None of my Players Work!

[BobSmith32]

I need advice on what might be wrong with ALL the media players on my
Win98 computer.

Movie files that used to play just fine have now ceased to play with
Windows Media Player, GDivX player, BSPlayer, DivX Player 2.1, etc. All
I get is a blank screen on all players.

According to GSpot, I have all the correct codecs installed. Just to
be sure, I deleted all my codecs and reinstalled them. Ditto with WMP, BSPlayer, and DivX Player.

I have noticed this, however:

As the file plays in Windows Media Player (i.e., the
progress slider moves from left to right, though nothing
is seen on the screen)...I can get a second or two
of the movie to appear on the screen IF I collapse WMP and
then re-open it. These viewable frames only appear for a second or two
at most, and then the screen becomes dark again. I can do this
repeatedly, seeing different parts of the movie for a second or two.

What might be happening?

Thanks.


Bob