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November 9, 2016
Answered

Adobe flashplayer23_xa_install - fails - grey box

  • November 9, 2016
  • 1 reply
  • 1425 views

Windows 7, Firefox 49.0.2, no idea what current version of Flash (prob 22??) but I'm trying to update to 23.

Steps:

- I download flashplayer23_xa_install.exe from https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer -- I have unchecked the 'get the 2 other things' boxes because how about no.

- I open the folder where flashplayer23_xa_install.exe is, double-click it.

- I get a grey box:

and nothing happens.

- When I get bored of looking at the grey box that does nothing, I close it by clicking the X.

- flashplayer23_xa_install.exe disappears out of the folder it was in, and Internet Explorer opens and tries to load the get.adobe page linked above, but nothing loads. I close IE.

- Repeat the above. Utilize some choice words.

Pausing Kaspersky does not alter anything -- still a grey box, still does nothing, still tries to open IE.

I am crying that the flashplayer/distribution3 page is gone, because I have NEVER been able to successfully update Flash using the .exe from the get.adobe page.

How can this be fixed?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer _maria_

Hi,

I'd like to get the online/web installer log files to investigate. Please do the following:

  1. Create an empty text file named ADM.trace inside your %temp% directory (C:\Users\<YourUserID>\AppData\Local\Temp\).  The file extension itself is .trace, not .txt or anything else.
    1. To create the empty text file, navigate to the %temp% directory, right-click in an empty area and select New > Text Document
    2. Rename the new file to ADM.trace
      • make sure file extensions are visible so that the extension is .trace and not .txt.  See Show or hide file name extensions if file name extensions are not displaying.
  2. Launch the online installer then exit out of it (click the X)
  3. Upload the Adobe_ADM.log and Adobe_GDE.log files saved at C:\Users\<YourUserID>\AppData\Local\Temp\Adobe_ADMLogs to cloud.acrobat.com/send using the instructions at How to share a document .
  4. Post the link to the uploaded files in your reply

Alternatively you can use the offline installer posted at the bottom of the Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows 7 and earlier in the 'Still having problems' section.  However, without the log files we can't troubleshoot why this is happening on your system.

Thank you.

--

Maria

1 reply

_maria_
_maria_Correct answer
Legend
November 10, 2016

Hi,

I'd like to get the online/web installer log files to investigate. Please do the following:

  1. Create an empty text file named ADM.trace inside your %temp% directory (C:\Users\<YourUserID>\AppData\Local\Temp\).  The file extension itself is .trace, not .txt or anything else.
    1. To create the empty text file, navigate to the %temp% directory, right-click in an empty area and select New > Text Document
    2. Rename the new file to ADM.trace
      • make sure file extensions are visible so that the extension is .trace and not .txt.  See Show or hide file name extensions if file name extensions are not displaying.
  2. Launch the online installer then exit out of it (click the X)
  3. Upload the Adobe_ADM.log and Adobe_GDE.log files saved at C:\Users\<YourUserID>\AppData\Local\Temp\Adobe_ADMLogs to cloud.acrobat.com/send using the instructions at How to share a document .
  4. Post the link to the uploaded files in your reply

Alternatively you can use the offline installer posted at the bottom of the Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows 7 and earlier in the 'Still having problems' section.  However, without the log files we can't troubleshoot why this is happening on your system.

Thank you.

--

Maria

November 10, 2016

Thanks for getting back to me.

The Adobe_ADM.log is here

Shared Files - Acrobat.com

And there was no Adobe_GDE.log file in the folder, only the ADM log file.

I am thankful you linked the Installation problems page.  I have downloaded a file from the section you mentioned, but now I don't want to run it, because if I'm having this problem, getting it solved may help others too.

Let me know if I need to give more data. Thanks for your help!

_maria_
Legend
November 10, 2016

Thank you for providing the log file.  I do see an error I'm not familiar with and have forwarded it to the online/web installer team for further review.

The online/web installer downloads and installs Flash Player silently in the background.  Based on the log file, the failure is with the online installer itself, before it even launches Flash Player. You should be fine in using the offline installer to install Flash Player.

Thanks again for providing the log file.  If the online/web installer team needs more info they'll most likely post directly.

--

Maria