Computer question. Why would something not work and then work?

I have a software program on Windows 7 64 bit that I haven’t used in about 2 years. It’s a specific program for video capturing off a webcam (I was trying to image Jupiter last night). I was able to acquire an image, adjust the shutter speed and gain, etc., but when I tried to record it, I got an error message that said that the codec was wrong (It wasn’t. My camera uses the Y800 codec).

I did what any normal human would do and try it about 6 times, and I got the same error message. I even tried different codecs.

Finally, I gave up and went to a different program. That worked for awhile, but then crashed, so before packing up my equipment, just on a lark, I went back to the first program and all of a sudden it started working. I didn’t change anything.

Was the program upset that I hadn’t used it in 2 years or something and then stopped sulking?