SWF doesn't play

[Malcolm]

The time I had a problem I beat the dead horse here and it came back to
life, so....

My about:plugins says:

Shockwave Flash

File name: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins\NPSWF32.dll
Shockwave Flash 7.0 r19

MIME Type Description Suffixes Enabled
application/x-shockwave-flash Macromedia Flash movie swf Yes
application/futuresplash FutureSplash movie spl Yes

HOWEVER, when I click a .SWF at Corel, the software says "can't open
this .SWF" and tells me to search for a program or pick from a list.

Why doesn't it just run it? How can I make it do that?

TIA, kind helpers.
--
Malcolm

[Ed Mullen]

The plugin info seems to be in order. Can you give a URL for the Flash
file you can't play?

--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
http://edmullen.net/Mozilla/moz.html

[Roland]

On 22-6-2005 16:26, Malcolm wrote:
> Thanks, Ed.
>
> If you go to:
>
> http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Products/Display&pid=1047024393604&cid=1047024393836&trkid=cdts12cdgs12upgrade
>
>
> you see a picture of a chair with "view movie" under it. It opens a new
> window but I just get the error and the window stays empty.

I see the same result. The link you provide tries to open the foolowing
Flash file: <http://www.corel.com/img/content/products/cdts12/projected.swf>

[When I select to open the default application for it, Firefox launches
QuickTime player (because on my system QT is configured to play files
with the .SWF extension)]

Using the LiveHTTPHeaders extension reveals that the Corel webserver
serves the file with the wrong content type, text/plain. For a Flash
file, the correct content type is application/x-shockwave-flash.

So, there's no problem with Firefox, but it's caused by a badly
configured webserver.
--
Regards,

Roland de Ruiter
` ___ ___
`/__/ w_/ /__/
/ \ /_/ / \

[Malcolm]

[Ed Mullen]

Roland wrote:

I just tried the Flash and it is working now in Firefox and Mozilla Suite.

[Malcolm]

> Corel webserver serves the file with the wrong content type, text/plain

Aha! Thanks, RdR!

Guess I'll have to get the LiveHTTPHeaders extension.

[Malcolm]

> I just tried the Flash and it is working now in Firefox and Mozilla Suite.

How do you make that work?

[Roland]

I'm not sure how Ed did it, but I just tried it
(<http://www.corel.com/img/content/products/cdts12/projected.swf>) again
and the Corel webserver still sends it with content type "text/plain".
On my system (W2K) this causes both Mozilla and Firefox to show a dialog
to open the file with the program associated with it (QuickTime on my
system), or to save it to disk.

[Clay]

Roland wrote:
> On 27-6-2005 19:31, Malcolm wrote:
>
>>> I just tried the Flash and it is working now in Firefox and Mozilla
>>> Suite.
>>
>>
>>
>> How do you make that work?
>
> I'm not sure how Ed did it, but I just tried it
> (<http://www.corel.com/img/content/products/cdts12/projected.swf>) again
> and the Corel webserver still sends it with content type "text/plain".
> On my system (W2K) this causes both Mozilla and Firefox to show a dialog
> to open the file with the program associated with it (QuickTime on my
> system), or to save it to disk.

fwiw... I right-click save the swf files to hdd. set .swf to open
with... moz. double click to enjoy! I have golfing, fishing, and now Corel.

[Ed Mullen]

Roland wrote:
> On 27-6-2005 19:31, Malcolm wrote:
>
>>> I just tried the Flash and it is working now in Firefox and Mozilla
>>> Suite.
>>
>>
>>
>> How do you make that work?
>
> I'm not sure how Ed did it, but I just tried it
> (<http://www.corel.com/img/content/products/cdts12/projected.swf>) again
> and the Corel webserver still sends it with content type "text/plain".
> On my system (W2K) this causes both Mozilla and Firefox to show a dialog
> to open the file with the program associated with it (QuickTime on my
> system), or to save it to disk.

Good catch. I have Irfanview set in Windows as the default for playing
Flash (swf) files. Apparently, with the mis-identified file type
Mozilla just passed the file to the OS for handling. There /might/ be
something in my mimetypes settings in Mozilla that is at work here as well.

[Malcolm]

> On my system (W2K) this causes both Mozilla and Firefox to show a dialog to open the file with the program associated with it (QuickTime on my system), or to save it to disk.

On my system (XP), I also get the Open/Save dialog and both are useless
to me because the Flash player is a DLL. :/

[Malcolm]

> set .swf to open with... moz.

Well, I tried it. It let me pick from a list. Firefox wasn't on it. I
Browse...d, clicked Firefox, and clicked "always do this".

In a stunning turn of events, *it opened an IE window* (WHA?!?!?) and
displayed NOTHING but gave me a message that content had been blocked.
(WHA?!?!?)

[Clay]

you're saying it opens w/IE from the website or when you click² it on
your hdd?
I'm on NT4 at work. I had swf associated w/ NS7 so I just changed it to
FF. (iirc in 2k/xp. open with... choose program, browse to FF folder and
select firefox.exe.)
click² on projected.swf and it opened in FF.
works the same on my 2k and xp boxes at home.
ymmv...

[Ed Mullen]

Is IE or Firefox set in Windows as the default browser?

[Malcolm]

> opens w/IE from the website or when you click² it on your hdd?

The latter.

When I click the info bar at the top and click Allow Blocked Content, it
plays. Whoop-de-freaking-doo. It might as well be living in a van down
by the river. :/

[Malcolm]

> Is IE or Firefox set in Windows as the default browser?

FF! I would NEVER run IE on purpose!

But wait... that's scarcely the issue. What the heck is going on when I
click "Open with FF and Always Do This" and IE opens?! ^*%&$#% Microsoft!!!