Video Freezing

[winch]

I hope this is not the wrong forum. If so please move it or tell me where I should have opened this thread.

I reinstalled Windows/XP PRO on this machine. Video from HULU, Networks, etc starts to play but then freezes usually within a few seconds, sometimes minutes. Soetimes it continues in a few seconds/minutes and then sometimes it seems to freeze permanently. The machine is not frozen so I can cancel out of that. Video runs fine on 2 other machines on my home network so it's not ISP or the LAN.

I've run Microsoft Update and it doesn't find anything to install. I loaded the Nvidia drivers that came with the video card. I don't know what else to check. Anybody have suggestions?

[Train]

Will it play a dvd without freezing up?

[winch]

I never watch DVDs on this machine so I just tried one and I got a msg that Windows Media Player cannot play this DVD because a compatible DVD decoder is not installed. Of course they want to sell me one! Is that required for the problem I'm having or is there a freebe somewhere?

[Train]

Nah you just need the codec is all.

I got tired of chasing them down, so I switched to vlc.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

[winch]

rats. I just started Windows Media Player to see what version it is and the machine froze. I had to power off and back on. I'm on my work machine here.

I just tried to download that codec file from sourceforge but it won't let me run it. I get msg: "Installer Integrity Check has failed". I downloaded twice??

[Train]

When was the last time the case was opened and all the dust and junk cleaned out?

A overheating video card has locked me up may a time over the years.

[winch]

We had the box open when we re-installed OS. This machine is my sons. It had a SATA HD and we took that out and replaced it with 2 WD IDE HDs. He installed Windows/XP on one. The other is a data only slave. We didn't blow out the case. I guess I should have. I'll give that a try.

Wish I could get that codec file. I've downloade dit 3 times but keep getting that msg

[Train]

Yes, I have had to remove the video card and clean the fan blades and air passages.

When I lived in the Seattle area, I had to clean my computers every 3 weeks, but here, twice a year is plenty. Alcohol , 90+% , and something like Q-tips work great for cleaning fan blades.

[winch]

I got that codec downloaded and installed finally. When I put a DVD in drive it asked what software to run it with. If I choose Windows Media I still get that error about not having a decoder but if I choose VLC it plays OK. How do I get it to use VLC for everything automatically? I would have thought it would have have given me that option when I installed VLC.

Even with VLC installed and DVD playing OK I can't view videos over the net. They all freeze. Before re-installing OS I had no problems with video over the net.

[Train]

I change the file association.
R-click and select open with browse to the program I want, Make sure the Always use the selected program. . . is checked and OK out.

[winch]

I went to Control Panel/Folder Options/File Types and clicked on DVD and Advanced and made VLC the default. Now when I click the file on the drive it starts VLC but when I load in a new DVD it still asks what program to start it with. Any more that I have to set in File Types? Is there anything in those settings that would affect the video from the net freezing problem?

I'm watching a video on cwtv.com now and it's been going for a while. It keeps stopping and starting in a few seconds and every so often I see a message that the connection has been lost. It also has a little box on the screen tht says "Press esc to exit full screen mode" and it never goes away. Then it froze permantently again 2:38 into the video. This sux

[Train]

I never figured out how to auto start a dvd, reason being most of my dvds are data and normally I want to explore them.

Now, online, yes that will happen if the server on the other end is slow, overloaded, or the internet is real busy. Happens to me also.

[winch]

I can understand the other server being busy but I get the same results from 3 different websites and only on that machine. 2 other machines in my house on the same router etc all get good results

[DeP]

I don't think it is a matter of file association, autoplay or codecs.
Probably Flash isn't installed correctly or the wrong version.
Hulu.com uses Flash, as well as cwtv.com.

See what version of Flash player is installed. http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

If needed download and install Flash Player.
(There is no need for the Google Toolbar)

[winch]

I went to that Adobe link. It says I am running 10,1,85,3 which is the most current. I may have misunderstood you comment about Google Toolbar so I uninstalled that and tried to redownload Adobe flash player but it says Windows has a problem with the file (Unknown Publisher) and won't let me install it. I rebooted and same results.

I am about ready to reformat C drive and reload OS again. My son did it the first time so I don't know what he may have done.