Flash

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Revision as of 20:10, 26 January 2006 by Alice Wyman (talk | contribs) (Flash 8 crash and display issues reorganized (see discussion).)
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Macromedia Flash (or just "Flash") usually refers to the Macromedia Flash Player and browser plugin needed to handle SWF ("Shockwave Flash") files that provide web page animations and interractive content. If you cannot find a Flash Player for your OS, find it manually on this page. Downloads are also available through PluginDoc.

Security alert

Flash Player versions 7.0.53.0 and earlier contain a security flaw that can allow the execution of arbitrary code (read the advisory). All users should update to Flash Player 8.0.22.0 (Flash Player 7.0r61 if using Windows 95/NT 4.0 Linux or Flash Player 7.0r60 on Solaris [1]).

Windows

Download the Macromedia Flash Player installer and install it.

Installation Issues

The Macromedia Flash Player installer doesn't list my browser
The Windows registry stores information that is used by plugin installers to locate your Mozilla installation directory. If this information does not exist, is incomplete, or is not correct, the Macromedia Flash Player installer may not be able to find your browser.

If your browser is not shown in the list of available browsers, you can manually select your browser plugins directory by clicking on "Other Browser" and browsing to it. Note that this will not install scripting support. Alternately, use the XPI installer available here instead of the standalone installer. [2].

The Macromedia Flash Player installer doesn't install scripting support
The Macromedia Flash Player installer does not install the scripting support file (flashplayer.xpt) for undetected browsers. On some systems, it may not install it for recognized browsers like Firefox and Mozilla Suite. This is a known issue with the installer and Macromedia may fix it in a future release [3]. If you have other installed Netscape or Mozilla browsers, see if flashplayer.xpt is present in the installation directory "components" folder and, if it is, you can copy it to the browser "components" folder that is missing the file.

Quicktime plugin issue

If you see a Quicktime symbol with a question mark where the Flash content should be, it means that Quicktime has taken over handling of Macromedia Flash files. Open the Quicktime Control Panel, select the Browser tab (or select "Browser Plug-in" from the drop-down menu in Quicktime 6 or earlier). Click the "Mime settings" button and uncheck "Flash media" or "Flash file" under "Miscellaneous" and restart your browser. If the problem persists, remove the file "pluginreg.dat" from the "Firefox" or "Mozilla" folder in the profile folder location. Additionally, remove any "npqt*.dll" files found in the Mozilla Suite or Firefox installation directory's plugins folder. [4].

Flashblock and Adblock extension issues

Flash Player 8 requires requires Flashblock 1.3.3 or higher. [5].

Flash content may not display if Adblock is installed and OBJ-TABS are enabled. Disable OBJ-TABS in Adblock's options or try updating to the latest version of Adblock, or uninstall Adblock and install Adblock Plus. [6].

Linux

Download the Macromedia Flash Player. Once downloaded, extract the files "libflashplayer.so" and "flashplayer.xpt" from the archive and copy them to your browser's plugins directory (e.g. "/usr/local/bin/firefox/plugins/").

MacOS

Download and run the Macromedia Flash Player installer.

There are issues running Flash 8 with Firefox 1.07. Better to stick with Flash 7.

Solaris

The Flash Player is available for Solaris Sparc and Intel x86. Download the Macromedia Flash Player. Once downloaded, extract the files "libflashplayer.so" and "flashplayer.xpt" from the archive and copy them to your browser's plugins directory.

OS/2 Warp

Macromedia Flash Player for OS/2 Warp is available from InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH. To install it, launch the installer and follow the instructions. Macromedia Flash Player for OS/2 is not free. Licenses cost money and are available at the Mensys Online Shop.

External Links