Can't Watch YouTube
Technical Solutions if you Can't Watch YouTube Videos on your PC
Unable Watch YouTube Videos (and Google Videos)?
These are the common problems related to PCs which
can't watch YouTube or Google Videos etc:
.1. Adobe Flash Player
Download
the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player and install it into your computer. If you have older versions of the
Adobe Flash Player, uninstall it first and then restart your PC before installing the newer version.
Adobe Flash Player was formerly known as
Marcomedia Flash 8.
Shockwave player, though from Adobe/Marcomedia, is unable to play Flash programs used by YouTube. After installing the Adobe Flash Player, reset your
Browser Settings.
To ensure that the Adobe Flash Player is operating optimally, you will have to ensure that all running processes on you PC have been disabled. These include Internet Explorer / Firefox / other browsers, Yahoo / MSN / AOL Instant Messengers and other Messengers that are running on your PC. Check the Windows System tray (alternate+control+delete to access the Windows Task Manager) carefully see if any programs are using the Flash Player and stop the programs from running on your system. The Uninstaller cannot uninstall programs that in use.For the newer Flash Player programs, you must use the
Adobe Flash Player Unstaller to safely remove the Adobe Flash Plug-in and ActiveX control from your computer system.
2. Java / Active X software
Download
Java software and install it in your computer (
if it is not installed in your PC. Java normally comes with Internet Explorer). Once installed, enable
Java's ActiveX on your PC.
To enable
ActiveX on
Windows, go to:
Start >> Control Panel >> Internet Options >> Security >> Internet >> Custom Level >>(1) under "
ActiveX Controls & Plug-ins" header, check - "
Prompt" under "
Download Signed ActiveX Controls"
(2) under "
Run ActiveX Controls and Plug-ins" and "
Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting" - for both headers - check "
Enable".
. 3. Java Script Blocking Programs
Disable Anti-Java script programs that are running on your PC (or select "Allow scripts from YouTube"). Such programs may be resident in Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware programs installed in your computer.
.4. Pop Up Blockers
Disable Anti-Pop-Up programs (eg. Ad Blockers or Pop Up Killers) that are running on your PC (or select "Allow pop-ups from YouTube") . Such programs may be resident in Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware programs installed in your computer.
.5. Firewall Program
If you have a
Firewall program, set
YouTube as a
trusted site in the firewall program settings.
.6. Setting YouTube as Default Streaming Application
Ensure other applications like Quicktime, iTunes, Real Player, Winamp, Windows Media Player and any other media streaming player aren’t set as the default streaming application, as this might affect the YouTube player. Some CD/DVD burners software like Nero Showtime may also interfere with the Flash Player.
Go to the
Settings / Tools /Preferences tab of the streaming application and disable it.
Some applications like Real Player and Quicktime can a real pain in the neck if you want to quickly remove file associations. If it is a real nightmare getting the file associations removed, I suggest you remove them altogether and use other more friendlier programs to run such files. However, if you need to make movies in Real (.rm) or Quicktime (.mov) format with Adobe Premiere and other video editing programs, you will need to retain Real and Quicktime programs. Personally, I don't like these programs and don't install them in my PC.
If you find difficulty in disabling it, simply uninstall the program and then reinstall it. Pay careful attention to the part of the installation process where you are asked which files you want associated to the streaming application being installed. Make sure that .swf and .flv programs are not ticked. If ticked, the program being installed will be the default player for such files. Normally select only dedicated file formats to be associated to such players eg. Quicktime = .mov files and Real Player = .rm files only.
This is the procedure for changing Quicktime's default player settings:
- Open QuickTime Player.
- Click "Edit" in the menu bar.
- Click "Preferences," then click "QuickTime Preferences."
- Click the "Browser" tab.
- Click "MIME Settings."
- In the "MIME Types" box, make sure the "Miscellaneous" option is unchecked.
- Click "OK," "Apply," and "OK."
- Restart your computer.
7. Slow Downloading | Buffering | Interruption of Videos
Can't Watch YouTube because it takes a long time to load (eg. more than one minute) or stops downloading (buffering) or starts / stops playing intermittently? Your Connection speed may not meet the YouTube requirements. YouTube recommends a Broadband connection with a minimum speed of at least 500 KBps but you will need a lot of buffering. For smooth streaming of YouTube videos, you will need at least 1500/256 KBps
Maybe it is time you upgraded to a Broadband or Cable service. Prices for this service has come down quite a bit this year so maybe you should reward yourself. Your kids would certainly appreciate the faster connection speed. I use the 100MB Broadband which can comfortably handle 3 computers on surfing mode simultaneously via a wireless router. There is no problem even when two kids on 2 separate PCs are thumbing away on bandwidth hungry online computer games with no lagging in game play.
NOTE: If there is heavy Internet traffic to the website or if Internet connections have been disrupted, you may experience slow Internet connection irrespective of your Broadband speed) and therefore you may find that you can't watch the YouTube videos your have selected. This however, does not normally happen on a daily or even weekly basis.
.8. Enabling Cookies
Under Internet settings, select "Enable or Accept Cookies"
Internet Explorer 7 Users:
Windows Top Navigation Menu bar >> Tools >> Internet Options >>Privacy >> uncheck "Block Cookies" (try this Option only if everything else fails as cookies from some untrustworthy sites may be dangerous)
Firefox 2 Users:Windows Top Navigation Menu bar >> Tools >> Options >> Privacy >> Accept Cookies
.9. Cache & Cookies
If you are unable to watch YouTube videos because it stops downloading (buffering) midway or ends suddenly, you may want to clear the "Cache and Cookies" of your Browser as follows:
For Internet Explorer 7 Users: Go to
Start >> Control Panel >> Internet Options >> General Tab click "Delete" >> Temporary Internet Files click "Delete" >> click "OK"
For Firefox 2 Users: Go to
Tools >> Options >> Advanced >> Network >> Cache = click "
Clear Now" >> click "
OK"
It is also good housekeeping to clear the "History" "Cookies" "Cache" and "Passwords" regularly (preferably at the end of each surfing session or at the start of a surfing session), not only to protect your Internet Privacy but also to free your PC resources for surfing.
To clear your PC records of your Internet browsing habits, go to:
Internet Explorer users: Browser Top Navagation Menu -
Tools >> Internet Options >> General >> "
Delete Cookies" and "
Clear History".
Firefox users: Browser Top Navagation Menu -
Tools >> Clear Private Data >> (click all relevant boxes)
Clear Private Data Now.
If this does not solve the problem, check the stability of your Internet connections.
10. Internet Browser Problem
Update your Internet Explorer (IE) or Firefox Browser to the latest version. For IE, update latest SP (Service Pack) and relevant Patches from Microsoft Download Center..
If all else fails, and you can't watch YouTube videos on IE7, why not try downloading Mozilla Firefox browser. Many people have found no problems watching YouTube on Firefox compared to IE. Maybe it will work for you too. Once you have tried Firefox, you will never go back to IE. Firefox can work simultaneously with Internet Explorer, so you can have the best of both worlds. Simply typing "Firefox" on your URL box will take you to the download center of Mozilla Firefox.
.11. Spyware & Viruses
Slow Internet speeds could also indicate that your PC may be infected with spyware.
Use free anti-spyware utilties like AdWare which you can download here to remove the spyware. Run Anti-Spyware program every day to ensure your PC Internet speed is at the optimal levels. .12. Slow Internet Speed
Can't Watch YouTube because your PC has slow speed Internet connections eg 56kb ?.
Download (buffer) the YouTube video in full (i.e. click the pause button and wait until the red bar goes right to the end) so you can watch the playback uninterrupted. This may take a fairly long time depending on your connection speed and how busy the connection is in your location.
NOTE: The YouTube Video won’t start automatically. You will need to press the “Play” icon button on the player interface. The video works like any VCR or DVD player. You can pause, rewind, replay etc the videos.
If none of these procedures still result in slow download speeds for YouTube videos, you may wish to consider switching to another Internet Service Provider (ISP) which can give you faster download speeds particularly if your current service is a cable connection.
.13. Watching YouTube on Old PCs
Can't Watch YouTube on Old PCs? Check with your PC Technician / Expert whether your
PC Video Card or
Ram Memory is the cause of the problem. If your PC or its components are too old or has insufficient capacity to handle YouTube videos, chances are you
can't watch YouTube videos in your PC.
If you can't afford to buy a new computer, perhaps you could go to a second hand PC re-conditioning store and get them to scavenge for discarded components that may be usable for your PC. Some people junk PCs that are only 2-3 years old and these PCs may have serviceable components you could purchase at affordable prices.
Or you could ask your friend to give you their older PCs. Or go to Salvation Army, Thrift Store, Garage Sale etc and get them to run YouTube on the old PCs for sale. If you ask politely, they may probably oblige. Buy these PCs only if they allow you to test the PC (they must have an Internet connection on site) or if they are a reputable company with a money back guarantee - ie. if YouTube does not work on the PC you just bought, they will refund the purchase price). Recycle and Reuse, Mix and Match. Every buck counts, spend wisely.
.14. No Audio
The YouTube video has no Audio? Make sure your PC Speaker Equipment input jack is inserted into your PC's Audio "Line Out" slot and turn the volume up.
The YouTube player also has a Volume control slider. Increase the volume by moving the slider towards towards the plus sign (+) on the YouTube Interface control panel until you have achieved a comfortable sound level.
If there is still no audio, check the Audio Controls on your PC. For Windows Users, you will usually find it in:
Start >> Control Panel >> Sounds & Audio Devices >> Volume >> Advanced = uncheck "Muted", check "Wave" and adjust Volume to satisfactory levels.
Alternatively, you can try the following procedure, if there is still no audio for YouTube videos:
- Click "Start".
- Select "Run".
- Type: sndvol32
- Click "OK".
- Make sure the following are not muted and the volume is up for "Volume Control" and "Wave".
This should usually do the trick. If still no audio, check your instruction manual to enable the audio on your Sound Card.
15. Sharing YouTube Videos
You can Share YouTube Videos with your friends via email by clicking on the "Share" button at the bottom of the video screen. Better still, simply copy the URL and paste it onto your email and ask your friends to click on it to see both the website page as well as the videos.
.16. Watching YouTube in Full Screen Mode
If you want to Watch YouTube Videos in "Full Screen" on your PC, just double click on the video. This will take you to the YouTube (or which ever service is hosting the video). From there, click on the small button on the lower right hand side of the YouTube video screen. You will be able to watch the YouTube video in full screen via the magic of modern technology.
It should be noted that viewing videos in Full Screen uses up more resources from your Graphics Card. If your graphics card has a lower capacity, it may result in the slower rendering of the video and sometimes slower download speeds and / or problems with the video quality.
Press "Esc" to go back to small screen mode. To get back to our site, use the green "Back" ← button key on the top left hand of the PC screen.
If you use the red "x" exit button on the top right side, your Browser will close and you will have to login to the site again.
.17. YouTube Help Desk
If you still
can't watch YouTube and Google videos after implementing all the procedures mentioned above, please go to "
YouTube Help" for information on technical solutions that will enable your PC to play YouTube and Google video movies and clips In such cases, we are apologize for not being able to solve your problems in watching YouTube videos.
18. Internet Privacy
Your
Internet Privacy can be compromised as the Flash Player has small, invisible tracking files called
Persistent Identification Elements (PIE) and
Local Shared Objects (sol) that can transmit your browsing habits and files without your knowledge to third parties. Though the risks may be small, YouTube users are advised to take precautions. Files on your harddisk that can be transmitted including your cookies, webcam files, audio and video files recorded via microphones and/or webcams connected to your computer.
To manually configure your PC against such threats, go to "
Adobe Flash Player Help" site under the "
Privacy," "
Storage," "
Security," and "
Notifications" functions . It should however, be noted that such web-based user defined
privacy settings may be overwritten by scripts running in the program and/or webpage.
Also, disabling your
pop up and script blockers universally will expose your computer to spyware and viruses. You should preferable use blockers that can be turned on and off easily like Firefox's free pop up and script blockers add-ons.
19. Protecting Access to your Private Webcam etc Files
If you want to protect your confidential files like WebCam files from unauthorized persons, here are some options for you:
1. Buy a Portable Harddisk and store confidential files in them. These portable harddisks have an on/off switch so it can be disconnected when your are on the Internet. When saving such confidential files, make sure you save them directly onto the portable hard drive instead of your C: Drive. Files made onto the C: Drive first can be easily retrieved by anyone with knowledge and tools to extract such files even when you have deleted them. However, you will need to back up the important files into a permanent media like a CD or DVD as portable harddisks can crash or corrupt your files just like any harddisk. Harddisks have a "safe" lifespan of less than 5 years.
2. Buy a Folder Lock program. Such file lock programs are password protected so only you can access them via your designated password. However, if you forget your password, you will find it next to impossible to retrieve the locked files. Moreover, some of these programs may get "locked" if you have problems with Windows or Mac. A file or folder that cannot be unlocked is as good as a destroyed file.
3. Using the Windows Password Restricted Access is far more dangerous as if there is any problems with your Windows System files, you would not be able to access your files.
4. Use a Webcam Security Program or other related security programs. Same problem with password access programs. They can get corrupted, though some webcam security programs are more reliable than others.
5. Use a Secure File Deletion program to remove unwanted files. Some of these programs may take a long time to delete the files depending on the size of the file and what level of security you set to prevent file recovery programs from undeleting or extracting them from your hard drive.
20. Video Sharing Sites
Apart from YouTube and Google Video, here are the following sites offering Video Sharing. Will try to update new video sharing sites as they are added though it may be difficult to keep track of the video sites which are closed down. The major Video Sharing sites are highlighted:
AOL (UncutVideo), Atom Films (AddictingClips.com)
BigContact, blinkx, blip.tv, Bolt (ceased operations), Boltfolio, Break, BroadbandSports.com, BroadSnatch, Brightcove
Castpost, Clipshack
Dabble, Dailymotion (good collection of music videos), DiviCast, DivXStage6, Dropshots
Eefoof.com, EveryBit, eVideoShare, EyeSpot
Filecow, FireAnt.tv, Fliqz, Flukiest, Freevlog
GetDemocracy, GlideDigital, GoFish, Google Video, Gotuit, Grinvi, Grouper, Guba
HomeMovie.com
iFilm
JumpCut, JussPress
Kolablog
LifeBlogger, Loomia, Lulop2, Lulu TV
Magnoto, ManiaTV, MediaMax, MediaTurner, mefeedia, MetaCafe, MetaTube, MotionBox, MSN Video (Microsoft Soapbox), MySpaceTV, MyVideoKaraoke
Openvlog, Orb, Ourmedia
Panjea, Phanfare, Photobucket, Pickle, PicPi, PixParty, PiXPO, poddater, Podesk, Pooxi, Popcast, ProjectNeon, Putfile
Revver
SelfCastTV, SevenLoad, Sharkle, ShoZu, SingingFool, Sparkle, SoapBox, Stickam, Streamload's Mediamax, Stridr,Strmz, StumbleVideo, StupidVideos
Trueveo, TurnHere
Veoh, VideoBomb, VideoCodeZone, VideoEgg, VideoJug, VideoSift, Video Webtown
VidiLife, Vimeo, vlogmap, vMix, Vobbo, Vodpod, Vongo, vPod.tv, vSocial
Webshots, woomu
Yahoo Video, Yikers, YouTube
Zippyvideos
21. The Last Resort - Re-Format Your Drive!
If everything else fails, you may wish to consider re-formating your PC and give it a fresh start. Begin by reinstalling only the programs you need to enable you to watch the YouTube videos first. If there is no problem viewing the YouTube videos, than do a System Save. You can then add the other programs. If the YouTube subsequently start to give you problems, you then know which programs need to be removed or tweaked for you to view YouTube videos.
When doing the Windows installation ensure you update all your drivers, particularly your motherboard / video card.
WARNING: You must save all data you want to keep into another drive / storage device before formatting the disk drive (usually the C: drive). Formatting means that you will have to reinstall the Windows program, the drivers and all other application programs. This may be time consuming and require the technical expertise of a PC Technician if you are not familiar with the PC installation process. If you have a PC Backup Utility software, you can use it to backup the Windows programs. However, these programs are not full proof and you may not fully recover the PC to its original state.
Check Whether Your Primary Hard Disk Drive is going to fail
Also do check whether your primary hard disk drive is faulty. If it is more than 5 years old, it may be time to change your hard disk drive as it is reaching the end of its lifespan and you will risk losing all your data on that hard disk drive should it fail.
System Restore Once you have got your PC to play YouTube videos, make sure you do a System Backup so you will have at least one System Restore point to fall back on if your PC decides to give you problems playing YouTube videos.
Defragment Your Hard Disk RegularlyTo enable your hard disk is operating at optimal speed, defragment your hard disk regularly at least once a week. Defragmenting your hard disk also enables you to spot bad sectors in your drive and give you an early warning of a systematic hard disk failure. Goto: Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> System Tools >> Disk Deframenter
♦
Hope these tips will solve your problems if you are unable to watch YouTube and Google videos. Enjoy your YouTube Videos.
NOTE: This article is meant for beginners who may not be familiar with how to enable your PC to play online videos like YouTube and Google Videos. It may also useful for intermediate users who may are unable to watch YouTube and Google videos. The solutions offered here may also apply if you can't watch online videos hosted by MySpace etc
.NOTE: While every effort have been made to provide accurate solutions to solve problems if you are unable to watch YouTube Videos, we are not responsible for any problems that may occur when you implement our recommendations. If in doubt, please check with your PC Technician / Expert or seek support for YouTube if you can't watch YouTube or other flash based online videos.
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