When I try to play a video from my Library, RealPlayer crashes. How can I fix this?

If you are on Windows 10 and get a message that "RealPlayer has stopped working":

Customers using RealPlayer on a Windows 10 PC were affected by an incompatibility introduced by a recent Windows 10 update (KB4013429).

Microsoft announced a new update on March 20 (KB4015438) that corrects this issue. This update can be downloaded and installed from Windows Update. For more information, visit the Microsoft support site.  

If you are not on Windows 10 or are receiving an "Invalid Page Faults" error, then try the solutions below instead.

Solution 1: Set your video display to 16-bit color.

RealPlayer requires 16-bit (65,000-color) color depth. If the video card is not capable of this, you will receive an error message when you start RealPlayer that requests that you increase the video resolution.

RealPlayer 16 only: To check your color settings (Windows XP or Vista):
1. ON YOUR KEYBOARD: Hold down the Windows key and press R.
2. Type desk.cpl
3. Click OK.
4. Click the Settings tab. (Windows XP only)
5. Select Medium (16 bit) in the color list.
6. Click OK.
7. Restart your computer if prompted.

Solution 2: Update your video card drivers.

Video cards use driver software to send information from the computer to the video card. Drivers that are out-of-date, damaged, or not DirectX-compatible can cause video problems. Update your video card drivers, and visit the video card manufacturer's web site to verify that you are using the latest DirectX-certified drivers.

Solution 3: Install the latest version of DirectX.

DirectX is another set of drivers that sends information from the computer to your video card. RealPlayer uses the DirectDraw features of DirectX to optimize the video presentation. DirectX is a component of the Windows Operating System. If the DirectX components are out-of-date or damaged, RealPlayer can crash or display the video incorrectly.

Solution 4: Disable optimized video.

If you have tried the solutions above and are still having problems playing video, they may be caused by a video card that uses WinDraw drivers instead of DirectDraw drivers. Disabling optimized video in RealPlayer will improve compatibility for video cards that are not DirectDraw-compatible.

To disable optimized video in RealPlayer:
1. Click the application logo in the upper left, then click Preferences.
2. Under Category, click Hardware.
3. In the Video Card Compatibility area, adjust the slider to the left-most (Most Reliable) position.
4. Click OK. Close RealPlayer.
5. Restart your computer.