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OldBobjr
Known Participant
October 10, 2018
Question

flash and Firefox crashes

  • October 10, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 4582 views

I have been having Flash issues since the flash update a week or so ago..even the Windows update did not improve things.  I have had several suggestions from Firefox, cleaning things and even a reset..and even here on adobe..deleting the flash folder etc..but Firefox still locks up upon exit or change to another flash site mostly..Today it is even worse.  I cannot sign onto zyngagames.com via my facebook account as when you sign it..flash crashes..and locks up Firefox..upon opening again..some thing happens.  I have a new HP laptop and have never had this issue .  W10 64bit and I use Firefox...Any other suggestions. I have sent crash reports several times.  so frustrated.

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    2 replies

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    epfeif
    Participant
    November 1, 2018

    Hello,

    I am not sure if our problems are related.  But I thought I'd post my issue for comment just to be suret 

    I manage about 4500 Windows endpoints for a public school district in Upstate New York.  We have been dealing with difficult issue ever since we deployed FlashPlayer v31.0.0.x to our Windows 10 1803 x64 clients running Firefox ESR v60.2.2 x64 (back in late September of 2018.) We have Firefox configured to launch to our district's homepage of pittsfordschools.org.  It is hosted by Blackboard.com.

    In the past, we had successfully deployed and used FlashPlayer v27 -> v30 in this configuration without issue.  When we upgraded to v31, we got widespread reports of Firefox hanging/locking up to the point that it had to be forcibly terminated by the end-user.  We have done considerable internal testing on the issue, and when we found that it only seemed to happen when browsing to our website, we opened a case at blackboard.com.  They have not been able to identify a cause stating they do not offer flash support via their hosting.

    Here is what we have observed:

    1) This issue has only happened on FlashPlayer v31.0.0.108 and v31.0.0.122

    2) It appears to happen with all versions of Firefox and Firefox ESR v60 or higher. (w/Flashplayer v31.x)

    3) Interestingly enough...the issue does not consistently always occur on every hardware platform. Systems with Intel Mobile processors manufactured in the last 3 years will produce the issue 9 of 10 times.  Systems with Intel 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation desktop processors may have the issue 1 out of 20 times.

    4) Uninstalling Flashplayer or rolling back to v30 or lower CORRECTS the issue every time.

    5) This issue has been observed on other Blackboard hosted sites

         www.bcsd.org/domain/18

         www.monroe.edu/

         www.wheatland.k12.ny.us/domain/9

         www.greececsd.org/

    6) homedepot.com ---> The issue also happens when using the SEARCH function on homedepot.com

    7) Naturally, This does not happen with Microsoft Edge and the Flash plugin supplied via Windows update

    I have gone over the Flash administrator's guide with a fine-toothed-comb, looking for anything that was somewhat unique to Flash v31.  I attempted to modify the local mmc.cfg file using each/all of the following settings, but none helped correct the issue.

        EnableInsecureByteArrayShareable=1

        EventJitterMicroseconds=0
        TimerJitterMicroseconds=0

    We have taken computers off-site to eliminate our internal network configuration / webfiltering. - but the problem persists.

    We have attempted clean OS installs (to eliminate Windows Updates) - to no avail

    We have attempted driver updates/rollbacks - no dice

    We have attempted BIOS updates on the most affected hardware platforms - no luck

    This issue is frustratingly difficult to replicate, but on the proper hardware platform, we can make it break most of the time.  This may be what there have been limited reports of this issue so far.  We feel the issue is likely tied to FlashPlayer, but we also lightly suspect that this might have ties to how Firefox Quantum handles processor threads and hardware acceleration.  But that's a bit of a longshot.

    So here I am.

    I NEVER post on forums, but this issue is severely impacting or District and I need to find an answer other than uninstalling Flashplayer.

    Many Thanks to All

    jeromiec83223024
    jeromiec83223024
    Inspiring
    November 2, 2018

    I'm on sabbatical for a few weeks, so I'm not going to be around to follow up, but I was checking mail for another reason and saw this come in and felt compelled to respond.

    A couple things off the top of my head:

    • Adobe doesn't provide direct support for free products, so the forums are your best bet.  The engineering team (including me) watches them pretty closely, so you can't really ask for better access to expertise.
    • Start a new thread.  It's easier to give you personalized advice that way, and it doesn't spam all of the other people on this thread.
    • Last time I checked, Home Depot didn't use Flash for search. 
      • I'm also not hearing about widespread stability issues with the Firefox ESR.  We work closely with those guys (and have a lot of old colleagues working there), and they're usually very quick to reach out.
      • I believe it's happening, but it's something nuanced and probably specific to your environment.
    • Provide some crash dumps and/or hang reports if you can
      • Actual .dmp files are super helpful, as Mozilla's EULA prevents them from sharing dumps on your behalf
      • Firefox crash reports are also good (see about:crashes), particularly if it's truly a hang (this might not generate a dump)
      • Report a Flash Player crash or error <---- here's a good guide
    E
    epfeif
    Participant
    November 2, 2018

    Appreciated.

    Yeah.  I am aware that both Blackboard and HomeDepot do not use flash.  Its a brain-scratcher, no-doubt.  But the observations I have included have been solidly vetted.  I was just hoping one of them might have rung a bell for the experts who shepherd this forum. 

    I definitely agree our environment was a potential player.  That is why we conducted a clean OS install off-site and retested - but we got the same results.

    I will go back to collecting relevant data in hopes of finding the bugger.

    Thanks for the suggestions.

    jeromiec83223024
    jeromiec83223024
    Inspiring
    October 10, 2018

    Report a Flash Player crash or error

    O
    OldBobjrAuthor
    Known Participant
    October 10, 2018

    I followed your link to report a bug and I filled out all lines/attached all files in last submitted crash report to the best of my ability  but when I get to the bottom, the submit bug will not let me submit..get no error message or any indication of what is wrong or missing from my report

    jeromiec83223024
    jeromiec83223024
    Inspiring
    October 10, 2018

    Feel free to just put that information in this thread.  I'll be happy to file it on your behalf.  I really just need the crash dumps, or the links to the Mozilla crash reports...

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