Flash Player 12.0.0.4 will not install to Safari & Firefox OSX 10.7.5

[squidz]

I have gone through the "clean install" process posted in this forum 3 times now in an attempt to get FP 12.0.0.4 to install to Safari. I have downloaded 12.0.0.4 and run the install process. It successfully installs to Chrome but each time, Safari and Firefox again end up with 12.0.0.38! Then if I go back to the check Flash Player page: http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html

It will tell me 12.0.0.4 is the current verison that should be installed.

If I go to Mozilla's check plugins page https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/plugincheck/

It will tell me that 12.0.0.38 is installed for FF and is "up to date."

So, is 12.0.0.4 only for Chrome or what?

[C_F_McBlob]

Chrome (whether it's Windows or Mac) has its own Flash Player Plug-in. It's called PepperFlash and it works indepentdently of the Flash Player plugin in your Mac HD/Library/Internet Plug-ins folder.

12.0.0.44 is the current version of PepperFlash for Chrome on a Mac. You can find it in Mac HD/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/Versions/32.0.1700.107/Google Chrome Framework.framework/Internet Plug-Ins/PepperFlash

12.0.0.38 is the current version for Mac. (be it Safari, Opera, Firefox, SeaMonkey, iCab, or OmniWeb)

[squidz]

Ok. Thanks Mike.

It would be nice if Adobe published the correct information then.

The Flash Player page specifically shows 12.0.0.4 for Safari, FireFox and Opera. http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

Correct info would have prevented a pointless waste of time. The other Flash Player test page also reports the wrong information when viewing via Safari and FF.

http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html

See screenshots below.

[C_F_McBlob]

I don't see thaton my Mini, but I'm running the beta on my Mavericks machine and it's 13.

Flash Player Beta Plug-in for Mac OS X

My 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8 machines all have 12.0.0.38 though.

[squidz]

It does explain why it wouldn't ever install .4, but not that the Adobe checks keep telling me that .38 was outdated for Safari and FF. Everything does seem to be working now at least. I appreciate your responses and time Mike.

[C_F_McBlob]

That's a problem in the webpage and javascript. There are no less than 5 different "latest" versions of Flash Player 12, between IE, the standard plug-in and Chrome for Windows and Mac. 12.0.0.38, 12.0.0.41, 12.0.0.43, 12.0.0.47, 1nd 12.0.0.51

With Safari Windows and Mac both identifying the same as IE11 (Microsoft altered User Agent Strings in IE so it IDs as a "Webkit" browser, which Safari is), I really doubt that anyone gets an accurate read from that test page.

[_maria_]

Hi squidz,

It appears the version number is displaying truncated on the page you displayed.  The latest version is 12.0.0.44, released yesterday, as noted on page http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ for all browsers on Mac and Windows.  Usually the Chrome Plugin (Pepper-based Flash Player) and Windows 8.x ActiveX versions are different, but not this time around.  I have forwarded your screen-shot of the truncated text to the folks who manage that page so it can get fixed.

Please try re-installing, using Mike's instructions for performing a 'clean install' of Flash Player on Mac.

Thank you in advance.

--

Maria

[C_F_McBlob]

Yep... me, being on the Beta, I was totally unaware of yesterday's update. I've "got the memo" now. Silly me!

[squidz]

Maria -

I appreciate the input, but, as I mentioned, I did the clean install method 3 times and .38 was the result every time, thus my post about it not updating in Safari and FireFox. The screen shots above were take after repeatedly going through the process and ending up with .38 each time. Perhaps they updated the verification system before actually releasing the plugin update into the wild.

Can you confirm that Safari or FireFox under OSX is running .44 rather than .38?

Since the full screen issue I was having seems to be resolved for the moment, I don't think I'll venture down the path again until I have another problem that hinders work.

EDIT: Safari on my laptop IS showing .44 when I checked just now, even though I did not purposefully update it. I'll check the iMac back in the office Thursday. It seems like I may been doing this stuff during some funky window during the release. Only explanation I can think of.

[didotwite]

Did not read thru here but is the 'Allow Plug-ins' box checked under the security tab on Safari's Preferences? Checking that solved my installation problem today.

[pynkeye]

Hi Didotwite,

You'd think Adobe could say somewhere to make sure that Safari Preference box is checked off to "allow Plug ins"  instead of users wasting hours trying to figure that out.... come to think of it I might have had that problem when I first installed adobe quite awhile ago.

or as I say, the other solution of making sure to Quit the Safari browser and reopen.

Obviously lots of people don't know those two little important points.  I'm not that computer savy so that's why I turned to this discussion for help, along with hundreds of other people and thankfully there are so many nice people out there willing to help.

[_maria_]

Hello,

I'm sorry for the inconvenience and frustration this is causing our users.

I'll work with the appropriate folks to either update an existing tech note (if applicable) or create a new one to address this issue.

--

Maria

[pynkeye]

Thank you!!!

[_maria_]

Hi pynkeye,

You're welcome.

Since my last post, I have been reviewing several tech notes and I saw the enabled plug-ins issue is addressed in step 3 of the Flash Player Help tech note. 

--

Maria

[pynkeye]

Obviously many of us didn't look under the Flash Player Help or missed it, though that wasn't my issue this time.

It's good that you are taking everyone's concerns seriously as there seems to be hundreds of people experiencing the same problem and not knowing where to look or missing it under the Help.

I suppose maybe those points should be blatantly obvious in the download instructions.... ? I don't know what else to say.....I could see if I were the only one that had a problem....

[didotwite]

Absolutely Pynkeye, I hope that add a big box for anyone to see who is downloading Flash that says they need to have that box checked.

[_maria_]

Hi squidz,

Yes, the latest version, released yesterday is 12.0.0.44 for all browsers on Windows and Mac.

Do you have your update options set to 'Allow Adobe to install updates (recommended)'?  If so, it's very likely that the Background Update process updated the Flash Player silently.

--

Maria

[squidz]

Hey Maria -

Safari has updated on both my iMac and my MacBookPro now without any additional action from me. So, that seems to confirm that I just happend to have been trying to update during some timeframe where the verification and the release of the update were out of sync.

The only reason I was trying to force an update was due to issues I was having with viewing Flash based video that would go blank when popped to full screen in Safari on a dual monitor set up with my iMac and a similar white screen issue in Chrome (which also happens when no video is involved and appears to be a Chrome thing).

None of these issues were present on my MBP, so I wasn't sure if it was the Flash Player, a dual screen bug, OS or what. So, the easy first step was get current Flash Player...since the verification page kept telling me there was a new version. Yet, I was stuck with .38 even after going through Mike's "clean install" steps thrice.

Anyway, I still don't really know what caused the full screen issue, but it's fixed now. Just bad timing on when I tried to update, I believe.