Videos stall with the busy signal of little dots going around in a circle
Viewing video content on, e.g., YouTube, usually (about 70% of the time) results in the video "stalling" part-way through. I can leave it there for hours and the video never restarts. It isn't dependent on the size of the video or how far into the video it gets before stalling. I have reset Firefox and done everything else suggested under "help"... nothing cures the problem. I can cut and paste the url into Google Chrome and it works just fine. I have tried disabling my protection software (Kaspersky) and Windows Firewall... it doesn't change things. I really want to stay with Firefox, but...
All Replies (7)
When did this begin -- Firefox 32, or an earlier version?
Just in case... Have you tested the site(s) in Firefox's Safe Mode? That's a standard diagnostic tool to deactivate extensions and some advanced features of Firefox. More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.
You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
- Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
Not all add-ons are disabled: Flash and other plugins still run
After Firefox shuts down, a small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Reset).
Any difference?
Another user reported a similar problem occurs when he uses the player control bar, for example, to move to a different spot in the video. Is that a factor, or is your problem independent of any use of the player controls?
It occurs independent of whether or not I use the player control bar. It also happens on my wife's laptop running under Win 8 and I have tried safe mode on her system... it does not change things. I have "blamed" my ISP (Centurylink) for speed problems in the past... to no avail... have dsl because there's no cable in my rural area... have suspected that my ISP throttles bandwidth, but haven't been able to prove it. That doesn't explain why Chrome will run when Firefox stalls, however. I'll try safe mode on my system and let you know.
Tried it in safe mode with a 35-minute woodworking video that has caused problems in the past and it froze after 45-seconds. The interesting thing is that it ran fine in regular mode just before that. It isn't a consistent problem.
Went back to regular mode and tried it again... its still running after 7:30. Its thisk sort of inconsistent result that has me suspecting that the cause lies with something my ISP is doing... just can't prove it. Sigh!
Is there anything special about how you connect? For example, private VPN, Tor, or other anonymizing service?
(Regarding Chrome and YouTube, I wouldn't be surprised if there is something of a special relationship there...)
My dsl modem is connected to a Cisco Linksys EA3500 wireless router. The problem occurs whether my laptop is connected via wi-fi or plugged into one of the Ethernet ports.
My suspicions about my ISP are raised because, every now and again, my cell phone (Samsung Galaxy SIII) drops the wi-fi connection because the internet connection "is unstable".
Smoking guns are hard to come by. LOL
Thanks for your patience, by the way.