Fix NS_E_DVD_NO_VIDEO_MEMORY (0XC00D1171) in Windows Media Player

Quick answer: This error means Windows Media Player can't allocate enough video memory for DVD playback. Update your GPU driver and reinstall DirectX 9.0c — that fixes 90% of cases.

What's actually happening here?

You've got a DVD you want to watch, you pop it in, and WMP throws this 0xC00D1171 error. It translates to "NS_E_DVD_NO_VIDEO_MEMORY" — which is Microsoft's way of saying the video card can't cough up enough memory to decode the DVD stream. This isn't about system RAM. It's about the GPU's dedicated or shared video memory being too fragmented, too small, or simply not getting allocated properly.

The culprit is almost always a corrupted GPU driver, a botched DirectX installation, or an overlay/VMR (Video Mixing Renderer) issue. I've seen this on everything from old Intel integrated graphics to mid-range Nvidia cards. One weird trigger: switching display resolutions or plugging in an external monitor while a DVD is loading. Another: running WMP in compatibility mode for an older Windows version — don't do that.

Fix 1: Update your GPU driver (do this first)

Skip Windows Update for this one. It's too slow and sometimes pushes the wrong driver. Go straight to the source:

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters. Right-click your GPU and choose Update driver.
3. Pick Browse my computer for drivers then Let me pick from a list. Uncheck "Show compatible hardware" if you want the latest — but stick with the manufacturer's driver.
4. Better yet, download the driver manually from Nvidia, AMD, or Intel directly. Run the installer, select "Clean Installation" if offered.
5. Reboot. Try playing the DVD again.

If you're on an old machine (pre-2015) with Intel HD Graphics 2000/3000, the driver updates dried up years ago. You might need to use the generic Microsoft Basic Display Adapter — I'll cover that below.

Fix 2: Reinstall DirectX 9.0c runtime

Even on Windows 10 or 11, WMP still relies on DirectX 9.0c for DVD playback. Windows includes it, but the files get corrupted sometimes.

Download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft.
Run dxwebsetup.exe. It'll scan and replace any missing/corrupt files.
Reboot.

Don't bother with DirectX 12 — that's for games, not DVD playback. I've seen people waste hours on that.

Fix 3: Enable VMR9 (Video Mixing Renderer 9) in WMP

This forces WMP to use a more modern video rendering path that often sidesteps the memory allocation issue.

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. Press Alt to show the menu bar (or right-click title bar and check Menu Bar).
3. Go to Tools → Options → Performance tab.
4. Under Video acceleration, click Advanced.
5. Check Use Video Mixing Renderer. Also check Use enhanced video renderer if it's not greyed out.
6. Click OK, apply, restart WMP.

Fix 4: Switch to a different video renderer via registry

If the above didn't work, we'll force an older renderer that's more forgiving with low video memory.

Open Regedit as Administrator.
Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences
Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named "RenderUsingVMR9" and set it to 1.
Close Regedit, restart WMP.

Alternative fixes if the main ones fail

Sometimes none of the above work. Here's the shortlist of other things to try:

• Use the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter: In Device Manager, update your GPU driver and pick "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" from the list. This disables GPU acceleration entirely. WMP will fall back to software rendering — slower but stable. Test the DVD after that.
• Disable hardware acceleration in WMP: Go to Tools → Options → Performance. Slide the video acceleration slider to "None". This forces CPU decoding.
• Try a different player: VLC Media Player handles DVDs independently of WMP's renderers. If VLC works, the issue is with WMP's video memory management, not your hardware. Use VLC instead.
• Check for codec packs: Uninstall any third-party codec packs (K-Lite, CCCP). They can break WMP's DVD decoder. Reinstall the Windows Media Center codec pack from Microsoft if needed.

Prevention tip

Once it's working, don't let Windows Update mess up your GPU driver. Use the tool from your GPU vendor to block automatic driver updates. On Nvidia, that's in GeForce Experience — turn off "Driver Updates". On AMD, use Adrenalin's settings. For Intel, there's a registry tweak to disable driver distribution via Windows Update. Otherwise, one bad update will bring back the error.