Flash Player for Internet Explorer Installed Google's Chrome

[Leaf_Mold]

System: Windows 7

Browsers:  SeaMonkey 2.49.2 and Internet Explorer 11.0.9600 .18922

I normally use SeaMonkey as my Web browser.  Recently, however, I needed to use Internet Explorer (IE).  The particular use required an updated IE version of Flash.  When I installed it, I also got Chrome installed, which I definitely do not want.  It took me the better part of an hour to rid my PC of all traces of Chrome.  Why did this happen?  What can I do to prevent it in the future? 

[_maria_]

Chrome is an optional offer on the Flash Player download page:

[Robert Mc Dowell]

internet explorer 11 on win 7 needs flash direct X version you can choose on the select list

[Leaf_Mold]

re:  Maria's reply

My process for updating applications is to download a full installer file whenever it is available, scan the file for malware with three different anti-virus applications, disconnect from the Internet, initialize logging of all registry and file changes, and then install.  I do not use stub installers or install from a link on a Web page if at all possible.

Thus, I downloaded the installer file for from https://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/latest/help/install_flash_player_ax.exe which did not provide any such option to avoid Google's Chrome.

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re:  Robert Mc Dowell's reply

Of course I know that.  That is why I downloaded from https://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/latest/help/install_flash_player_ax.exe and not from https://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/latest/help/install_flash_player.exe when I needed a current Flash for Internet Explorer.

[_maria_]

The link you used to download the ActiveX installer only installs Flash Player.  It doesn't install any optional third party offers.

[Leaf_Mold]

My entire 43-year career was with computer software.  Initially, I was a programmer; then, 30+ years was as a software tester of very complex systems used by the U.S. military to operate its earth-orbiting space satellites.  When I say that Google's Chrome was installed with the ActiveX version of Flash Player, that indeed is what happened.  

[Robert Mc Dowell]

that's very odd indeed, never heard such kind of issue.

did you try to remove all Flash settings cache files? do you have other google components installed on your computer?

[Leaf_Mold]

I rarely use Internet Explorer and had never before installed Flash for ActiveX.  Thus, I do not think I had any prior settings or caches for the ActiveX version.  I do have Flash for Mozilla (NPAPI) with settings. 

I have Google Earth, only because a certain Web site that I occasionally visit requires it.

[_maria_]

Google Chrome is an optional offer when downloading Flash Player from https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer and using the online/shim installer.  We occasionally find the online/shim installer available for download from unauthorized sites, in which case, Adobe does follow-up on to have the site remove the unauthorized files/links. The link you posted does NOT include the optional third party offer.  It only includes the Flash Player payload, nothing more, nothing less.

[Robert Mc Dowell]

It recalls me that google earth did some strange things on my laptop when I was installing other things.

it also automatically launched and force to stay running google crash report, which was slowing down all the system also.

But maybe you don't have the same issue.