Flash Player not recognized

I am running Windows 8.1 64 bit.  Whenever I try to view something that requires flash player I get a message that Flash player is not installed, or it needs to be updated.

I've explored the flash player help site and tried everything there.  When I use the utility to check if flash player is installed, it tells me that flash  is disabled.  But if I go to Settings/Manage Add-ons/Toolbars and Extensions, it shows that Shockwave Flash Object - and all other Adobe Add-ons - are enabled.  Just for the heck of it I disabled and re-enabled Shockwave Flash Object, but no change.

If I try to reinstall Flash Player, the installation stops because the installation program recognizes the most current version is installed.

What else can I do to diagnose the problem and fix it?

Thanks for any help you can provide.