Flash installer updating secondary browser instead of default

[Rick141]

I have three Windows 7 computers.  All of them use Firefox 52.5.3esr as the default browser, and they all also have IE 11 installed for secondary use.  I have Flash player, as always, set to notify me of updates, but let me decide whether to install.

Normally, if the Flash "Update Available" dialog appears on the desktop (usually soon after system start), and I proceed with the install, what it updates is the default browser, Firefox.  This is how it still works on two of the computers.  But on the third computer, for the last couple installs, it has updated IE instead of Firefox.  (I double-checked to ensure Firefox is still set as the default browser on that computer.)

Any ideas on why this could be happening, and how to remedy it (other than remembering that Flash is updating the wrong browser on that computer, and that I need to do a manual Firefox update)?  Thanks.

[_maria_ · Accepted solution]

Whether or not a browser is the default browser has no bearing on what Flash Player plugin is updated via Notification Updates (what you have your system configured to).  If IE was updated instead of Firefox it simply means that you happened to be using IE when Flash Player checked for an update and the system was subsequently configured to update IE, not Firefox.

Note that for Notification Updates it can take up to 7 days to notify the user that an update is available.  The update will also be ONLY for the Flash Player type (ActiveX, NPAPI, or PPAPI) that checked for an update.  This is how Notification Updates have worked since inception.

The best way to update ALL Flash Player types (ActiveX, NPAPI, or PPAPI) that are installed on a system is to opt into Background Updates.  Background Updates generally updates all Flash Player types installed on a system within 24 hours of a new version being available, assuming an active internet connection is available.

[Rick141]

Thanks for the helpful reply.  My wife now tells me she had indeed been using IE on that computer (as Firefox seemed slow) before the Flash update-available notice appeared, so that would jibe with your explanation.  Normally, as I said, the update notification appears just after system startup, before any browser is opened...but I guess that wasn't the case here.

[_maria_]

the update notification appears just after system startup, before any browser is opened

This is expected behaviour for Update Notification.  When an update is encountered, a registry entry is created to display the Update Notification dialog window upon system startup (or login if the user logs out).