Ok... I'm usually pretty good at figuring out problems. I'm defeated. HELP!!! Please!!

Windows Media Player: not playing video, audio, or DVD's
Real Player: not playing video
Media Player Classic: not playing video and audio
Divx Player: working
WinDVD: not working
Cool DVD Player: working

The browser plug-ins don't work either. The only time video plays for me is whenever it is a flash-embedded video or it is a proprietory (youtube, etc) video. I haven't tested web plugins for audio.

I keep my computer up to date with Windows Updates... even though that is sometimes the problem. I don't run any virus scanners that are too affective. I've used HiJack This! a few times. The last time i didn't do any research before taking a few things out but i'm pretty sure they were BHO's (which i realize are plug-ins or any type of macro).

I've done a few fixes like allowing windows to update the DRM... however, i have no idea what the DRM is and what it does.... this was the first time I heard about it. I've rolled back the version of DirectX to 8. Then reinstalled DirectX 9. Then, I check settings with each one of the players to make sure nothing is wrong... I didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

I'm running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (basically like Home but with a few Pro utils). I have a Toshiba Satellite R15 laptop, 512MB RAM, 60GB HDD, and I'm running the versions of software in the subject line. Those are the two apps i'm most concerned about.

Does anyone know ANYTHING about how to fix this!??! I would certainly appreciate the help!!!

Thanks,
LM1