videos not working anymore v.42
I updated to v.42 a few days ago. Since then I have been having video problems. When I try to load a youtube video I just get a still screen. I have to hit pause then play again, then it usually starts. Other sites such as CNN, Fox News, and some "adult" sites the videos won't even play at all. I just get the perpetual spinning wheel. In general my internet seems slower as well.
I am running windows 8.1. I downloaded all the current updates. I updated my Flash and VLC. Still no luck. I read in this thread, https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1042962, that my media.windows-media-foundation.enabled might be set to false. When I checked about:config there wasn't a line for media.windows at all. Not sure if this is an issue.
I keep my Flash plugin disabled and have it "allowed" on certain sites. Otherwise I just "allow" it on specific sites as I need it. I did this about a year ago after the last time I updated my Firefox. Flash content was slowing down my internet experience so much (I only have internet access through my phone's hotspot). Someone here walked me through blocking flash except where I specifically allow it and it has worked great up until now.
I am not all that computer literate, most answers on these sites just confuse me more. So, if anyone has any ideas for me I would appreciate it if you could spell it out for me in an "answer for dummies" sort of a way.
I will add that videos still run fine from all these sites on my tablet and on my wife's computer, so it doesn't seem to be an issue with my provider or network.
All Replies (7)
Hello ulyssesjones,
Sometimes when downloading updates can slow your computer down loads! Maybe try either going back to a previous version of Firefox or deleting/uninstalling unwanted stuff that may be using up space on your computer.
Let me know whether it works or not...
Did you disable autoplay for the HTML5 media player?
This issue can happen if you have set media.autoplay.enabled to false on the about:config page. The script on the YouTube page doesn't check the player state.
Reset media.autoplay.enabled to the default value true via the right-click context menu on the about:config page.
Modified by cor-el
I did, in fact, have media.autoplay.enabled toggled to false. I have toggled it back to true and restarted my computer. My video problems persist.
Are there any other suggestions?
Hi ulyssesjones, the need to pause and play on sites using HTML5-based video players usually is linked to having media.autoplay.enabled=false, so probably that issue is solved?
For other sites, could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.
If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.
If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
- Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
and OK the restart.
Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).
Any improvement? (More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode)
I have put Firefox into safe mode and tried to watch the video on this page:
I just get the perpetual spinning wheel.
Hmm, I see an ad and then some talking heads...
Do you have any external ad blockers that might be kicking in?
No, I don't have any add blockers either.