What's up with my Flash player?
May 22, 2006 5:03 PM Subscribe
What's up with my Flash player?
I've uninstalled Ad-Block. I do not have Flash-block. But the links in this post for example, do not work "on click". Nor do they work in IE6. (In IE6 I get a 'page cannot be displayed error', and a loading bar which doesn't progress).
However...if I hack the URL (eg, for the above post: http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/47116/747_jet_blast.swf), I can see the movie.
More info: Macromedia, Shockwave & Flash are absent from my Programs list; d/l the prog from the web lets me start the setup prog, which mysteriously does not complete; searching my computer for Flash locates it in /system32/Macromed (it also locates the .xpt extensions for FF); clicking 'GetFlash' leads first to a prompt to update from the web, then to an error whereby the update thinks I am not connected to the net.
Any thoughts?
I've uninstalled Ad-Block. I do not have Flash-block. But the links in this post for example, do not work "on click". Nor do they work in IE6. (In IE6 I get a 'page cannot be displayed error', and a loading bar which doesn't progress).
However...if I hack the URL (eg, for the above post: http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/47116/747_jet_blast.swf), I can see the movie.
More info: Macromedia, Shockwave & Flash are absent from my Programs list; d/l the prog from the web lets me start the setup prog, which mysteriously does not complete; searching my computer for Flash locates it in /system32/Macromed (it also locates the .xpt extensions for FF); clicking 'GetFlash' leads first to a prompt to update from the web, then to an error whereby the update thinks I am not connected to the net.
Any thoughts?
First, viewing about:plugins will tell you whether Flash is installed for your Mozilla/Firefox browser and, if so, the version which is installed. (Mine, for example, is "Shockwave Flash 8.0 r22")
Second, the plug-in install for non-IE browsers seems to complete silently. There is no "Flash has been successfully installed" dialog box that pops up once it is complete.
Third, if you're talking about this link from the aforementioned post, it's trying to play Windows Media content (direct link to ASX playlist) and not Flash.
posted by Danelope at 5:18 PM on May 22, 2006
Second, the plug-in install for non-IE browsers seems to complete silently. There is no "Flash has been successfully installed" dialog box that pops up once it is complete.
Third, if you're talking about this link from the aforementioned post, it's trying to play Windows Media content (direct link to ASX playlist) and not Flash.
posted by Danelope at 5:18 PM on May 22, 2006
Response by poster: Thanks Danelope.
That's weird though - because the file extension from the hack which worked for me - see above - ends in .swf.
Having said that, I am having difficulties with embedded .wmv files too.
posted by dash_slot- at 5:26 PM on May 22, 2006
That's weird though - because the file extension from the hack which worked for me - see above - ends in .swf.
Having said that, I am having difficulties with embedded .wmv files too.
posted by dash_slot- at 5:26 PM on May 22, 2006
Response by poster: Sadly, I just get a white blank page for your ASX link (in IE & FF).
posted by dash_slot- at 5:31 PM on May 22, 2006
posted by dash_slot- at 5:31 PM on May 22, 2006
Ahh, the reason it's showing up as a blank white page is because the metacafe is (incorrectly) serving up files with an .ASX extension as text/html. If you view source on the blank page, you'll see the playlist.
I don't know the method you used to hack together the .SWF URL, so I can't look into that functionality further.
posted by Danelope at 5:42 PM on May 22, 2006
I don't know the method you used to hack together the .SWF URL, so I can't look into that functionality further.
posted by Danelope at 5:42 PM on May 22, 2006
Response by poster: about:plugins says I have enabled all the major media players - QT, Shockwave Flash, Real, and WMP.
Second, the plug-in install for non-IE browsers seems to complete silently. There is no "Flash has been successfully installed" dialog box that pops up once it is complete.
True, but I was supposed to get a little animation from a site redirect to the website (was it Macromedia.com? Not sure). That just showed a white page too, I believe.
I'm stumped - maybe there's more than a single problem.
posted by dash_slot- at 5:45 PM on May 22, 2006
Second, the plug-in install for non-IE browsers seems to complete silently. There is no "Flash has been successfully installed" dialog box that pops up once it is complete.
True, but I was supposed to get a little animation from a site redirect to the website (was it Macromedia.com? Not sure). That just showed a white page too, I believe.
I'm stumped - maybe there's more than a single problem.
posted by dash_slot- at 5:45 PM on May 22, 2006
Response by poster: View source reveals this:
< asx version="3">
< entry>
< ref href="http://lln-videos.metacafe.com/Content/ItemFiles/[From www.metacafe.com] 47116.291548.8.wmv" />
< /entry>
< entry>
< ref href="http://lln-videos.metacafe.com/Ads/ad_122.wmv" />
< /entry>
< /asx>
[I've added extra spaces, otherwise the text was removed by Mefi software.] Not exactly a playlist.
O - and I got that from the Embeddable Player yellow box beneath the player on the website - where it offers to embed the video on your website.
Is it the case that they offer the vids in 2 formats - .swf, which is (sorta) working, and .wmv, which is the real problem, somehow?
posted by dash_slot- at 5:54 PM on May 22, 2006
< asx version="3">
< entry>
< ref href="http://lln-videos.metacafe.com/Content/ItemFiles/[From www.metacafe.com] 47116.291548.8.wmv" />
< /entry>
< entry>
< ref href="http://lln-videos.metacafe.com/Ads/ad_122.wmv" />
< /entry>
< /asx>
[I've added extra spaces, otherwise the text was removed by Mefi software.] Not exactly a playlist.
O - and I got that from the Embeddable Player yellow box beneath the player on the website - where it offers to embed the video on your website.
Is it the case that they offer the vids in 2 formats - .swf, which is (sorta) working, and .wmv, which is the real problem, somehow?
posted by dash_slot- at 5:54 PM on May 22, 2006
Response by poster: If it's any help to future browsers of this thread:
I downloaded WMP 10;
I enabled popups & cookies at a lower security setting in IE;
I enabled javascript to resize windows in FF 1.5.
I am now able to view .wmv files on click (tested at the BBC news site, CNN & the Metacafe file mentioned above).
I suspect that it was enabling javascript (which scares me a little) that solved it.
posted by dash_slot- at 8:51 AM on May 28, 2006
I downloaded WMP 10;
I enabled popups & cookies at a lower security setting in IE;
I enabled javascript to resize windows in FF 1.5.
I am now able to view .wmv files on click (tested at the BBC news site, CNN & the Metacafe file mentioned above).
I suspect that it was enabling javascript (which scares me a little) that solved it.
posted by dash_slot- at 8:51 AM on May 28, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
Any help appreciated, and extra marks for showing your working-out!
posted by dash_slot- at 5:05 PM on May 22, 2006