Flash not working in YouTube (Firefox) [SOLVED]

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-09-21 16:35

I don't know why this is happening, but whenever I now try to play videos in YouTube I am presented only with a 'black screen', where flash is otherwise fine elsewhere. I'm not an Adobe flash user as it's too CPU intensive, and so opt for the default Shockwave instead. Only in the last day has this been occuring - all is fine with Iceape.

Can't think what it might be. Any thoughts?

(thanks in advance)

rokytnji · posted: 2010-09-21 17:41

Could a recent added Plugin be at fault maybe?

I don't run firefox in my AntiX installs anymore. Iceape is OK for me. No flash problems in Iceape also. Do you get the same symptoms in Iceape?

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-09-21 18:06

Iceape is fine, but I want to stick with Firefox for various reasons.

The last thing I tried to install (or re-install!) was mplayer, but it throw up errors: first I did a --force install (sudo apt-get --force-yes install mplayer), having totally missed the --reinstall option; then again, with --reinstall. The --reinstall failed, but --force did remove and install some deps, but I can't remember what now.

I don't know if there is any crossover, but to give you an idea of the deps mplayer deals with...

Code: Select all

stuart@stuart:~$ sudo apt-get --reinstall install mplayer
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  avidemux-plugins: Depends: libjack-jackd2-0 (>= 1.9.5~dfsg-14) but it is not going to be installed or
                             libjack-0.116
  gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad: Depends: libflite1 but it is not going to be installed
                             Depends: libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0 (>= 0.10.29) but 0.10.26-1 is to be installed
                             Depends: libgstreamer0.10-0 (>= 0.10.29) but 0.10.26-1 is to be installed
                             Depends: libjack-jackd2-0 (>= 1.9.5~dfsg-14) but it is not going to be installed or
                                      libjack-0.116
                             Depends: libmodplug1 but it is not going to be installed
                             Depends: libslv2-9 (>= 0.6.4-1~) but it is not going to be installed
                             Depends: libwildmidi1 (>= 0.2.3) but it is not going to be installed
                             Depends: libzbar0 (>= 0.10) but it is not going to be installed
  libavdevice52: Depends: libjack-jackd2-0 (>= 1.9.5~dfsg-14) but it is not going to be installed or
                          libjack-0.116
  libxine1: Depends: libxine1-x (= 1.1.19-2) but 1.1.17-1+b1 is to be installed
            Depends: libxine1-console (= 1.1.19-2) but 1.1.17-1+b1 is to be installed
  libxine1-misc-plugins: Depends: libgraphicsmagick3 (>= 1.3.5) but it is not going to be installed
                         Depends: libjack-jackd2-0 (>= 1.9.5~dfsg-14) but it is not going to be installed or
                                  libjack-0.116
                         Depends: libmng1 (>= 1.0.10) but 1.0.9-1 is to be installed
                         Depends: libmodplug1 but it is not going to be installed
                         Depends: libxine1-bin (= 1.1.19-2) but 1.1.17-1+b1 is to be installed
  mhwaveedit: Depends: libjack-jackd2-0 (>= 1.9.5~dfsg-14) but it is not going to be installed or
                       libjack-0.116
  moc: Depends: libjack-jackd2-0 (>= 1.9.5~dfsg-14) but it is not going to be installed or
                libjack-0.116
       Depends: libmodplug1 but it is not going to be installed
  mplayer: Depends: libjack-jackd2-0 (>= 1.9.5~dfsg-14) but it is not going to be installed or
                    libjack-0.116
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

stuart@stuart:~$ sudo apt-get -f install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Correcting dependencies... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  libwildmidi0 libdes425-3 libwxgtk2.8-0 audacity-data libflac++6 libx264-83
  libcelt0 libwxbase2.8-0 libjline-java mplayer-skin-blue libmagickcore2
  libmagickwand2 rhino libvdpau1
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
The following extra packages will be installed:
  freepats libflite1 libgraphicsmagick3 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0
  libgstreamer0.10-0 libjack-jackd2-0 libmng1 libmodplug1 libslv2-9
  libwildmidi1 libxine1-bin libxine1-console libxine1-ffmpeg libxine1-x
  libzbar0 mplayer
Suggested packages:
  graphicsmagick-dbg gstreamer-codec-install gnome-codec-install
  gstreamer0.10-tools gstreamer0.10-plugins jackd2 slv2-jack mplayer-doc
  netselect fping
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  libjack0 mpd mpdpss
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  freepats libflite1 libgraphicsmagick3 libjack-jackd2-0 libmodplug1 libslv2-9
  libwildmidi1 libzbar0
The following packages will be upgraded:
  libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0 libgstreamer0.10-0 libmng1 libxine1-bin
  libxine1-console libxine1-ffmpeg libxine1-x mplayer
8 upgraded, 8 newly installed, 3 to remove and 732 not upgraded.
22 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B/45.5MB of archives.
After this operation, 40.5MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
(Reading database ... 98143 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace mplayer 1:1.0.rc2svn20100219-0.0 (using .../mplayer_2%3a1.0~rc3++final.dfsg1-1_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement mplayer ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/mplayer_2%3a1.0~rc3++final.dfsg1-1_i386.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite '/usr/share/man/es/man1/mencoder.1.gz', which is also in package mencoder 2:1.0~rc3+svn20100503-0.0
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/mplayer_2%3a1.0~rc3++final.dfsg1-1_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

However, I don't think the adverse effects of Firefox came till later.

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-09-21 18:24

How do I check FF is still configured to use the shockwave plugin, and that sw is still installed/sym. linked at the right path? Haven't done this for yonks! Forgotten so much!

rokytnji · posted: 2010-09-21 18:52

Going from memory here. about:plugins typed into Firefox address bar should show if shockwave is being used as plugin. Should say something about libflashplayer.so.

Should be Shockwave version 10 or there abouts.

/usr/lib/mozilla/plugins is about where libflashplayer.so should sit I think.

Like I said. This is from memory.

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-09-21 19:42

Shockwave is shown as enabled. Observing the following output, the flashplayer-mozilla package contains the libflashplayer.so file, though it seems not to be installed:

Code: Select all

stuart@stuart:~$ sudo find / -name"libflashplayer.so"
/home/stuart/Downloads/BACKUP/libflashplayer.so
/usr/lib/flashplugin-nonfree/libflashplayer.so
stuart@stuart:~$ sudo apt-file search libflashplayer.so
flashplayer-mozilla: /usr/lib/flashplayer-mozilla/libflashplayer.so
stuart@stuart:~$ sudo apt-get install flashplayer-mozilla
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Package flashplayer-mozilla is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source
E: Package flashplayer-mozilla has no installation candidate
stuart@stuart:~$

The libflashplayer.so file is here:

Code: Select all

stuart@stuart:~$ du -h /usr/lib/flashplugin-nonfree/libflashplayer.so 
9.9M    /usr/lib/flashplugin-nonfree/libflashplayer.so

I seem to remember this file as being linked to another location, or some such thing.

Stuart O'mahony · posted: 2010-09-22 12:49

Seems to have worked itself out now, all is well again. I don't know what was up before, but thanks for your help roky.

wayne128 · posted: 2010-09-23 00:53

Stuart O'mahony wrote:How do I check FF is still configured to use the shockwave plugin, and that sw is still installed/sym. linked at the right path? Haven't done this for yonks! Forgotten so much!

I usually check FF plugin by clicking on Tools>Add On>Plugins