Fresh Win 7 Install, Unable To View Streams

sinvicta

Hello everyone,

I've been experiencing some frustrating issues lately with Twitch and ONLY Twitch streams ever since my main mechanical drive failed on me two weeks ago and I switched to an SSD for my main operating system hard drive.  I won't bore you with non-important issues so I will get straight to the meat of the problem I've been experiencing.

Ever since going to the SSD, I have noticed I have been unable to watch any Twitch TV stream while it's broadcasting no matter if it's straight from the TTV site, embedded, Team Liquid, etc.  This is what happens right now when I attempt to view any TTV stream:

- The stream loads ads with no issue

- The chat loads with no issue

- The LIVE watermark appears with no issue

- The video itself remains black for about a minute, then loads 1 or 2 seconds of video and audio (if i'm lucky) then freezes again

 

Before I continue:

YES:  I have the latest video drivers (including the older version I was previously running on my mechanical HDD before it failed).

YES:  I have disabled hardware acceleration in the Flash settings.

YES:  I have the latest version of Flash *Not a beta version*, I am running the exact same version of Flash on my work laptop right next to me, on the same network, with the same Flash settings without issue.

NO:    I do not have an infection on my computer 100% guaranteed.  I've tried many different angles in an attempt to single out the one cause of this issue and EVERYTIME I've tried something new I have formatted and reinstalled Windows 7 on the SSD.  Spyware / Viruses are a non-issue here.

NO:    I am not running any A/V software whatsoever during these tests.  I have even disabled Windows Defender.

YES:  I have made sure the Control Panel Flash Settings have been set to "Allow sites to save info..."

YES:  I am able to stream at 2000 bitrate with Xsplit without any stutter whatsoever, my Internet connection has not changed since the switch from the HDD to the SSD

YES:  I have attempted every browser (IE, FF, GC) with zero add-ons / plug-ins added.  No AdBlock, No FlashBlock, zero add-ons.

 

Now that I have established the facts I will also say that there is no difference in Operating System / Hardware / BIOS Firmware, etc. since losing my mechanical HDD.  The desktop is 100% the same minus the fact that I am now running the OS on a solid state drive.  Additionally, other streaming websites such as Own3d, Livestream, YouTube Livestream, etc. has zero issues with viewing streams, it is solely a Twitch TV issue for my computer.

 

I am willing to provide any and all additional technical information to whom it may concern if it means helping solve this problem.  Again, I have formatted and re-installed Windows 7 four times now in hopes to narrow down the issue and it's been unsuccessful.  I have tried to watch streams with the Standard VGA adapter with zero Windows Updates downloaded all the way to the latest beta drivers for the EVGA GTX 680 I use and everything in between.

I apologize for the length of the post, but I hope with being as descriptive as possible I will be able to get the attention from a TTV Tech or someone who has an answer to this issue. 

Much appreciated.  - Sin

sc2bashful

Better write up then I could have ever done. Have the same problem as OP has described only difference i built a new computer with a ssd drive  Twitch used to work on my old system, and on my new system current does what OP describes ( broken ) . If anyone finds a solution to the problem would love to know thanks.

Fire

What SSD do you guys have? Other system specs?

sinvicta

Hi Fire, I apologize for the tardiness of this reply.

My system specs are as follows:


OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

SSD: Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
MOBO: ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ AMD 990FX

RAM:  G. SKILL Ares Series 16 GB +  G. SKILL Ripjaws Series 2 G = 18 GB
CPU:   AMD Phenom II X6 1100T (Thuban) 3.31 ghz
GFX:  EVGA GTX 680 SC+

I will be happy to post more in-depth information if needed (ie. RAM timings, latency, SSD write speed, graphics card specs, etc.).

sinvicta

I should also mention that I have done a 100% clean uninstall / install of every new video driver so far.

sc2bashful

 Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 

 BIOS: BIOS Date: 04/18/12 16:51:02 Ver: 04.06.05

 Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.4GHz

 Memory: 32768MB RAM (32 g)

 Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670

  SSD: Crucial M4 2.5" 512 GB SATA 3 MlC Internal ssd 

sinvicta

Interesting that we both have Crucial SSDs.

thortok2000

Same issue, even down to the 'if I'm lucky maybe 1 to 2 seconds' thing.

What's worse is that 'on demand' videos like past recordings just don't seem to buffer very well at all.  And they're not even live.

I also have Windows 7 64 bit on a Kingston SSD drive, also 64 GB.  I also have an HDD 250gig in the computer as a second drive but the OS is on the SSD.

sinvicta

I did a test stream tonight on WoW and tried to watch the play back post-stream and I saw the same thing you did thortok when it came to the horrible buffer speed.  Hoping to hear back from a Twitch Tech soon...

thortok2000

Tested streams on my other computer, windows xp 64 bit, on a HDD.  Streams work fine there.

So far everyone I've seen have this problem streaming says they're using windows 7, and so far nobody's said that they're using an HDD instead of an SSD so that could also be a correlation.

sinvicta

Again, I never had this issue on my old mechanical HDD, this has only recently come up since replacing my OS drive with an SSD.  I have also watched the exact same stream simultaneously on my laptop right next to my desktop without issue, however my laptop is running off of a mechanical drive and not an SSD.

I started to suspect a possible router interference.  I am the head technician and manager of a PC Tech Shop and logic dictates that if the software is not at fault (coming from a fresh Windows 7 format), then one would deduce that hardware is to blame.  I currently have my affected desktop at my office and will be conducting tests with streams on a different network / router.

I will post more once I've run some additional tests.  I would still love for a Twitch Tech to comment on this issue though.

biotest

i use the vertex 3 120gb SSD with windows 7 64bit and have no trouble watching streams.

sinvicta

You're lucky then, congrats.

sinvicta

After running tests on the streams yesterday (completely different network, ips, router, etc.) I had the same result:  Any Twitch stream would load the first 2 or 3 seconds then freeze and no longer buffer.  I am officially out of ideas outside of testing my machine with a brand new mechanical drive and do a clean Win 7 install on it which is something I currently do not have time for. 

Any assistance or acknowledgement from a Twitch Tech would be greatly appreciated at this point.

sinvicta

I have been searching through various forum posts (including the Twitch forums) and some have been saying it is an issue with FireFox and the newest version of Flash.   However, on my aforementioned laptop, I use Firefox WITH the latest version of Flash without issue.

Again, the only variable in my issue seems to be with the solid state drive.

thortok2000

Issue also occurs in IE and Chrome so it's not just Firefox.

sinvicta

I know, I was stating that I was not having an issue with only FF.

sc2bashful

Don't think Twitch tech support cares to be honest  :(

Fire

@sc2bashful I'm investigating, just haven't found anything yet. It's rather hard to diagnose something like this when it deals with a rather expensive piece of hardware. It's not like I can just go out and buy one myself to test with :p

thortok2000

A lot of people are experiencing the issue, so you'd think finding a common theme at this point would be the first priority.

Perhaps putting a thread asking for system specs of everyone experiencing the issue, and identifying the issue exactly (so it doesn't get confused with other similar issues), such as was done in the OP, would be a start.

Fire

@thortok2000 thing is, this isn't the same black screen issue as others, so nailing down what causes which issue is the biggest problem.

thortok2000

I was just checking my videos (already recorded ones) and they seem to work just fine now, in Chrome and Firefox.

I tried watching streams and I actually got one to work, but then I tried some others, and they didn't work, even going back to the one that worked it didn't work a second time.

At least the already recorded ones work well now, load pretty much instantly and buffer just like any other video like on youtube.  But live streams still need work.

k3vlar12

I've been having similar problems.

Specs

Win 7 32 Home Prem on a Toshiba L305 Satellite, no hardware upgrades except 2x2gb of Kingston RAM

 Latest version of Chrome and Flash (11.3.300.265 Not sure what Chrome is, 13? maybe?)

Adblock installed but disabled,  also have attempted clean install of chrome with no add ons

Too lazy to dl and try FF and IE, that's a joke, i don't want a workaround using IE.  Besides others have already stated it's not the browser since the problem exists across all 4 major browsers.

I have all the same settings as my desktop and that one is running fine. 

My Symptoms (in case you determine this is a different problem):

Streams don't load. Period.  No chat, black screen, no audio, no live watermark, no offstream screensaver.  Just a black video player with controls that don't do anything

Everytime I visit twitch Chrome says it's "unsafe", that i've reached a page that may not be the page I was looking for.  The server identifies itself as a.kai870 something or other and the security certificate doesn't match

If I click proceed anyway twitch loads a barebones 1990's looking html page with no CSS styling elements, no background, Just text and hyperlinks and bullets and pictures all left-aligned. I get a bar across the top saying the page may contain unsafe content, and I can choose to load anyway or block the content. There is no change in the page no matter my choice.  

Once I log in i get the normal twitch page with CSS but black screens where there should be video. If I open a stream I get the same issues I previously mentioned and as OP.

Fire

I've been having similar problems.

Specs

Win 7 32 Home Prem on a Toshiba L305 Satellite, no hardware upgrades except 2x2gb of Kingston RAM

 Latest version of Chrome and Flash (11.3.300.265 Not sure what Chrome is, 13? maybe?)

Adblock installed but disabled,  also have attempted clean install of chrome with no add ons

Too lazy to dl and try FF and IE, that's a joke, i don't want a workaround using IE.  Besides others have already stated it's not the browser since the problem exists across all 4 major browsers.

I have all the same settings as my desktop and that one is running fine. 

My Symptoms (in case you determine this is a different problem):

Streams don't load. Period.  No chat, black screen, no audio, no live watermark, no offstream screensaver.  Just a black video player with controls that don't do anything

Everytime I visit twitch Chrome says it's "unsafe", that i've reached a page that may not be the page I was looking for.  The server identifies itself as a.kai870 something or other and the security certificate doesn't match

If I click proceed anyway twitch loads a barebones 1990's looking html page with no CSS styling elements, no background, Just text and hyperlinks and bullets and pictures all left-aligned. I get a bar across the top saying the page may contain unsafe content, and I can choose to load anyway or block the content. There is no change in the page no matter my choice.  

Once I log in i get the normal twitch page with CSS but black screens where there should be video. If I open a stream I get the same issues I previously mentioned and as OP.

Are you using HTTPS to connect to Twitch?

sinvicta

Hi Fire, thanks for getting back at my thread (even though it wasn't directly addressing me :P ).

I am able to stream to other sites (Own3D, Livestream, UStream, etc.) without any issue whatsoever.  The picture looks as clear as they used to on my old HDD and play back is a breeze.  I entertained the idea of using Wireshark (if you have to ask what it is don't worry about it) to see which ports could potentially be blocked by my router but decided against doing so due to the fact that I can run any and all Twitch streams from my aforementioned laptop, on the same router, on the same network, with the same network settings as my desktop without issue.

At this point I am officially out of ideas, but I will gladly work with the TTV Techs to try an unravel this mystery.  I would definitely hate to leave Twitch TV for streaming my own content but I unfortunately can't wait too much longer.  :(  Please contact me directly if I can be of further assistance.

zolden

i am also getting this at first i thought it was just me .. i hope this fixes soon enough ... sometimes they will work ... recantly ive been going no towelliee stream .. it use to freeze up but yesterday it was working fine.

zolden

Btw i just did a test and apparently if i go 720p it will run smoothly no lag .... but if u go higher or lower it will lag on towelliee stream .. duno if that helps or anything

sinvicta

I've tried all resolutions and the higher ones have a better chance to load...for a bit.  In the end though they all freeze.

sinvicta

This is getting very frustrating not being able to watch or stream on Twitch TV properly.  Any updated on the investigation is greatly appreciated.

sinvicta

@Fire I am going to take an unorthodox approach to this problem at this time since it still appears to be an ongoing issues with the engineers at Twitch and I will be doing so by taking a Windows 7 Desktop with a mechanical HDD onto my home network and starting from a fresh format.  If this works, then I think we can have a solid case for the issue is with the SSD...unless you can direct me into the right direction.

I am actively following this thread only and purposefully not posting in other threads as it serves no purpose to my problem.  I really need some sort of resolution on the matter as soon as possible so this is about the last step that I can think of that I can self-diagnose / troubleshoot before I'm out of options.  I really, really do not want to switch streaming sites as I've been directing my viewers to my channel for some time now, but when it comes down to it, I can't afford to put normal streaming activities off any longer for a problem that only occurs with Twitch and not other sites.

Any updates or some sort of acknowledgement that the problem has been passed up the ladder would be greatly appreciated.  :)

Fire

We need a larger user pool to confirm it, right now we have... two? I'll see if I can get some more people to look at the thread.