Repair Site

Troubleshooting a Flash Player Error on YouTube

Experiencing a flash player error on YouTube is a very frustrating, and somewhat debilitating, experience.  YouTube not only powers steaming video directly from its website, but also powers the streaming video found on millions of other websites and forums.  If you are experiencing a flash player error on YouTube you will also notice that movies that are embedded externally on other websites will not work either.

Common Causes of YouTube Flash Player Errors:

There are numerous causes for the YouTube flash player error, but luckily most of them can be addressed relatively easily enough.  Typically, the errors are caused by one of three things:

• You don't have the latest version of Macromedia's flash player installed - If your computer does not have automatic updates, or perhaps is a little old, it may not have the latest and greatest version of Macromedia's flash player installed.  This causes flash player errors on YouTube, as your version of flash is not compatible with what YouTube is trying to display.
  
  You may notice that other websites that normally use flash to display graphical menus, games, or ads may not display correctly either.  Flash games that are designed for the latest version of flash will not load at all.
  
  Solution: To fix this you simply need to download the latest version of Macromedia flash.  Visit http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/ and click on the button labelled "Get Flash Player".  It's a small download (under 2 minutes using a high speed connection).  Once it has downloaded follow the installation instructions and revisit YouTube to enjoy your movies!

• You have disabled JavaScript - Years ago it was common practice to disable JavaScript within your web browser for "maximum security".  Today, with browsers that are more secure and with anti-spyware/malware software that is efficient and effective, there is simply no need to have JavaScript disabled.  As well, having JavaScript disabled may seriously limit the functionality of many websites.
  
  JavaScript is used by many websites, including YouTube, to execute specialized functions.  Things such as contact submission forms, video players, and games all make use of JavaScript.
  
  Solution: To enable JavaScript in Internet Explorer, do the following:

1. Select tools -> Internet Options
2. Click on the "security" tab
3. Click on "custom level"
4. Scroll down to the Scripting option
5. Select "Enable" for "Active Scripting and Scripting of Java Applets"
6. Click "ok"
7. Select YES if a confirmation box appears
8. Click "ok" and close the window.
9. Hit "F5" to reload the page.

To enable JavaScript for FireFox, do the following:

• Click tools -> Options
• Click "content" in the options list
• Check the box next to "Enable JavaScript"
• Click the "Advanced" button
• Check the boxes under "allow scripts" to enable JavaScript.
• Click "Ok" twice.
• Hit F5 to reload the page.

• Your internet connection is too slow - While this may not cause a flash player error on YouTube in a technical sense, it will make viewing video from YouTube nearly impossible.  If you do not have high speed internet access you should call your internet service provider to see if they offer any high speed access that is comparable in price to your current dial-up connection.
  
  If you are unable to upgrade to a high speed connection your only option is to buffer the movies, by clicking "play" and then "pause" and waiting for your connection to download a large portion of the movie before you can watch.