Member Avatar for Rushikesh_1

I have one html file which contains mp4 video on file server. when I open that html file and try to play the video it does not play on IE, but same plays on Mozilla and chrome. And when I copy html file and the video on local system ex desktop it works on IEas well as on other browser

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Dani AI

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Given ’s clarification that the HTML+MP4 are being opened from a network share (and that the identical files play when copied to the local disk), this is far more likely to be a hosting/IE security or delivery issue than a codec/driver problem (as suggested). The usual culprits are how IE treats UNC/file:// pages and how the MP4 is served (HTTP headers, range support, and where the MP4’s metadata—moov atom—sits).

Likely causes to check

  • IE security zone handling for network (UNC) paths — network files can be treated as a less-trusted zone and block media playback or progressive loading.
  • Serving method: file:// (SMB) vs HTTP. Browsers behave differently; IE frequently expects HTTP semantics (Content-Type, byte-range support).
  • HTTP headers / server config (when served via IIS): missing MIME type for .mp4 or lack of Accept-Ranges/206 support breaks progressive playback/seeking.
  • MP4 file layout: if the MP4’s moov atom is at the end, browsers need range requests to find it; without range support playback can fail.

Practical troubleshooting steps (in order)

  • Use IE F12 Developer Tools → Console and Network while reproducing the failure. Note any errors and the network request/response for the MP4 (status, Content-Type, Accept-Ranges).
  • Quick HTTP test: serve the folder with a simple HTTP server on the file server (avoids SMB oddities) and retry from the client:
# Python 3, run in the folder with the HTML + MP4
python -m http.server 8000
  • If hosting on IIS, ensure Static Content is enabled and add a MIME mapping for .mp4 → video/mp4. Confirm the server responds to range requests (206 Partial Content) for byte ranges.
  • If the MP4 fails on HTTP because moov is at the end, rewrite it for progressive download with ffmpeg:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -movflags faststart -c copy out.mp4

Quick IE/security checks

  • In Internet Options → Security → Local intranet → Sites, enable “Include all network paths (UNCs)” (for testing only) or add the server as a trusted intranet host so the page is treated as intranet content. Avoid permanently lowering security settings.

Recommendation
For reliable cross-browser playback, host video over HTTP(S) with correct MIME/type and range support and use “web-optimized” MP4s (moov atom at front). This fixes the majority of cases where the same file plays locally but fails from a server share.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for rubberman

Sounds like IE on the file server doesn't have the video driver it needs. Solution, use FF or Chrome. If you have to use IE on the server, see if you can find the driver / plugin to decode it. My guess is that the versions of IE are different between the server and desktop.

Member Avatar for Rushikesh_1

sorry forgot to mentioned that i am trying to access html file from client computer(win 7 and win 8), it plays video when i copy folder including html and video and other files to local client computer, but does not play when i try to play directly from server share.

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