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youtube won't play, only buffers

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  • 3 have this problem
  • 4 views
  • Last reply by alan_r

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Playing a video on Youtube only buffers and won't play. The only thing I see is a spinning wheel.

Playing a video on Youtube only buffers and won't play. The only thing I see is a spinning wheel.

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You can try these steps in case of issues with web pages:

You can reload web page(s) and bypass the cache to refresh possibly outdated or corrupted files.

  • Hold down the Shift key and left-click the Reload button
  • Press "Ctrl + F5" or press "Ctrl + Shift + R" (Windows,Linux)
  • Press "Command + Shift + R" (Mac)

Clear the cache and remove cookies only from websites that cause problems.

"Clear the Cache":

  • Firefox/Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Cached Web Content: "Clear Now"

"Remove Cookies" from sites causing problems:

  • Firefox/Tools > Options > Privacy > "Use custom settings for history" > Cookies: "Show Cookies"

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
  • Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window

You can check for problems with current Shockwave Flash plugin versions and try this:

See also:

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Is this post from the same computer? Your System Details show no sign of Flash or an HTML5 player. Check in your Plug-ins to see if something needs activating.