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View Full Version : Adobe Flash Problems With Vista - Anyone Else Seeing This?

Jason Dunn
02-21-2007, 07:15 PM
For you Vista users out there, are you seeing strange issues with Adobe Flash (boy it feels strange to call it that) where the plugin is installed but not recognized on certain sites? On my wife's laptop (Toshiba M50) I'm using IE7 and have installed Flash. The "installation successful" page (http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/triggerpages_mmcom/flash.html) tells me that I have Flash installed. I can see the Flash banners here on Digital Media Thoughts, and other sites, just fine. Yet when I go to look at one of my videos on Revver (http://one.revver.com/watch/176442), it tells me that I need to have the latest Flash player installed. The same thing happens on YouTube. I've confirmed that "Shockwave Flash Object" is installed (Tools > Manage Add-Ons), and Flash9b.ocx is the file name. Is anyone else seeing the same thing, and do you know of a fix?

UPDATE: Before this went live, I continued to track down the problem and managed to fix it. Even though Adobe's online tool said I was running the latest version of Flash (9.0.28), it still wasn't working properly. I ran across a forum post (http://forum.osnn.net/showthread.php?t=88769) that suggested trying several things, so I found the install folder for Flash:

C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash

Inside that folder, there are two files: Flash9b.ocx, the ActiveX control that IE7 uses, and FlashUtil9b.exe. I shut down IE7 then ran FlashUtil9b.exe and it said that there was an update for my version of Flash - it downloaded a new version, I rebooted the PC as it suggested, and now I can view all Flash content on YouTube and Revver as I should. What's interesting is that the version number of Flash didn't change. I suspect the issue is more one of registering Flash with the system properly, and Adobe has a bug in the installer. This worked for me, so I hope it will work for you!
David Horn
02-21-2007, 07:18 PM
D'oh, about a week too late for me! I switched back to FireFox. :)
Gordo
02-21-2007, 07:56 PM
I was have problems with MSN Messenger that the Vista support forum pointed back to a Flash issue, and there were two fixes for the problem. One was to run an older version of Messenger, which I did, and the other was to un-install flash, and re-install. This did not always solve the problem for users.

I wonder if you have found the problem. I will try the install you mentioned and see if the lastest version of messenger works again.
jeffd
02-21-2007, 08:21 PM
I've been using firefox in vista with no problems unless I need to view windows media content. Namely gametrailers.com, firefox dosnt work correctly yet with the vista media player so I need to use IE for that still.
Jason Dunn
02-21-2007, 08:25 PM
Yeah, Firefox seems to have no problems, but it also gets Flash via a "real" installer, not an ActiveX plugin. I use Firefox day to day on my own computers, but IE7 is what my wife uses - there are still too many sites that don't work properly on Firefox, and it's one less tech support headache for me... ;-)

IE7 is fast, stable, and much safer than IE6, so I don't have a problem suggesting people use it.
Jason Dunn
02-21-2007, 08:50 PM
Well this is cool: Revver linked to my blog post on this...

http://blog.revver.com/?p=502
Damion Chaplin
02-21-2007, 09:23 PM
Yep, I've been having Flash problems myself. I don't need it much, so I've just been living with it, installing it from each page when it prompts me to do so. If I go through the motions IE seems OK, and it will let me see all the nifty PPC Techs ads on our front page. :wink:

I had to stop using Firefox entirely 'cause I kept encountering the 'previous installation' issue that I just couldn't resolve. I'll wait for the next version, one that's been fully tested with Vista.
Darius Wey
02-22-2007, 02:17 AM
It's worth noting that this solves the "FlashNotInstalled" error that appears when you attempt to access the Zune Marketplace within Vista, so if any of you have been experiencing said issue, do try the workaround before you punch the monitor. ;)
ctmagnus
02-22-2007, 02:40 AM
I ran the FlashUtil9b.exe file, and it said that there were no updates. But there were Install Now, Remind Me Later, and Don't Install buttons. So I clicked Install Now to see what would happen and it downloaded and installed something. Now, after a reboot due to Windows Update, it says that an update to the Flash player is available.

:confused totally:
hyedipin
03-02-2007, 04:04 PM
We are using firefox with vista home premium, and everytime I go into a page with flash content/ads it says plugin required, and firefox cannot install the flash plugin.. I tried "manual install" it made a HUGE mess out of my Firefox installation. Finally firefox stopped opening, it kept saying previous installation did not complete, pls restart or retry- everytime I tried.
I finally uninstalled, which didn't work either, and I had to pick up the pieces of FF from installation directory.. Later installed a clean install and left it like that.
ctmagnus
03-03-2007, 04:23 AM
Finally firefox stopped opening, it kept saying previous installation did not complete, pls restart or retry- everytime I tried.

I ran into the same thing. Turns out that when that happens, there is one file that you have to delete and Firefox stops complaining. But don't ask me what the file is as I can't remember atm - I Googled the error and it came up.