Cannot See Links to Videos Anymore (Fixed, I think)

[skuddle]

I am using FF version 61.0.2 on a Windows 10 computer.

For the last few months I cannot see the links to videos in forums. An example is the TacomaWorld forum. I can see all of the posts, and I can see images that folks post in-line with the text. But when they post a video, all I see is a large blank space where the video goes.

I disabled all of my add-ons in the Extensions and the Plug-Ins and restarted FF, but still cannot see the video links; however, when I click Help > Restart with addons disabled, I CAN see the video links.

What is the difference between disabling the addons and restarting, and restarting by using the Help > Restart with addons disabled??

[therube]

> TacomaWorld

URL?

KB: Safe Mode

[RobertJ]

What is the difference between disabling the addons and restarting, and restarting by using the Help > Restart with addons disabled??

That is called Safe-Mode

FYI - What safe-mode does and doesn't do

• The status of plug-ins is not affected.
• Custom preferences are not affected.
• All extensions are disabled.
• The default theme is used, without a persona.
• userChrome.css and userContent.css are ignored.
• The default toolbar layout is used.
• Hardware acceleration is disabled.
• JIT JavaScript compiler is disabled.

.

[skuddle]

@Rube,

The URL for TacomaWorld is:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/

@RobertJ,

My plug-ins are:

Shockwave Flash ver. 30. It is marked as "Ask to activate" and I never have been asked to activate it;

Open H264 Video Codec provided by Cisco Systems, Inc., and it is disabled. When I enable it I still cannot see any video links in, for example, the above-listed forum.

I still am not sure about the difference between using Help > Restart with addons disabled, and manually disabling the Extensions myself and then restarting.

[DanRaisch]

"Help->Restart with addons disabled" does more than disable extensions --
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quoting dfoulkes:

-- What safe-mode does ..... Safe Mode temporarily affects the following:
* All extensions are disabled. --- * The userChrome.css and userContent.css files are ignored.
* The default theme is used, without a persona. --- * The default toolbar layout is used.
* The Just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compiler is disabled. --- * Hardware acceleration is disabled.

-- Safe Mode has no effect on the following --
* The status of plugins is not affected.
* Custom preferences are not affected.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[RobertJ]

I still am not sure about the difference between using Help > Restart with addons disabled (Read as safe-mode), and manually disabling the Extensions myself and then restarting.

The list in my above post has five things other than disabling extensions that are changed.

• The default theme is used, without a persona.
• userChrome.css and userContent.css are ignored.
• The default toolbar layout is used.
• Hardware acceleration is disabled.
• JIT JavaScript compiler is disabled.

.

[therube]

The URL for TacomaWorld is:

Was actually hoping to get a specific link to a post, with a video, that is not working for you?

[skuddle]

I'm sorry, here is the link that is specific to the problem:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hub ... ly.563232/

You can find the video at post #9 of the thread. Another video link to a different video was posted in post #11 in that same thread. Here is a bit more information:

I am using the default theme and have made no changes to it;

I do not use Chrome at all;

I have not made any changes to the toolbar layout and so I assume I am using the default;

I'm not sure about "hardware acceleration". I haven't touched that parameter since I received my computer in early 2017;

I don't know anything about the "JIT JavaScript compiler" because I am not a programmer and I have not (knowingly) done anything to JavaScript.

I went to, and read, the post titled, "Plug-in support has been dropped other than Flash" that was published on October 4, 2016. Since that date there have been many links in FF that I could see and that I clicked to view many videos in the previously mentioned forum.

I also appreciate the help that are providing. As I originally wrote, this problem is about 2-3 months old. Before that, I had no problem with video links.

[DanRaisch]

No problem here with the video in post 9 of that page. Have you tried Safe Mode as yet?

[LIMPET235]

Hi Skuddle,
Just to clear up your comment & any confusion it causes about userChrome.css & Chrome, the browser...

I do not use Chrome at all;

The info that RobertJ posted, was just to show you what was disabled or not touched.

The list in my above post has five things other than disabling extensions that are changed.
...... userChrome.css and userContent.css are ignored.

The reference to the "userChrome.css" has nothing to do with the Chrome browser.
It's part of the file system in Firefox, as is the userContent.css.

For future ref: > http://kb.mozillazine.org/UserChrome.css

[skuddle]

Okay, I did not have a chrome folder in my Profiles folder so I created one. Then I downloaded the zip file http://franklion.co.uk/GEN-LINKS/chrome.zip and unzipped it inside the Chrome folder. Next, I started FF, went to the form and thread I described earlier, but still could not see any link at posts #9 and #11.

So I started FF in the Safe mode (again) and the link to the video appeared as I described in the second paragraph of my initial post. This workaround does work for me, but I don't understand why I didn't have to start FF in the Safe mode in the months (years) preceding a couple of months ago.

[RobertJ]

.
No problem here with the video in post 9 of that page.

.

[DanRaisch]

Start in standard mode and switch off hardware acceleration. The menu path is Firefox->Preferences->Scroll down to "Performance" and uncheck "Use hardware acceleration when available."

[skuddle]

Okay, in FF I clicked Tools > Options > General and found "Performance", turned off "Use recommended performance settings", and then turned off "Use hardware acceleration when available". I then went to the forum and thread mentioned above, and again did not see any video links. (Looks like my Intel 530 GP doesn't have hardware acceleration.)

[TheVisitor]

Okay, in FF I clicked Tools > Options > General and found "Performance", turned off "Use recommended performance settings", and then turned off "Use hardware acceleration when available". I then went to the forum and thread mentioned above, and again did not see any video links. (Looks like my Intel 530 GP doesn't have hardware acceleration.)

I'm using win10 and running Intel HD530 and I see the videos just fine, also the graphics section of about:support show that the HD530 is running with 'hardware acceleration'...