I suspected removing the unnecessary would be at least a partial (if not complete) fix so Iīve done it anyway - itīs just common sense to remove what you donīt need and Iīll post any significant improvements I notice here.
The next step is to do the same with windows - does anyone actually use windows media player?! (Winamp 5.12 now supports video and does so very well - though I donīt know about DVD playback yet)
Back to the problem, Iīll be experimenting today and Iīll be trying some other stuff out - anything helpful I learn Iīll post.
Thanks for your feedback (s)