Need Technical Help in Viewing Internet Videos

[nsxtasy]

I'm having trouble viewing videos on my computer, and I would appreciate any assistance that anyone can provide.

I should start out by noting that I have a fair amount of computer background. A real techie would say that I'm non-technical, but I do know my way around computers for the most part.

My computer is running Windows 98 and I am using Internet Explorer 6.0. I have a DSL connection through my ISP. I am using Norton Internet Security for firewall and anti-virus software. I am encountering problems opening videos using both Windows Media Player (Version 9) and RealOne Player (Version 2).

As an example, I am trying to open the Fireworks Dog video that NeoNSX posted about. The URL for that video is:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~neonsx/pepe_fireworks_dog.wmv

Windows Media Player

When I try to open it in Windows Media Player, I receive the following error message:

Windows Media Player cannot play the file because the server is not responding. If you entered a URL or path to play the file, verify that it is correct. If you clicked a link to play the file, the link may not be valid.

That message is accompanied by a button for "more information", which gives me the following additional information:

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

0xC00D11B3: Encountered a network problem

Windows Media Player encountered a network problem. You may encounter this error message for one of the following reasons:

- The server is down or busy. Try connecting to the server again later.
- You are not connected to the local area network (LAN) or to the Internet. Connect to the network or Internet, and then try again.
- The proxy server settings for the Player are not configured properly. Verify that your proxy settings are correct, and then try again.

To verify your proxy server settings

On the Tools menu, click Options, click the Network tab, and then verify your settings in the Streaming proxy settings area.

Note

If you do not know what your proxy server settings should be, on the Network tab, select a protocol, click Configure, and then select Autodetect proxy settings or Use proxy settings of the Web browser (available for HTTP protocol only).

If you are connected to the Internet through a dial-up connection, you may not be able to choose the proxy server. For more information, consult your Internet service provider or network administrator.

Error ID = 0xC00D11B3, Condition ID = 0x00000000

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

I always get this error, so I don't think it's a busy server. My DSL connection is fine. I changed the "Streaming Proxy Settings" for the Media Player to autodetect for MMS and RTSP protocols, and the setting for HTTP is "browser". I still get the error.

RealOne Player

When I open the RealOne Player and I try to open the video, it gives me the same Windows Media Player error. I don't understand this at all; why would it use Windows Media Player when I'm in RealOne Player? I realize that the .wmv file defaults to Windows Media Player (and I know how to change those associations) but that's only as a default for when I double-click on the file name or icon, right? If I'm already in RealOne Player, why doesn't RealOne Player try to open it?

I would appreciate any help that anyone can provide, and would be happy to take additional actions as needed in figuring out what's wrong. Thanks in advance.

 

[hlweyl]

I just tried it and it worked fine. I'm using windows media player 7.01 and IE v. 6.0

Are you able to view other .wmv media? How about .mpg's?

If you are only having trouble with .wmv formats it could be your firewall. You have to allow windows media player to access the internet within the firewall software.

 

[GQ NSX]

Nsxtasy..

I don't know the exact answer, but I use Winamp (www.winamp.com) and it works w/o any issues.

Hope that helps

Ravi

 

[PHOEN$X]

Ken, good to see you posting again (was wondering what happened to you).

As for the video, did you try downloading it first prior to opening it? If not, give it a try. Right click on this link, and click on "Save Target As..." to download it to your PC. Then try opening the downloaded file (from your hard drive) with WMP9, and let us know what happens.

Good luck.

 

[ss_md]

How long have you had this problem? Have you installed or made any changes (i.e.: updates) since the problem started to occur?

 

[ncdogdoc]

Ken,

It is probably the Norton Firewall. WM9 and RealPlayer both act as servers from your computer, and your firewall thinks that some rogue program is trying to access the internet for less than wholesome activities. I use ZoneAlarm, and I have to tell it which programs I will allow to access the internet and be allowed to run as a media server. Check within the Norton setup to see if this is possible. If not, try disabling Norton to see if the file will play, and if it does, look into another firewall.

 

[nsxtasy]

Thanks to all for the helpful advice.

It turns out, upon further investigation, that it is indeed a firewall problem. I had not specified Windows Media Player or RealOne Player for Internet access.

Unfortunately, in trying to solve my problem, it got worse! When I specified both software to have Internet access, Norton Internet Security 2002 then prevented all Internet access. This is one of some bugs in the software which result in the need to uninstall and reinstall the software. So I uninstalled, realized that I then had a choice between (a) renewing my subscription to their update service which had recently lapsed, or (b) purchasing the latest version of the software. Since (b) was cheaper, I went out and bought NIS 2004... big mistake!!! What a piece of garbage! I ran into one installation problem after another - all known bugs, apparently, and documented on Symantec's website - but poorly so. After 3-4 hours of unsuccessfully trying to debug the installation, I decided the most sensible thing to do is to get my money back from Symantec (hey, that's what a money back guarantee is for) and start over with a different product. I will probably buy McAfee, which has a bundled version of ViruScan and their Firewall. I hope the McAfee product is as easy to install and operate as the earlier versions of Norton. I can't believe that Symantec would release such garbage to the public as their 2004 version of Norton Internet Security. BAD PRODUCT.

Anyway, thanks to all for the help. I'm sure it will all work fine when I've got the McAfee replacement installed.

 

[D'Ecosse]

Ken, do yoursef a big favour & move up from Win 98 while you're at it. XP is really a nice platform, but even 2000 is much more friendly (no more dreaded blue screen general protection faults)
Also, I really like Zone Alarm as a firewall - personal edition is free at http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp?lid=zadb_zadown
and you can always upgrade to their premium products if you decide you need more.
I use Virus Scan at work but Norton AntiVirus on my home pc - have no great preference over either - as long as they keep their definitions up to date & easy to access, I don't think there's much between them.

 

[NSX_Dreamer]

Do yourself a favor and dump the software firewall.

If you're behind a router you should be okay for the most part.

Yea I know there's a lot of people who think this is blasphemy. But software firewalls cause far more problems than they solve, especially if you don't configure it correctly.

There's a lot of firewalls that will do nothing but frustrate you if incorrect ports are opened or blocked. In certain cases, even if you uninstall the firewall, the ports may remain blocked, which in many cases can only be fixed by a reinstall of the OS.

If you are using anti-virus, and back up your data regularly, do yourself a HUGE favor and dump the software firewall.

 

[PHOEN$X]

I agree, a hardware firewall (router) is far less prone to problems than a software based one, and far more reliable. They're dirt cheap nowadays too. The only time when a software firewall may be more effective is in stopping outgoing traffic (i.e., from spyware), but if you utilize safe computing/browsing practices that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[nsxtasy]

Okay, help me again here.

I am already using a hardware router between my PC and my DSL connection. (I have a home network with two computers, one hard-wired to the router and one with a wireless connection.)

Are you saying that I don't need any firewall software at all? I thought this was essential for a DSL connection, to prevent anyone from hacking into my computer. Those who say I don't need it, please explain how this is not so (and again, I REALLY APPRECIATE all the advice).

(I understand that I need anti-virus software with up-to-date virus definitions anyway.)

 

[NSX-Racer]

I have the same combo: DSL-Router with WLAN - Powerbook access is wireless, PowerMac is connected with cable. I have no software firewalls on both but there is a firewall in the router (has nothing to do with Apple, should be in your router too).

With WLAN and DSL you have 2 major security problems: Some hacker can access your WLAN when he's near your house - and: If your router is on (even when your computers are off) somebody all over the country may detect the open DSL port during a scan and use it for his own purposes - that's high class hacking but it occurs. No firewall can prevent this.

Experts say that you should switch off the router/WLAN when you don't use it - the only "firewall" that really works.

 

[hlweyl]

From what I have heard and read, a router is the most effective firewall you can have. I don't have a router, so I use zonealarm. I've never had any problem with it and best of all its free.

www.dslreports.com has lots of good info

 

[NSX_Dreamer]

Okay, let's sort this out.

You have a DSL connection, which is connected to your router.

Your router is now providing NAT (ip address translation) from the DSL/internet connection to your 2 computers at home.

Your router may also provides some basic firewall functions, such as maintaining open / closed ports, doing packet inspections, logging external attacks like DOS.

Your wireless connection is probably set up as a bridge, which means it's just a wireless connection from your PC to the router. The PC on the wireless connection is still protected by the router, and is not directly exposed on the internet. I do recommend using encryption on your wireless connection. Although it's not perfect, it's far better than no encryption at all.

So with this set up, you should not need a software firewall. The main difference between the software firewall is number of additional features, and the blocking / inspection of outgoing internet requests. So for example, if you get a worm that tries to send emails out, your software firewall may detect this and block it, and alert you. The hardware firewall most likely will not stop this.

However, an anti-virus software will have detected this worm anyway and prevented it from hijacking your PC, if you're up to date on the virus definitions. So in that case it makes the software firewall irrelevant.

As I stated before, the benefits of a software firewall commonly are exceeded by the problems associated with it. If you try to network your PC's together, a software firewall may cause problems. If you try to roam with your wi-fi card outside of home, you may run into problems. The more you use your internet connection in as many ways as possible, the more your software firewall will cause you grief.

Bottom line - you have adequate protection with a hardware router/firewall, an up-to-date anti-virus software. I also recommend up-to-date windows updates, and a spyware detection and removal software like Adaware.

Hope this helps.

 

[nsxtasy]

Hope this helps.

Yes, it does - thanks!!!

 

[PHOEN$X]

Hi Ken,

NSX_Dreamer did an excellent job of explaining the differences between a hardware & software firewall.

If you want to test the effectiveness of your firewall for yourself, run the Shields Up test at grc.com. It will tell you which ports are exposed to the internet, and explain what each port is used for.

In addition, here are some additional suggestions:

• Implement the recommendations I provided here (except for the XP & W2k stuff, obviously).
• Disable File and Printer Sharing on your wireless adapter. Here are instructions from Microsoft on how to do so in Windows 98. You will still be able to share files via your ethernet connection.
• On your wireless router or access point, if you haven't already done so 1) change the SSID, 2) disable SSID broadcast if possible, 3) enable WEP (128-bit or higher preferred), and 4) turn on MAC address filtering.

Hope that helps. If you want help with any of that stuff, send me a PM and I will be glad to assist.

 

[nsxtasy]

Thanks, Kelvin. It seems like my configuration is fine now, per the checks on that link (which is very cool, BTW).

It turns out that Symantec/Norton has a whole new architectural framework for the 2004 version of their Internet Security product. That framework just doesn't work well with Windows 98 (even though it says that Win 98 is okay on the box). There are lots and lots of issues (the most common ones, many of which I ran into, are documented here). I couldn't even uninstall it without calling their technical support, which I finally did.

For those who are encouraging me to upgrade my operating system, I'm quite happy with Windows 98 and its user interface and reliability. Every once in a great while it causes a problem that can be fixed by rebooting, which is no big deal. (NIS 2004 is the first software product I have tried that is basically incompatible with it.) My philosophy is basically, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", particularly since I'm all too aware of how much work and effort it is to upgrade an operating system and all the little things that I've already set up (not to mention the possible danger to program and data files). Faster speed and better reliability are nice, but making a major configuration change like that can take anywhere from a few hours of my time to as much as a week or more of effort. If and when I can't easily do what I need to do, at that point I will upgrade - possibly the entire computer along with it.

 

[nsxtasy]

One thing I now miss from Norton is their ad blocking feature. I have the Google ad blocking toolbar installed, so I am blocking popup ads, but I miss the ability to block many banner ads. Anyone know of any freeware that I can install to provide this feature?

 

[hlweyl]

Personally, I prefer the newest version of Netscape over Internet Explorer for that very reason. It automatically blocks pop-ups. I've tried several pieces of software to block pop-ups and none has worked as well as Netscape. Another feature I like about netscape is the "tabs". You only have to have one window open and you can view multiple pages. Each site is under a different tab vs IE where to do that you must have several windows open.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Ken, if you implement the Hosts file changes and keep it updated, it will block many of the banner ads from being displayed on your browser in addition to providing protection from hijackers.

I also like the Avant Browser add-on for IE, it provides additional functionality for blocking flash ads, etc.

 

[nsxtasy]

Ken, if you implement the Hosts file changes and keep it updated, it will block many of the banner ads from being displayed on your browser in addition to providing protection from hijackers.

Interesting. It prevents the ads from being seen, but still leaves something (red X or "unable to link to web page" message), instead of the blank space that appeared with Norton. Oh well, that's still preferable to seeing gaudy ads appear across the page - thanks!

I also like the Avant Browser add-on for IE, it provides additional functionality for blocking flash ads, etc.

Yes, I see it also offers the tabbing feature that hlweyl mentions about Netscape.

 

[lemansnsx]

Interesting. It prevents the ads from being seen, but still leaves something (red X or "unable to link to web page" message), instead of the blank space that appeared with Norton. Oh well, that's still preferable to seeing gaudy ads appear across the page - thanks!

Yes, I see it also offers the tabbing feature that hlweyl mentions about Netscape.

If you really want to get further into the hosts thing there are programs out there that replace the banner ad that is being blocked with an image of your choosing.
Personally, I prefer Netscape for 90% of my web browsing.