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C
CflashP_84rocks
Known Participant
September 30, 2014
Answered

Active X Control is in sysWOW64, AND System 32. I NEED IT DELETED from System 32.

  • September 30, 2014
  • 1 reply
  • 5460 views

I'm on an Acer laptop, with a 1.9gHz Intel Celeron. I'm running Windows 7 HP. I use IE11 AND Firefox32 both, all of the time. Flash15_0_0_152 was installed in sysWOW64/Macromed/Flash, for exclusive use in the 64 bit Internet Explorer, but the 15_0_0_152.ocx file, (Active X Control), also installed into System 32/Macromed/Flash folder, where I need to install the Flash "plugin for all other browsers", i.e., the Firefox 32 bit browser.

I don't think having the Active X Control in System 32 will allow Flash Player to operate properly, ( in Firefox ). With that said, how do I delete the file from System 32, so as to proceed with the FP "plugin for all other browsers" install?

@m_vargas

@3561848 Willener

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer _maria_

Hi there.

You're conclusions are incorrect.

WOW64 stands for "Windows 32-bit on Windows 64-bit" so SysWow64 is the 32-bit location on a 64-bit OS, and System32 is the 64-bit location on a 64-bit OS.  Yes, confusing, but it's Microsoft's product and they decide these things. See File System Redirector (Windows) for more information, or Google SYSWoW64.

Flash Player supports both 32- and 64-bit, and will install both on a 64-bit OS. You can't install one or the other, nor uninstall one or the other, it's all or nothing on 64-bit OS.

The ActiveX Control is exclusively for Internet Explorer (and other apps that use the ActiveX Control) and will not work with Firefox.  If you only install the ActiveX Control and try to view Flash content on Firefox it won't display. For Flash Player in Firefox (and other npapi-based browsers), you'll need to install the Plugin.  Both ActiveX Control and Plugin live happily in the same directory.

HTH.

--

Maria

1 reply

_maria_
Community Manager
_maria_Community ManagerCorrect answer
Community Manager
September 30, 2014

Hi there.

You're conclusions are incorrect.

WOW64 stands for "Windows 32-bit on Windows 64-bit" so SysWow64 is the 32-bit location on a 64-bit OS, and System32 is the 64-bit location on a 64-bit OS.  Yes, confusing, but it's Microsoft's product and they decide these things. See File System Redirector (Windows) for more information, or Google SYSWoW64.

Flash Player supports both 32- and 64-bit, and will install both on a 64-bit OS. You can't install one or the other, nor uninstall one or the other, it's all or nothing on 64-bit OS.

The ActiveX Control is exclusively for Internet Explorer (and other apps that use the ActiveX Control) and will not work with Firefox.  If you only install the ActiveX Control and try to view Flash content on Firefox it won't display. For Flash Player in Firefox (and other npapi-based browsers), you'll need to install the Plugin.  Both ActiveX Control and Plugin live happily in the same directory.

HTH.

--

Maria

C
CflashP_84rocksAuthor
Known Participant
October 1, 2014

Downloading Flash ( Active X ), for Internet Explorer, all of the files should go to their Flash folder. Mine is at C:// Windows/sysWOW64/Macromed/Flash. During the download, the Active X Control, (.ocx) file, simultaneously downloaded to C://Windows/System 32/Macromed/Flash, which is where the Flash plugin for Firefox was going to go. If I download the plugin to this Flash folder, it will reside there along with the Active X .ocx file. Having the Flash plugin files in the same Flash folder with the Active X Control will not allow Flash to operate properly in Firefox, right?

That being said, shouldn't the .ocx file be gone from the System 32/Macromed/Flash folder, BEFORE downloading the Flash plugin files TO THAT FOLDER. Won't Active X  corrupt the plugin, thereby causing a malfunctioning Flash Player?

_maria_
Community Manager
_maria_Community Manager
Community Manager
October 2, 2014

Hi,

"Downloading Flash ( Active X ), for Internet Explorer, all of the files should go to their Flash folder. "

On a 64-bit OS, BOTH the ActiveX and Plugin will install to \Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash (64-bit location) AND \Windows\SysWow64\Macromed\Flash (32-bit location).  These are the Flash folders for the ActiveX Control and the Plugin.  The ActiveX Control has no bearing in how Flash operates in Firefox, and likewise, the Plugin has no bearing in how Flash operates in IE.  They are completely separate.  IE doesn't know about NPAPI plugins and Firefox doesn't know about ActiveX Control.

I'm not sure why why you think that the OCX should be removed from the Flash folder before the Plugin is installed nor why you feel they should not reside in the same location.  Are you experiencing playback issues in either IE or Firefox, or both?

--

Maria

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