# Cannot load video in browser
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 17, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945 "2007-08-17T15:22:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/1 "2007-08-17T15:22:59Z")
I was losing the mouse and keyboard on my PC, and did a re-installation of XP to (I hoped) replace any corrupted files. I don’t know if it worked yet, but whatever.
After the installation, I attempted to play a youtube video. It failed to play; I was getting a messed-up progress bar along the bottom, with the buttons missing. Tried a couple of other videos; same problem. Went to a Yahoo video; same problem, with slightly different symptoms. The Yahoo site got stuck on an animation while saying it was loading the video. If I believe this, it looks like the problem may with loading the video, rather than playing it. Seems a little odd, but okay.
I decided I was screwed, but that maybe upgrading from ie6 to ie7 would help. Not surprisingly, it didn’t.
Any ideas, apart from getting a different browser?
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/2 "2007-08-17T16:14:21Z")
Are you allowing Javascript from the site? I keep Javascript turned off by default, and I’ve noticed that some sites’ video won’t work unless I turn it on.
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### Author:  [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/3 "2007-08-17T16:36:20Z")
Yeah, Javascript is enabled.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/4 "2007-08-17T16:53:24Z")
Is there some sort of browser plug-in needed? ISTR that you’ll may need either Flash or Shockwave top view some videos. Also see whether you have or need the plugins for Quicktime or Real Media video. If you’re using IE, you should be able to play Microsoft formats without problem.
I’ve also run across a few news sites that use ActiveX to load and present their videos; this was a pain when using FireFox.
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/5 "2007-08-17T17:48:43Z")
Did you update after the XP install? Many media player patches are in place. You may also need to change options by opening Microsoft’s media player. It’s very frustrating that all these places require their own formats and players, because it makes it hard on the users.
[Try installing this java.](http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp)
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### Author:  [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/6 "2007-08-17T20:01:31Z")
I’ll check on these suggestions when I get home. The thing is, it was a reinstall, not a fresh install, so there should not have been any changes to software and settings (and I was having no problems before I did it). Also, the ie7 install searched for its own updates before the install started. But obviously something got blasted that shouldn’t have.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/7 "2007-08-17T20:15:36Z")
Hmm. A reinstall? Does XP still install the MS-Java instead of Sun’s Java?
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/8 "2007-08-17T20:43:14Z")
I gave the link to Sun Java to be sure it was on the machine.
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### Author:  [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/9 "2007-08-18T03:27:12Z")
I reinstalled flash and it started working.
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannot-load-video-in-browser/415945/10 "2007-08-18T03:39:23Z")
I was about to suggest re-updating your video card’s drivers. You might check to make sure your sound and video card, as well as anything like Java, and Shockwave etc. that you use are all up to date now.