Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Flash works only on secure sites otherwise I see blank black rectangle.

  • 15 ŋuɖoɖowo
  • 42 masɔmasɔ sia le wosi
  • 1 view
  • Nuɖoɖo mlɔetɔ PkSlope

more options

I am using Firefox 5.0 on a Vista 32 system. I cannot view embedded videos on sites or on the regular YouTube site. All I see is a black blank rectangle.

However, I can play videos on YouTube's secure site, so I must have Flash installed.

I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the latest version of Flash, several times with no change. I do not have problems viewing videos on any site with Chrome. I don't see anything on the Adobe Flash support page that deals with this particular issue. Can someone help?

I am using Firefox 5.0 on a Vista 32 system. I cannot view embedded videos on sites or on the regular YouTube site. All I see is a black blank rectangle. However, I can play videos on YouTube's secure site, so I must have Flash installed. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the latest version of Flash, several times with no change. I do not have problems viewing videos on any site with Chrome. I don't see anything on the Adobe Flash support page that deals with this particular issue. Can someone help?

All Replies (15)

more options

Except that my OS is XP... please help!!!! it used to work so good

more options

A lot of people have been reporting this problem today: Flash works on Adobe's site, but doesn't work on YouTube (or for some people, Facebook). I can't replicate the problem.

Does it play for you in Firefox's Safe Mode? To test...

First, I recommend backing up your Firefox settings in case something goes wrong. See Backing up your information. (You can copy your entire Firefox profile folder somewhere outside of the Mozilla folder.)

Next, close Firefox, hold the Shift key, then restart Firefox. You will get a Safe Mode dialog. Just click "Continue in Safe Mode" and do not "reset" anything just yet.

If YouTube works in Safe Mode, one of your other add-ons (especially in the Extensions category) may be conflicting.

more options

Restarting Firefox in Safe Mode did not make a difference; the problem remains.

more options

Try clearing the Cache in Firefox.

Tools-> Clear Recent History -> [v] Cache

or Tools->Options->Advanced->Network -> Offline storage -> [Clear Now]

Youtube may have made some changes recently. Clear the Youtube cookie if above does not do it.

James trɔe

more options

Cleared both cache and cookies; problem remains.

more options

Did you refresh the page after?

more options

If you right-click the black rectangle, do you get the customary Flash player context menu? If not, do you get some other plugin's menu?

One other thought: if you open the plugins page (type or paste about:plugins in the location bar and press Enter), is any plugin registered to handle video/x-flv content? If so, try disabling that one in Tools>Add-ons>Plugins and see whether that helps.

more options

Yes, I refreshed the page. I also tried closing and reopening Firefox; problem persists.

If I right-click the rectangle, I get "about Adobe player." Is that what you mean?

I searched the plug-ins. I did not find any plug-ins for video/x-flv, including Adobe Flash. I don't see that listed. But it must be installed somewhere since I can still see videos on secure sites, no?

more options

Never really experienced issues with Youtube in last day however one video did not want to play even after doing above until I made the url as https://

more options

It's works, I mean the trick to put the "https" instead the classic "http" for youtube.com!

But it's seriously a temporaney workaround, I hope Mozilla fix this youtube problem soon (born with the last 3.6.* firefox update)

more options

I have the same problem - just started. And the https trick works - but cmon Mozilla, let's get this fixed (this is the kind of thing that makes me dread updating firefox).

more options

@nicename, I appreciate your checking the plugins list. I don't have one listed for FLV either, so I think that means that Firefox has no reason to divert the FLV away from the Flash player (which requests the FLV file). Very mysterious.

There are many other threads about this; hopefully when it is solved someone can cross-post the answer here.

more options

Whatever the problem was, it seems to be fixed. I can now play both embedded and videos on the non-secure YouTube site.

more options

It is actually a issue with Youtube and not with Firefox specifically as people with other browsers are getting this same issue also.

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/youtube/thread?hl=en&tid=3cda4dac122b8f13

James trɔe

more options

I had trouble all weekend with this. It still wasn't working this AM...I tried clearing my cache, and the problem was solved. So, if you haven't already tried it, you might want to give it a shot, it worked for me.