Why do short video clips take forever to load?

[jmw44]

With apologies for coming to you good folks with an issue than any twit should already know how to solve . . .

I was thrilled when your excellent instructions helped me load flash player successfully.  I was able to preview quite a few video clips to show my Fine Arts Survey class.  Then just yesterday everything slowed down to slower than a snail's pace.  Even the shortest video clips at youtube are taking forever.  Can you give me some leads on things to check?  Does something build up with every new video clip watched?  I do a huge amount of browsing (internet explorer) and searching (ixquick), but it is a necessary evil for engaging teens in a survey course. 

I do see tiny pop-ups that ask if Adobe can save something on my computer.  Am I an idiot? 

Any leads or links you may be able to share will be appreciated,

jmw

[pwillener]

Since you mention Internet Explorer, I assume that you are on Windows.

Do you sometimes clear your browser cache?  (Tools | Internet Options | tab General | Delete browsing history)

Do you sometimes clear Flash Player local storage?  (Control Panel | Flash Player Settings Manager | tab Storage | Delete all)

Does enable/disable Hardware Acceleration make any difference?  (See http://forums.adobe.com/thread/891337)

Do you have the latest graphics drivers installed?  (See http://forums.adobe.com/thread/945765)

Finally, is your Internet connection stable?