Dear Cammers,

This thread was created to help those with streaming video player issues. White screen, blue screen, black screen, distorted view or other?  Please read through and follow the step-by-step troubleshoot process that was created by Auntie Lyn along with the input of Maxx & many others.  Much thanks to all for your input.

Problems watching the cam? Some suggestions that might help you along…

1. Clean your cache and cookies, then restart your computer and try again.
How to clear your cache (various browsers): read here

a. In Windows Internet Explorer (IE): go to tools; internet options; browsing history; delete; then delete temporary internet files, delete cookies, delete history, then close out of that window, and when you are back to the internet options window, click apply or ok. (This is on IE 7, although the steps in all IE versions are generally the same.)
b. In Firefox: go to tools; options; privacy tab; cookies; show cookies; here you can clear all cookies or go down the list to africam.com, highlight it and then click remove cookies, then close out of that window and click ok to the options window.

Don’t forget to reboot your computer, then come back to Africam.com, and try again.

For those using a third-party firewall, you should make sure you disable the built-in XP firewall. Running two software firewalls can cause problems since they sometimes conflict. Make sure you don't shut down the XP firewall until your real one is running. If you are running the XP firewall by itself...then leave it alone. Don't just shut your firewall down as you open yourself for attack, but rather just tell your firewall or AntiVirus suite to allow all traffic from Africam.

2. Some bomites have reported that when they log on, the ad plays and the introduction loads and plays and then the screen stays black and says ready. Some have clicked on the black screen and it has loaded up and run. If you have another browser on your computer, be sure and check the site using that browser to see if you can load it.

3. If clicking the black/white screen does not help, perhaps reloading or upgrading your Windows media player will help. If you are running WinXP first edition (without SP2 preloaded), you can’t upgrade to the newest media player. You will need to re-install either from your start up disc, or update to Media Player 10. You can do this at Windows site. Previous versions of Windows Media Player and which is right for you. For those of you who use Firefox, switch to IE tab or IE browser to access the windows page. This will save you lots of headaches. Remember, you don't have to remove your old version of WMP, just load over it. It will take care of itself.
Download centre for various versions of WMP: click here

4. If you are getting frequent buffering and choppy feed, first assess if others are having difficulties by questioning in one of the Nkorho Streaming threads or in the campfire thread. If you can find a moderator online, PM them and ask if the buffering is being reported by any others, or are you special.  If the problem is restricted to you, try cleaning your computer of ads and malware, they could slow up your computer and cause the feed to buffer. There are many free programs on the internet to assist you with this, such as Ad-Aware SE, Spybot-Search and Destroy. Clean your hard drive with your program disk cleanup, and then run your disk defrag. When you get done with this, close your computer completely, wait 10-20 seconds at least, then restart, go back to Africam, and try again.

Assuming you have done all of the above, and you still can’t connect at all, you need to contact a moderator, let them know what you have been trying and what has or has not worked. Be ready to give them information they can pass along to administration to assist you.
They will need:
1. The platform you are using, i.e.: windows, mac, etc.
2. The browser you use to access the site, and the version. You can find the version when you open the browser, help, about…
3. How do you connect to the internet and the IP address (can find the IP address by clicking start, run, type in CMD and click ok, in the box that opens, type ipconfig and hit enter. This will bring up your connection information.

Always remember, the feed is coming all the way to us from the bush, where the power and satellite feeds are subject to weather, animals and what ever Mother Africa throws our way! Give them a break, we are going to have lapses and stumbles, and for most of us this is an experience we may never have in real life. Lets enjoy what we can get and help each other along the way. If you know of something that helped your feed, share it with someone who is expressing frustrations at not being able to get it.

Cam Chat with Jon explaining how we get the feed from Africa to our homes.