Problems Viewing A Video?

 

If you've arrived here then you're probably having problems viewing a video, right?

I'm really sorry about this. Fortunately most people manage to view the videos with no problem. But I can imagine how disappointing it must be if you can't see the videos, and I really don't want you missing out. So I've tried to figure this out for you. Please click on your problem...

1. The videos don't show up / I just see a grey box

2. My video keeps stopping and starting

3. I have dial-up and can't seem to watch the video

 

The Videos Don't Show Up / I Just See A Grey Box

If you don't see a video on your page, or if you just see a grey box, then it could be one of two things:

  1. You may need to update your flash player (what your internet browser software uses to play certain types of video). It's very easy to update your flash player - just follow the instructions. You can update your flash player here...

    That should get your videos working, so that you can all the lovely card ideas! :0)

2. Your internet browser may be blocking the video items from showing up. Here's what you can do:

    1. When you go to the video page, take a look at your browser's message at the top of the window. If you're using Internet Explorer (for example) it should say something like, 'To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this web page from running scripts (...) Click here for options'.

    2. You can choose to click it, and then you can choose to click 'Allow blocked content', to see the videos.

 

Do you have pop-up blocking software installed?

If you're running pop-up blocking software, this can sometimes prevent videos from playing correctly. (ie. applications such as Google Toolbar and newer versions of Netscape and AOL.) There are ways to work around this software, though:

  1. Make sure your pop-up blocker is set to 'medium.' If it's set to 'high' it can sometimes block video player windows from appearing.

  2. Hold down the 'Shift' or 'Ctrl' key on your keyboard to temporarily disable the pop-up blocker.

 

How to configure Internet Explorer for viewing videos:

If the other tips on this page haven't helped resolve the problem, there are some steps you can take in order to configure Internet Explorer for viewing videos. They are as follows:

  1. Click 'Tools' located on the Internet Explorer toolbar.
  2. Select 'Internet Options.'
  3. Click the 'Security' tab.
  4. Click 'Custom Level.'
  5. Configure the six categories by following the directions below:
    • Active X Controls and Plug-ins - Enable Download signed ActiveX, Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins, and Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting.
    • Cookies - Enable both options in this category.
    • Downloads - Enable File Download.
    • Miscellaneous - Set Software Channel to Medium.
    • Scripting - Enable all options in this category.
    • Skip the last category.
  6. Click 'Ok.'
  7. Click the 'Advanced' tab.
  8. Locate the 'Browsing' category.
  9. Check the following option:
    • Disable script debugging.
  10. Uncheck the following options:
    • Display a notification about every script error.
    • Reuse windows for launching shortcuts.
  11. Click 'Apply.'
  12. Select the 'General' tab.
  13. Click 'Settings' (located in the Temporary Internet Files category).
  14. Click the option marked 'Every visit to the page.'
  15. Click 'Ok.'
  16. Click 'Delete Files' (located in the Temporary Internet Files category).
  17. Click 'Ok' to go ahead with the Temporary File deletion. (This clears your browser's cache of stored files.)
  18. Click 'Ok.'
  19. Finally, please close Internet Explorer. Re-open your browser and try to view the video again. The video should play now! Fingers crossed!

 

If Your Video Keeps Stopping And Starting,
Try This...

Some people with slower internet connections may have problems getting the videos to play smoothly. If the video doesn't play smoothly, then I recommend that you wait until the whole video has loaded:

  1. Press the play button and let the video play for a couple of seconds.

  2. Then press the pause button. You'll see a lighter grey bar start covering up the dark grey 'play bar'. Wait until the light grey bar has reached the end. This can take a minute or two, depending on how long the video is.

  3. Then press the play button again. The video should play smoothly now! Fingers crossed!

 

Did It Work?

I'd really appreciate it if you could let me if this worked for you or not.

If you do manage to watch the video smoothly (hurray!) please let me know. That way I can tell other card makers who are having problems watching the video too!

Please let me know if you can now watch the video smoothly here...

 

If You Have a Slow Internet Connection...

Online videos are large files. So the best way to view our online videos is via a fast internet connection, such as broadband. Unfortunately, if you have a slow internet connection (such as dialup), you may not be able to view our online videos.

It may be possible to view a video if you click on the video first, press the pause button and then wait for it to load (you'll see a lighter grey bar start covering up the dark grey 'play bar'). However if you have a slow internet connection this is likely to take a very, very long time to load and even after loading, you still may not be able to view the video properly.

Tip: You could try using the 'Safari' web browser as it is one of the fastest-loading web browsers available (at the time of writing this tip).

We do try to provide video transcripts and snapshots of the videos for viewers who have slow internet connections. However, as we hope you can appreciate, these take time to put together. So you may have to wait a while until these become available for the particular video you'd like to watch.

We announce all new video transcripts and snapshots via our newsletter, which you can subscribe to here...

 

Claire
Making-Handmade-Cards.com