YouTube Keeps Crashing My PC

[Jabba 18389]

Need some advice about what could be going on.

 

I was cruising through some vids on YouTube the other day & suddenly, my NetBook died. No warning. It was just like someone threw a switch somewhere & the frigging thing went black. Not even the blue screen of death.

 

Had to power-up & go though startup as if Windows had an unexpected shut down. I've been running vids on YouTube for years with no problems & now all of sudden this. Wtf?

 

I did some research & heard it could be due to some screw up with Adobe Flash Player. So, I uninstalled/Installed Adobe FP. Nope, same issue.

 

I'm running Windows Vista7 32bit

Latest version of Firefox as my browser.

 

Anyone got any thoughts?

[Phaedrus 209521]

No idea, I'm afraid.

 

Does it happen with another browser? You should have IE, at least, and you could try Chrome. Knowing that would help narrow it down to a browser issue or a Flash issue.

[Guest S*rca****sid]

Sounds like the problem is you're running Windows 7 on a netbook. They have always had a problem running windows 7 to its full potential. Netbooks really don't have enough power to fully run windows 7 and if you're trying to watch a HD video on Youtube, it will shut down.

Netbooks run better if you install a Linux OS or Chrome OS.

[Jabba 18389]

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

Weird thing is, this just started happening. If my O/S wasn't up to the task of playing HD, I'm thinking this problem would have shown up long before now. I get lots of Jitter when I start a video. My buffer may just be getting clobbered. Maybe I run out of memory; the system just gives up and dies.

 

I heard somewhere on the net (& of course I always believe everything I read on the net:icon_wink:) that an Ad banner was somehow causing Firefox to crash & burn. But this is more than just Firefox getting fried, this is O/S related I think.

[PurpleHaze 140]

First of all do not use Vista, you actually shouldn't be using any Windows operating system at all but if you must then use Windows 7. Here is a link: http://thepiratebay.sx/torrent/7049713/Windows_7_Ultimate_32_64-bit_RemoveWAT_Included, also do not use Windows 8 as that is just as bad as Vista.

 

This not definatelty not a problem with Adobe Flash Player, Firefox, or an Ad banner. Whoever told you that is an idiot. This isn't even an operating system problem or you would have went to the blue screen of death. That is what happens you encounter a kernel mode error.

 

This is a hardware issue. Not memory as I am sure Netbooks would come with at least 2GB and even if so you can check this yourself, just open up the task manager and check your memory usage. And still, a computer would never shut off from using too much memory, you operating system takes care of that. This is more than anything else likely to be an issue with your graphics card. I say this since you said you get jitter when you start the video. The tiny pathetic GPU that would come with a Netbook would not be able to support high defininition video.

 

If you want me to help you further then:

1) What type of Netbook do you have? (Why wouldn't you have posted that anyway)

2) Does the jitter happen as soon as you start watching the video?

2.1) If yes: Then your graphics card is damaged. Probably from overheating or long term use. Can simply be replaced for cheap.

2.2) If no: Feel under the laptop (where the graphics card is) and tell me if it gets hot after watching videos for a while just before crashing.

[zcmy 280]

 

If you want me to help you further then:

1) What type of Netbook do you have? (Why wouldn't you have posted that anyway)

2) Does the jitter happen as soon as you start watching the video?

2.1) If yes: Then your graphics card is damaged. Probably from overheating or long term use. Can simply be replaced for cheap.

2.2) If no: Feel under the laptop (where the graphics card is) and tell me if it gets hot after watching videos for a while just before crashing.

 

adding on to what PurpleHaze said

 

3) How old is your netbook?

4) When was the last time you reinstalled windows?

 

If it's an unexpected shutdown, with a hot bottom, the only major reason I can think of is that your computer is overheating. Most netbooks I know do not have the luxury of well made cooling systems, because of their size and need to fit everything within a smaller space. There's also the possibility that over the years, there may have been accumulated dust within the fans. You may be able to ask someone who's computer hardware savvy to open up the computer and check if there's any dust in the fans of the cooling system. Cleaning those may give you better performance, and a reduced chance in having the computer shut down unexpectedly. If the fan's clean and it still shuts down, then you probably need a new graphics processor.

[emetib 625]

2) Does the jitter happen as soon as you start watching the video?

2.1) If yes: Then your graphics card is damaged. Probably from overheating or long term use. Can simply be replaced for cheap.

 

not quite true, most graphics "cards" are integrated on laptops and definitely on netbooks, replacing the graphics card means changing out the system board (aka motherboard), that can be more money than a new netbook is worth...

 

It's doubtful the graphic card is damaged or there would be other more subtle problems.

 

depending on how old the netbook is, it's entirely possible it is an OS issue.

then again, videos do tax the system, it's also possible it's a heat issue, these require lots of airflow to keep them cool, a small amount of dirt or dust can adversely affect these small devices... finding a decent shop that can clean these properly is a worthwhile investment of your time.

 

I would download Ubuntu and boot it from a USB flash drive and try that (hopefully your system can do that), see how the entire system acts and responds. I put Ubuntu on my wife's laptop years ago and she refuses to use Windows now, and it is a dual boot system with XP and Ubuntu.

[Jabba 18389]

Thanks folks for all the comments. Just wanted to give you closure as to what I did to fix the problem.... I did absolutely nothing (beyond reloading Adobe Flash Player).

 

About a week or so after my post, my problem disappeared. YouTube now plays with absolutely no problems. I did notice that a big, frigging banner disappeared from the site.

 

Tech problems like this end up as a minor intellectual exercise. It just irks me somehow when they just mysteriously correct themselves. I like to think the fault was randomly caused by a CME. I should have remembered to wear my Aluminum foil hat to protect me from Cosmic Rays. On a side note, I actually worked with a Db developer who once explained to a client that a glitch in the application was due to Sun Spots (the guy was borderline nuts).

 

Go figure....:confused0024:

Anyways, thanks guys. I wish I could rationally explain the cure, but it's good to know y'all were there to lend a helping hand.

[Guest f**n*1]

I had the same issue with Vista.

[Guest S*rca****sid]

I had the same issue with Vista.

Let's not delve into the Vista abyss. We all know what a disaster that was!