Silverlight plugin crashes when streaming Netflix movies online
75
Note: This item started as a HubPages Question but I have created this new hub so I can more easily reply to the suggestions from readers. Thank you!
For the last three weeks I've had a frustrating problem with streaming Netflix movies on my PC. The Microsoft Silverlight plugin continuously fails regardless of which web browser I use. I have tried Microsoft Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Firefox 4, and Google Chrome. All experience the same symptom: A Netflix movie will appear to load and then around 97% I get a message that the Silverlight plugin has crashed.
I have Windows XP with Service Pack 3 installed. I have updated Windows software. Everything updated except a .NET item that fails on install. Not sure if .NET is related to Silverlight. Yes, I have reinstalled Silverlight many times. I have uninstalled it and cleaned all traces of it with third-party uninstaller software. I have tried older versions of Silverlight. I have reinstalled the web browsers. I have tried many suggestions I've read online. But the problem is very stubborn. Nothing seems to work! I have the tech support people at Netflix and Microsoft completely stumped at the moment.
So I thought I would post this hub to see if any of you have run into this problem. Hopefully there can be a constructive technical discussion. If I do find a solution, I hope to share it with Netflix and Microsoft so they can help frustrated customers in the future.
The technical details:
The following information is from the Windows Event Viewer entry:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Application Error
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1000
Date: 4/30/2011
Time: 1:45:55 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MyComputer
Description:
Faulting
application iexplore.exe, version 8.0.6001.18702, faulting module
agcore.dll, version 4.0.60310.0, fault address 0x0050f73e.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 41 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74 Applicat
0008: 69 6f 6e 20 46 61 69 6c ion Fail
0010: 75 72 65 20 20 69 65 78 ure iex
0018: 70 6c 6f 72 65 2e 65 78 plore.ex
0020: 65 20 38 2e 30 2e 36 30 e 8.0.60
0028: 30 31 2e 31 38 37 30 32 01.18702
0030: 20 69 6e 20 61 67 63 6f in agco
0038: 72 65 2e 64 6c 6c 20 34 re.dll 4
0040: 2e 30 2e 36 30 33 31 30 .0.60310
0048: 2e 30 20 61 74 20 6f 66 .0 at of
0050: 66 73 65 74 20 30 30 35 fset 005
0058: 30 66 37 33 65 0d 0a 0f73e..
 | Amazon Price: $3.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $2.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $12.94 List Price: $24.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $5.25 List Price: $34.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $409.95 List Price: $599.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $0.77 List Price: $29.99 |
CommentsLoading...
Hi, I have tried watching films on my pc, and yep you got it, right at the end it crashed! me being a suspicious sort thought that maybe they do it deliberately!
PDXBuys Hub Author 12 months ago
Well, I finally found a fix for this problem. I downloaded a malware removal tool called ComboFix (available for free online). It immediately detected a problem. It reported that a driver file called volsnap.sys was patched with a "rootkit". A rootkit is malicious software that hides within a valid system file. My other virus scanners failed to detect it. After ComboFix repaired the problem Netflix with Silverlight ran without crashing. (ComboFix is a powerful tool but should be used with caution to avoid creating other problems.) I don't yet know the exact relationship between the volsnap.sys driver and MS Silverlight. I will continue to do research and post what I learn. Netflix and Microsoft did not seem to be aware of this particular problem so I will share my solution with them.
Curiously, back in 1995 Sony BMG published music CDs which utilized rootkit software to discourage copying. This was eventually revealed to the public and resulted in a class-action lawsuit being filed against Sony by the U.S.