Windows 98 OS, Flash 9.0.277.0 consistently crashes or hangs on YouTube with Firefox 2.0.0.20

Question

I had given up on getting Flash 9 to work on YouTube, but I thought I'd make this post to see if anyone has any ideas.  I have Windows 98 operating system -- so Flash 9 is as high as I can go.  Flash 9.0.277.0 -- the most recent version -- consistently crashes or hangs on sites with Flash content using Firefox 2.0.0.20 (the highest Firefox version I can have for my OS) or Opera 10.10.  (Every earlier Flash 9 version I tried also crashed.)  The site I really want Flash 9 to work on is YouTube, but EVERY time I  do an artist search and click on a link my computer hangs or crashes with an error message concerning NPSWF32.dll, the Flash plugin.  Is it a lost cause to get Flash 9 to work on YouTube?  I hope someone has an answer.  Thank you very much.

Answer 1

Hello, Pat.
You say, "It is also possible that this is mere  speculation."
Indeed, it is possible that it is  "mere speculation".
I said that I was basing my comments on poster #  3's comments.  What I tried to do was to rephrase it a little  to show my understanding of the factors contributing to a possible  (NS_type_browser)/YouTube/(FP_9_version) conflict that could lead to the  NPSWF32.dll error or a computer crash or hang.
To be more general,  "(NS_type_browser)/YouTube/(FP_9_version) conflict" should be replaced with  "(NS_type_browser)/(Internet_web_site)/(FP_9_version) conflict", since FP 9  versions newer than 9r_47 exhibit unpredictable behavior.  That  is, these FP 9 versions will crash on some sites (or videos), whereas on other  sites (or videos) these FP 9 versions will work fine.   
I thought with your expertise,  that you could clear up any "mere speculation" or  misunderstanding that I might have. 
But, evidently, this was not the case.
You say, "I would say, if FP8 on FF2 works for  you, why not just leave it at that?"
As you know -- or, at least, I hope you know --  different websites support different minimum Flash Player  versions.  That is, on a given website, FP 9 might work fine,  but FP 8 might not work at all -- and, in this case, you would  get a message saying you needed a later version of FP to watch the Flash  content.  (This message is stated differently on different sites, but it is  basically equivalent to what I've just said.)
why not just leave it at  that?
YouTube now supports both FP 8 and FP 9, but at  some point in the future I'm sure they will  discontinue support for FP 8.  If I didn't have a working FP 9, I'd be  SOL on YouTube !
As I explained, in the  present day, I can watch much,  much more Flash content while browsing the web with FP 9 with than with  FP 8.  Also, FP 9 gives a better picture than FP 8.
I'd guess the reason that you were not even aware  of this -- based on your question -- is that you are not limited by your OS and  hardware like I am.
I hope this answers your question, Pat.
Like I said, I'll give you a "helpful answer" -- 5  points -- just for responding to me here.
Thank you.
larryb123456