slow video streaming problem

If YouTube is slow, stuck or weird, and people suggest that you either change or install stuff....DON'T TOUCH A THING.

Please don’t mess with java scripts, firewall settings, flash players, anti-virus utilities, activeX controls, popup blockers or different browsers. And definitely avoid any software that disguised salespeople are trying to sucker you into buying.

None of those things will help you, because your computer and YouTube were working perfectly fine at one point, right?
The first rule of thumb and best option should ALWAYS be: don't disable, erase, uninstall, switch, download, alter, add, change or install anything. That'll only make matters worse.

Every day, YouTube often shuts down many of their servers to update stuff. Please be patient if YouTube is slow, stuck or mangled. Transmissions from YouTube to your computer are actually done in small chunks of "Flash" at a time. That is why sometimes you may only get bits and pieces of text, video, the spinning circle and/or a blank screen. Your issue may fix itself within a few hours or by the next day.

If your YouTube continues to behave slow, stuck or strange, it's very possible that your directories of "temporary internet files" and memory (often times called "cache") are full to the maximum and just can't take anymore, the end result being that YouTube videos either A) start/stop/start/stop, B) grind to a halt, or C) never even make it onto your screen.

"Temporary internet files" are tiny bits of webpages that get permanently put on your computer. They will remain forever and ever, gradually plugging up your computer (just like hair slowly clogs a sink drain) until you get rid of them, or "clear your cache" including "cookies" and "history".

If you're not sure how to clear your "cache", or if you would like extra 'tips' on making YouTube run even better (without having to buy or install anything), post about it here. I will guide you step-by-step through "cache" clearing and my 'tips' in plain English with full explanations.

Note 1: if you have Google Web Accelerator (or something similar to it), dump it, burn it, trash it, disable it, uninstall it;
-- do all that you can to get as far away from it as possible, even though this contradicts all my advice. Not only does it conflict with YouTube, simply clicking on "Don't Accelerate This Website" will not help you whatsoever.

Note 2: longer videos only require "Flash" and "Shockwave" in order to play smooth. Other than that, avoid all the sales pitches that some Yahooers are shilling, because they are really disguised salespeople and peddlers. Their "answers" have nothing to do with your question, and their wares may actually worsen your problem. Besides, what kind of stupid answer is:....[my paraphrase] "Although you can't watch or
access videos properly, get this downloader."

Note 3: an unusual fix that once worked for me was altering the URL "www . youtube . com" to simply "youtube . com",
(or you can even try "ca . youtube . com").