Media Player went AWOL

what is "suggestion of screen change which then disappears"? I've never seen that but perhaps if it's suggesting to change the screen resolution you should try doing that?

I'm guessing it could be Norton doing the crap you usually expect from Norton

I don't think it's Norton. Thanks for trying to help, but with or without Norton, the screen flutters, then does nothing when I attempt to open Windows Media Player. I tried to download Media Player again and kept getting the response that the version I am trying to download is not compatible with my system. I was certain it was the Windows 7 version, but tried other versions as well and continued to get the same answer. After a couple hours of frustration, I downloaded another freebie (seems to be called DirectX), which does allow me to view DVDs, although it's a bit more cumbersome. It will remain a mystery.