Can't install flash player in Windows 8.1

[laurap426]

I have installed flash player multiple times on my computer (windows 8.1) but it does not appear in the control panel as an installed program and it doesn't appear in Chrome settings as an alternative to the integrated flash player that can be enabled/disabled.  And yet, I constantly get prompts from Adobe saying that I need to update my flash player.  I do know that Chrome has an integrated flash player so technically I am not required to download or use the regular flash player but the integrated one fails so often and I so frustrated with it that I would like to try disabling it and using the regular flash player as some website suggest I do.  How do I do this???

[_maria_]

Hi laurap426,

Once installed, Flash Player does appear in the Control Panel.  Not sure why it's not showing up for you. If you'd like to provide the FlashInstall.log log file I can review the file to see if there was an error during installation.  The FlashInstall.log file is located at:

• 32-bit OS: C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash
• 64-bit OS: C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash AND C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash (both files are required on a 64-bit OS).

The forums don't accept attachments and the files will most likely be fairly large, as such, please use the instructions posted here to upload the file(s): How to share a document

Google recently stopped displaying the non-embedded version of Flash Player in Chrome by default.  To use the non-embedded version of Flash Player in Chrome, launch Chrome from the command prompt with the argument --disable-bundled-ppapi-flash

--

Maria

[jeromiec83223024]

On Windows 8.1, Flash Player is also a built-in component of Internet Explorer, so there's nothing to download and install there, either.  The Flash Player control panel icon should be built into the OS by default.

I have Win10 installed at the moment so I can't give you precise directions, but if you launch the start menu and type "Flash Player", the control panel entry should show up on the search list unless you've followed some old instructions on the Internet about manually removing Flash Player (in which case, you've probably damaged the installation).

If you *have* manually removed stuff from the machine, the best way to get back to a working state is to uninstall the last Internet Explorer update on your machine, then re-install it from Windows Update.  You can do this from Programs and Features > Installed Updates.  Find the latest Internet Explorer update and remove it.  Immediately run Windows Update again and re-apply the update.  This should get you back to a working state.

The Control Panel is *not* going to help for Chrome, as Chrome is encapsulated and doesn't read from the centralized config files that Flash Player controls anyway, nor does the Flash Player native control panel affect how Flash Player gets launched by the browser.  In Chrome, if you look under about:plugins, expand details, then find Adobe Flash Player, you should see the built-in PPAPI Flash Player as enabled.  If not, enable it.  You might also want to check "Always allowed to run".

If you have any ad-blocking or anti-tracking plugins installed, this may prevent JavaScript on the page from instantiating Flash content, which can cause the "flash not detected" symptoms you're describing.

Finally, Chrome recently launched a plug-in power saving feature that might not be behaving well on a particular site for you.

You can confirm by disabling the following flag:

chrome://flags/#enable-plugin-power-saver

If the problem goes away, please file a Chromium bug, or reply here with step-by-step instructions on how to reproduce it, so I can report it to Google on your behalf.

Thanks!

[laurap426]

Hi Jeromie,

I don't use Internet Explorer, but I did uninstall my Chrome and reinstall to fix the fact that I manually removed stuff.  That seems to have solved that immediate problem although the problem of the internal bundled flash crashing repeatedly still exists. 

I do know about the Chrome plug in page.  The PPAPI Flash player (the only one shown) is enabled and "Always allowed to run" is checked.

Interesting about the ad-blocking plugins.  I will experiment with taking those off, but if I do I get inundated with pop-up ads so I'm replacing one hassle with another.

I disabled the power saving feature but so far haven't seen any difference.

I'm not sure how to provide step by step instructions about how to produce it.  It simply happens while I am working on Google.  All of a sudden, any of the pages I have open that need flash to operate freeze.  I get a message saying the plugin has stopped working, then I get those little jigsaw puzzle pieces with sad faces and then a get a prompt to reload the page.  There aren't any "steps" that I take that I can do manually to reproduce this issue.

If you have any other ideas, I'd be delighted to hear them.

Thanks,

Laura

[jeromiec83223024]

Just curious about your observations after disabling the popup blockers.

If it's still happening, can you go to chrome://crashes and submit one to Google?  If you can give me a link to the report, I'd like to take a look at the forensics.

[laurap426]

Hi Maria,

Sorry to be so late in responding.  I have put the install log files you requested on the cloud per the instructions in the link you provided.

I also launched chrome from the command prompt as you suggested.  Now, since the internal Chrome flash is disabled it does not appear in my Chrome plug in page at all, but neither does the regular flash player that I have (or at least I think I have) tried to install several times.  As a result, the browser that I opened from the command prompt won't play any flash content at all.  Is there something I'm supposed to do to this browser to enable it to recognize the regular flash player?

Thanks,

Laura

[janet poland]

can't seem todown load adobe flash player for my -magic saw puzzle--have been playing this puzzle about 40 times now it wants me todownload--please set this up for me--my case number is 40386708 with norton

[janet poland]

please