Uninstall of flash player 11 active X

my computer has a win 7 pro operating system. i am trying to uninstall flash player 11 active x and i keep getting asked to close internet explorer in order to continue. internet explorer is NOT open. i even checked the task manager and it also indicates that internet explorer is not open. i down loaded the uninstaller just in case to try it that way, and the same message pops up before continuing with the uninstall. any and all assistance is appreciated. thanks.