for any of the particularly computer saavy......

[scorpionldr]

i recently got a new computer. it's a toshiba laptop.....right now I primarily use Mozilla firefox. I am particulary irked right now that I'm going to www.tomgreen.com to watch "the channel" or lookin on various websites that use windows media to plug in. the thing is tho, is that I keep on getting these "download software" notices from firefox, because it's not working. works fine with internet explorer, but none the less, I want to avoid that program as much as possible. Any clue on how to get the windows media player plugin for mozilla firefox to work so i can play these videos in my browser?

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

So you have Windows Service Pack 2 installed? Because, if you have outdated version of this program, there were known conflicts and bugs, and things the program automatically reconfigure that caused conflicts with the use of certain media and programs.

 

[scorpionldr]

i've went to the windows update sight, and mozilla can't find a damn thing......the windows update center says i'm clear on any major download of packages of any type

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

But do you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed?

I'm saying this is potentially a bad thing, and removing it or upgrading to SP3 (if its already out yet) is a good idea, as SP3 has fixed the problems with audio and video and other things while still giving you the added protection.

 

[scorpionldr]

well, actually, it turned out there were about 8 things for windows that i did not install....various service packs and such......but i just installed them all and i'm about to restart the computer soon to see what it does for me.

but there was nothing that was considered a priorital piece of software to download for windows listed by the update service

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Well, if you find that you have SP2 installed I would remove it, as its likely a part of the cause of the video problems. When I had it installed, my comp wouldn't play audio as quickly, and dvd movies were sluggish and non-responsive. When I took the program out, the problems stopped.

Some of these "service packs" seem like a really a good idea, because they help protect your computer, but they sometimes impose a handicap on your comp.

From what Microsoft says, in regards to Windows XP, many of the issues were resolved with the newer packs. So, if you find SP2, I'd unistall it, restart your computer, and see if that makes any difference on your audio/video playback.

If it doesn't then it may be one of the other updates.

The truth is, alot of the time you don't even need alot of these extra updates and whatnot. Of course microsoft heavily suggests you download everything, but alot of these things can slow your computer down and keep programs from running properly.

In the future, I would be careful what you download and choose not to allow your system to download new updates as they arrive, by default and automatically. If you do that, you'll have all sorts of things on your computer that may just bog it down. Select manual download and have the system set to inform you of new updates ready for download. Only download things you know you need and/or want. Alot of people download everything thinking everything helps, but it doesn't necessarily with particular machines.

 

[MistressValerie1]

The Firefox forum has a very good guide about media player issues with Firefox, which you can view here.

 

[the_jimmy_james]

Some of these "service packs" seem like a really a good idea, because they help protect your computer, but they sometimes impose a handicap on your comp.

There's no way that patches and updates designed by the manufacturer to protect your computer and data could be worth more than a performance hit. Go ahead, open yourself up to even more attacks than Windows is currently vulnerable to.

A thousand virii and adware apps are counting on it.

I suggest you not remove said service pack.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

There's no way that patches and updates designed by the manufacturer to protect your computer and data could be worth more than a performance hit.

Matter of opinion, though. Not my opinion, but it is a matter of opinion. It's also a usage issue. If you're a computer gamer, for example, speed, audio, video and playback is everything. If you have a computer thats a gaming machine, and its configured and built specifically for this type of usage, things like SP2 are a hinderance and are largely unnnecessary in many situations.

Using the computer gaming system as an example, the typical video gamer is going to be spending less time surfing the internet where most of these viruses are. His chances of being infected simply by avoiding the internet with the exception of messeges boards (such as this one) and the servers which host the games he plays, his chances are low of being hit with anything his system and its default anti-virus software cannot handle as long as its kept up to date.

Go ahead, open yourself up to even more attacks than Windows is currently vulnerable to.

A thousand virii and adware apps are counting on it.

I suggest you not remove said service pack.

There are many good, affordable softwares you can purchase or download that can serve specific functions dramatically better than SP2. The reason SP2 was a failure and caused alot of technical issues (not merely peformance issues) is because the program tried to do too many things at one time and it ended up corrupting files, rewritting them, and whatnot.

Now, given what scorpionldr has said, he wants to be able to view his videos without a problem. That is a performance, a codec, and such and such issue. All I'm saying is, if SP2 is to blame, it is a viable option that he remove it and upload SP3, if its available for him and his system can handle it.

Never, at any time, did I imply he should not have a service pack or remove necessary or wanted updates, just filterout the updates he may not even need or make use of.