[Harp-L] Video-viewing Problem

[Bobbie Giordano <bogio@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Positively NO Harmonica Content, unless you enjoy watching harmonica 
videos online, that is.  :-)

Don't ask me why, because I can't explain a bit of it, but here's the 
scenario and the discovered solution, in case any of this rings true for 
others here.  I know awhile back that Barbara Butler had some sound 
problems with YouTube... Ever fix that, Barbara?  Hope so, but if not, 
perhaps it was related to this.....

I've been having one computer problem after another for the last few 
months including a dead monitor, and one of them, actually the least of 
my problems but pretty irritating just the same, occurred a few weeks 
ago.  I totally lost my ability to view any YouTube or other Flash video 
presentations online and looked high and low on the Net trying to find 
out how to fix it.

I could still save a URL, insert it into a video downloader like KeepVid, 
or another, VideoDownloader, or perhaps the simplest and fastest tool, 
YouTubeDownloader, and get the video onto my hard drive and view it from 
there.  But there was no "streaming" ability anymore at all.  No matter 
how I tried to follow instructions for fixing it, I always just got the 
message, "Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version 
of Macromedia's Flash Player. Click here to get the latest flash player."

Here's the one solution that even Adobe [whose Macromedia Flash Player is 
what's needed] could not provide for how to repair the situation.  In 
fairness, they did get part of it right.

You first must download their program called 'uninstall_flash_player.exe' 
and run it to totally remove the player from your system.  They then tell 
you to redownload and reinstall the Flash Player and all will be right 
again, but it never worked; in fact, it would say it HAD been reinstalled 
in less than a couple seconds, which didn't seem at all normal to me.

So, I found this website with a forum where one person suggested doing 
the uninstall as Adobe suggests, and then going to a non-Adobe software 
patch website to download the player anew and reinstall it.

  I was skeptical, but the player did in fact take what seemed a more 
appropriate time to download and install, and it has, in fact, run 
perfectly ever since!

Here's the Adobe uninstaller location:

Here's the forum where the exact problem I was having was discussed and 
the solution is listed [by BillT posted 
2/11/2006]:  http://forums.vnunet.com/thread.jspa?messageID=729371

And, here's the website to get the new Flash Player 9 that reinstalls 
correctly:  http://www.softwarepatch.com/internet/flash.html

Why in the world you must go to a software patch website to get the 
actual correct version of Adobe's own flash player is beyond 
me!  Whatever, it worked!  Go figure.

Also, for further information, here are the URLs for the various video 
downloader tools I've found and used... all successfully, too.....

KeepVid:  http://keepvid.com
   The first one I learned about and used.  Sometimes a little buggy.
VideoDownloader:  http://javimoya.com/blog/youtube_en.php
   I found this sometimes faster and more stable than KeepVid.com.
YouTube Downloader:  http://video.qooqle.jp/dl
   I probably use this one more than the others - uncomplicated and 
plain, hence fast.

I also use another free flash video player for downloaded vids that I 
like much better than Adobe's.  It's called GOM Player and has scads of 
controls and options for both video and audio and lots more I don't even 
understand how to use!!

Check it out at:  http://www.gomplayer.com/main.html
It's really pretty amazing!

Back to harpin'!
Cheers!
Bobbie