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mdavison2001
Participant
November 22, 2013
Answered

Flash Player will NOT work in useless Windows 8.1

  • November 22, 2013
  • 2 replies
  • 44582 views

I am now regretting upgrading to Windows 8.1 Flash Player (even after following ALL of the reccomended fixes on the forums) will NOT work in Windows 8.1 It is now clear that there is no official fix for this - if there was, Microsoft would put out an update which would fix the problem. As such, we are left with a bunch of patched-together "maybe this will work" unofficial fixes - of which none work.

As with many others with this problem, I have Windows 8.1, 64 bit system with IE 11. Yes, I have the latest flash player installed. Yes, I can see the bouncing ball or whatever the hell it is in the grey box.. or the clouds moving in the other box. Yes, Shockwave in enabled in manage add-ons. Yes, ActiveX Filtering is not checked under Safety. I have gone through this checklist so many times, my head is spinning. The most annoying part when I "test" to see if the latest Flash version is installed (sigh, of course it is) is this message: "You aren't running IE in Windows 8" Well duuhhh. Of course I'm not. I just upgraded to your stupid 8.1 platform.

So is somebody asleep at the switch at Microsoft? They roll out 8.1 and screw everybody who installs it when it doesn't work properly with Flash? Shouldn't they have tested this first? Why hasn't this problem been fixed yet? It is apparent that I'm not the only one who is frustrated beyond the point of seeing white at this incompetence.

Does anyone know if there is a fix coming out for this outrageous error? Or shall we all just sit back and twiddle our thumbs like the gang at Microsoft?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer jeromiec83223024

The problem isn't with Flash Player... It's with Internet Exploder. Pages and sites can't recognize the browser, so there's no way imaginable that they'll recognize the plugins in the browsewr they can';t recognize in the first place.  Microsoft is (and has been) aware of this problem, and their response is one of denial that would make the Obama adminsitration jealous.
"There's nothing wrong with the browser, it's the entire Internet that's messed up." or "It can't be our browser, it's 3.5 billion users' computers that have the problem."

Microsoft says to use "Compatibility View" and pretend you're using something else. I could never stand Microsoft's 110% pure garbage excuse for a browser, and have ALWAYS used something else.

Firefox (from Mozilla)

Opera (from Opera)

Safari (from Apple)

Chrome (from Google)

ANY of those will work where IE11 won't, with the Flash Player Plug-in (For all other browsers), and Chrome doesn't even need that because it has its own Flash Player plugin built in.

Free yourself from Microsoft. You won't regret it.


Flash Player is actually built into Internet Explorer on Windows 8 and 8.1.  There is nothing for you to download or install from Adobe.

From the description of the problem, it sounds like you're going to a website and getting a message that Flash Player cannot be found.

On most sites, there is JavaScript that determines what version of your browser and Flash are installed, so that it can determine what content to show you.  In Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft changed the string that identifies Internet Explorer to those scripts, and it's very likely that the website you're visiting needs to make adjustments to accommodate the change.  There will probably be a bumpy transition period as major web properties notice the problem and fix it.

In the meantime, Mike's suggestions are good.  Use Compatibility Mode or an alternate browser.  You may also want to contact the website (particularly if they're a small shop) to let them know about the problem.  You're on the early end of the adoption curve, and they might need a head's up.

Thanks!

2 replies

maddogcr
maddogcr
Participating Frequently
November 14, 2014

I've been going crazy for many days with this "flash player is disabled or active X filter is on". I've been through all the threads and tried every suggestion with negative results.

Looking at my program list, I noticed the Shockwave Player didn't have the usual Adobe icon next to it. So I uninstalled it and downloaded a new Shockwave player from Adobe and like magic all videos now play!

THE PROBLEM WAS THE SHOCKWAVE PLAYER AND NOT THE FLASH PLAYER!!!!!!

I  hope this helps someone else and saves you days of banging your head against the wall!

A
Anonymous
June 22, 2016

yes me too is there anything that works better than adobe

_maria_
Community Manager
_maria_Community Manager
Community Manager
June 22, 2016

@kathleens47419067


You're posting to a discussion that is several years old.  Chances are whatever you're experiencing is not the same as the original topic.  Please start a new topic and provide the following information:

C_F_McBlob
C_F_McBlob
Inspiring
November 22, 2013

The most annoying part when I "test" to see if the latest Flash version is installed (sigh, of course it is) is this message: "You aren't running IE in Windows 8" Well duuhhh. Of course I'm not. I just upgraded to your stupid 8.1 platform.

First of all, Microsoft is responsible for the abominations they call "8.1" and IE11, not Adobe. You should direct your anger at them. I have a laptop with Windows 8, and about five times a week I want to run it over or throw it into traffic and let others run it over. I hate Windows 8, and 8.1 is no better.

Second, I have a test machine with 8.1 (I set it up last week) and I saw the "You aren't running IE in Windows 8".  Enabling Compatibility View solved it for me. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/use-compatibility-view#ie=ie-11

After I did that, it said "Flash Player 11.9.900.152 Internet Explorer" (no version).  YouTube, ESPN, NASCAR... ALL play videos in Compatibility View.
I dont use Facebook, but I've seen people here who couldn't upload pics or video BEFORE using Comp View, and now they can.

K
KYRands
Participant
December 30, 2013

Having the same problem as Mdavison.  Done all the same things.  Loved that you had a simple solution but guess what....   Doesn't solve the problem.   At least with Spotify.

Spotify won't recognize that adobe flash is enabled on windows 8 with IE 11, gives the error codes as listed above. and won't run in the compatibility view.  Get the message:

Browser not Supported

Unfortunately your browser is currently not supported. You can also download the Spotify desktop client for access to all our great features.

All i wanted to was listen to a clip of songs on a the top billboard hit in my browser.

I HATE it when two BIG software companies can't just work out how to work together for the benefit of their users.   VERY lame for Adobe to just shift all the blame to Microsoft.

C_F_McBlob
C_F_McBlob
Inspiring
December 30, 2013

The problem isn't with Flash Player... It's with Internet Exploder. Pages and sites can't recognize the browser, so there's no way imaginable that they'll recognize the plugins in the browsewr they can';t recognize in the first place.  Microsoft is (and has been) aware of this problem, and their response is one of denial that would make the Obama adminsitration jealous.
"There's nothing wrong with the browser, it's the entire Internet that's messed up." or "It can't be our browser, it's 3.5 billion users' computers that have the problem."

Microsoft says to use "Compatibility View" and pretend you're using something else. I could never stand Microsoft's 110% pure garbage excuse for a browser, and have ALWAYS used something else.

Firefox (from Mozilla)

Opera (from Opera)

Safari (from Apple)

Chrome (from Google)

ANY of those will work where IE11 won't, with the Flash Player Plug-in (For all other browsers), and Chrome doesn't even need that because it has its own Flash Player plugin built in.

Free yourself from Microsoft. You won't regret it.

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