If you're having trouble playing a media file then I would suggest downloading VLC Media Player.  It is far better and easier than Windows Media Player for adapting to different file types.  So if you can't play a file try it out.

• Free and Open Source cross-platform media player
• Supports a large number of multimedia formats, without the need for additional codecs
   

People are always asking me how I download music/videos etc.  Well my response has been through "torrents" which seems to confuse people. 

I'm not too up on the legal consequences about downloading movies and music so do so at your own risk.

Step 1. Download and install Vuze

Step 2. Go to Google and search for torrent.  For example "tupac torrent".  In the screenshot below it takes you to Pirate Bay which is a popular torrent site.

Step By Step Guide To Backing Up DVD's

A lot of people think that once they have a DVD burner you can just pop that bad girl in the computer and press a button and you'll have a backup. This is not usually the case. You could spend hours frigging around before you get it to work. So I'll save you the time. I'm not too sure on the legal issues with burning DVD's but I personally have bought about 100 DVD's and rented a ridiculous amount, so I'm not losing any sleep over it. Here is my step to step guide on how to backup DVD's. Did I mention this is a free way of doing it?