Unviewable YouTube videos

[Lance]

I can't see videos on the YouTube pages: 'you either have javascript turned off or your flashplayer is too old' it says, but js is on and I have the very latest player. I cAn play YouTube videos if they're embedded in another site's page. Any ideas why this is the case?

[komatos]

A couple of suggestions from a computer techie here. I've not experienced your problem personally so I can't comment specifically on your issue (i.e works fine for me on Safari on my Mac Mini at home and Internet Explorer and Firefox on my work computer). Basically, check to see if you have the latest version of your software (which you said you did): Flash Player, Shockwave, Java Runtime Environment & Javascript, Internet Explorer and/or Firefox (or another web browser i.e. Safari, etc.). If you have multiple versions of these programs showing in your Control Panel/Add Remove Programs, remove all of them and then go to the appropriate websites and then download/install the latest version. That often fixes the problem.

Another option, as sometime system files get corrupted: if you're using Internet Explorer to view the website, try using FireFox or another browser to try and view the videos on YouTube. Sometimes the plugins may not work in one browser (i.e. Internet Explorer) and work in another (i.e. Firefox), or vice versa.

Also, regarding Java/Javascript: I was having weird issues with certain Java-based webpages (not YouTube, but others). Turned out all the previous installations of Java and Javascript were still showing in the Add/Remove Programs dialog box. I did like I mentioned above (remove all including the newest version, reboot, and then go back to the Java website and download/install/test the latest version). That fixed my Java issues.

One final suggestion that I can think of for now. Check your Internet Explorer/Firefox or other general Internet Security settings. If set to High or Very High, notch it down to medium when trying to view videos on YouTube. That might change a few of the individual Internet Security settings that are preventing YouTube videos from playing.

[Darkdrium777]

Lastly if you are using Firefox and Flashblock, NoScript or any other extensions like that, make sure they allow the domain name youtube.com

[mdhay]

Maybe you should just mash F5 and hope for the best?

[Lance]

I have a new computer, bought last month, using Vista; when I first got it, I could play our members' WipEout videos hosted on YouTube pages, and I'm still using that same browser [Opera 9.20, also Opera 10 alpha and FireFox 3.06 worked.] that I used then, with the same settings. There is only one version of Java installed on my computer. Neither Opera nor FF play those videos on YouTube, but play embedded YouTube videos.

I would have thought that Java would have no effect, since javascript/ecmascript is not part of it.

I do not use IE; my browser pays no attention to IE internet security settings.

Has YouTube pagecode been altered recently to exclude all but IE, or perhaps to feed alternate code to other browsers based on a wrong perception of what they do?

[Darkdrium777]

Are you using an anonymizer website which perhaps does not have the latest flash player installed? I think Youtube itself requires Flash9 while embed is Flash8, not sure...

That's weird for a problem though. Personally I would re-install Firefox, Opera, Flash and Java. :o

[Asayyeah]

Lance, have you tried to disabled your firewall ( MS or 3rd parties) while browsing those videos?

My question sounds weird, i know, but i remember i had several crashes 1 year & half ago from IE7 while browsing youtube videos due to flash ocx 9. Romano told me that zone alarm ( my firewall) may block secretly ( without showing pop-up windows) datas from time to time. Now i am using firefox and it runs ok.

I also remember it's extremely important to clean the registry keys from Windows after unstalling the flash player, Ccleaner is a great free software for this.

[Lance]

I have flashplayer 10 and shockwave 11. Java is version 6 with update 7.

[Darkdrium777]

Ccleaner is a great free software for this.Quoted for truth.
Uninstall, clean reg, re-install. It's long and tedious but it should work.

Java is at update 13 btw. ;)

[Lance]

I've not even touched Java since nothing I ever do seems to actualy use it. On my old comps I disabled it in the browsers.