no more than four times). To adjust the region in Windows follow the below steps.

1. Click Start, Settings, and open Control Panel.
2. Double-click the System icon.
3. In the System Properties click the Hardware tab.
4. In Hardware click the Device Manager button.
5. In Device Manager click the "+" symbol next to the DVD/CD-ROM drives icon.
6. This should expand and display each of the drives installed in your computer. Double-click the DVD drive you wish to change the region for.
7. In the Properties window click the DVD Region tab.
8. Within this window you should be able to change your region code and also be able to see how many changes remaining you have on the drive.

Alternative methods

While it may be possible to bypass the region code using other methods because of the copyright protection and restrictions Computer Hope does not post any other information on how to bypass a DVD region codes. This should not be required if you have a DVD drive and disc designed for your country's region.

If you have a drive that was designed for your country or you have purchased the computer with the DVD drive or a stand alone DVD drive in your country and have a DVD with the correct region code but are still getting a DVD region error, it is likely that drive you have may be bad or mistakenly delivered to the wrong country.

An example of how this could happen is if a DVD drive was manufactured in one country and shipped to another country to be sold. When this type of issue occurs, the manufacturer can replace the drive or send software to update the drive to have the correct region code.

Additional information and layout of the DVD region codes can be found on our DVD page.