Flash

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Revision as of 17:45, 5 July 2006 by Alice Wyman (talk | contribs) (Macromedia Flash moved to Flash)
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Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) or simply "Flash", refers to the Flash Player and browser plugin needed to handle SWF web page animations and interactive content. Even though the Flash plugin is referred to as "Shockwave Flash", it should not be confused with the Shockwave plugin that handles "Shockwave for Director" content.

Security alert

Flash Player versions 8.0.22.0 and earlier contain a security flaw that can allow the execution of arbitrary code(this flaw was patched in version 8.0.24.0). Read the Security Bulletin for details and instructions for users who cannot update to Flash 8 or above.

Installation

Download the Flash installer from the Adobe Flash Player Download Center or from PluginDoc. If you cannot find a Flash Player download for your OS, find it manually on this page. See PluginDoc's Flash FAQs for details on installation.

Windows and Mac

If your system can't run Flash 8 or the latest Flash 9 version, currently 9.0.16.0 (see the system requirements) you can download an updated version of Flash 7 here (Windows users should download the "Netscape" installer for Firefox and other Mozilla browsers).

On Windows, the Flash plugin installer for Mozilla-based browsers does not add or update the Internet Explorer ActiveX control, and vice versa. You will need to install Flash separately for Internet Explorer and Mozilla-based browsers.

For undetected browsers such as zipped builds of Mozilla Suite or Firefox, either use the XPI package [1] ("Install" link at PluginDoc) or copy these two files from another Mozilla browser to the new browser's installation directory:

  • NPSWF32.dll to the plugins folder
  • flashplayer.xpt to the components folder (for scripting support)

Flash 8.0 on Linux

At the moment there is no Linux version of Flash Player 8.0. Adobe has indicated that there will not be a Linux release of Flash Player 8.0, however Flash Player 8.5 will have a Linux release. In the mean time, if you require Flash Player 8.0, you can try CrossOver Office.

Uninstalling Flash

Windows and Mac

An uninstaller can be downloaded to remove Flash from your system. See the following Flash Player TechNote:

After downloading, make sure you completely exit your Mozilla application or other Internet browser before you run the uninstaller.

The Windows uninstaller may not remove the Flash plugin from all locations so you should search for the following files and delete, if found:

  • NPSWF32.dll
  • flashplayer.xpt
  • GetFlash.exe
  • GetFlash.exe.manifest

Linux and Solaris

Follow the uninstall instructions in the Flash Player ReadMe for your system, linked below:

Troubleshooting

If your problem isn't listed below, read PluginDoc and Adobe's Flash Player Support FAQ.

Quicktime plugin takes over Flash

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 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. [2].

Illegal Operation In Plug-In

If certain web pages cause "Illegal Operation In Plug-In" errors that refer to "Shockwave Flash" and contain the message,
The plugin performed an illegal operation. You are strongly advised to restart Navigator (or Firefox):

  • The Mozilla ActiveX plugin can cause these errors [3]. Exit the browser, then look for the file "npmozax.dll" in the installation directory plugins folder. If found, remove the file (or rename it "Xnpmozax.dll"). If the problem goes away, your Mozilla ActiveX plugin is either misconfigured or the wrong version for your browser. Check this article for details. If the ActiveX plugin isn't the problem:
  • Removing the files "GetFlash.exe" and "GetFlash.exe.manifest" from the browser's installation directory plugins folder may stop the errors [4].
  • Uninstalling Flash 8 and installing the latest version of Flash 7 is reported to fix the problem [5] but you should first see if updating to the newly-released Flash Player 9 stops the errors [6].

Extension issues

Problematic extensions may interfere with Flash content:

Adblock conflict

Flash content may not display if the Adblock extension 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. [7].

Amazing Media Browser

Flash content will not display if the Amazing Media Browser extension is installed, if the "Block all embedded objects" preference is set to "Yes". Change the preference setting to "No" to allow embedded media such as Flash to display.

Flashblock conflict

If you're using Flash Player 8 and the Flashblock extension, you need Flashblock 1.3.3 or higher. [8].

If you've removed Flashblock you need to take the following code out of userChrome.css or userContent.css:

object[classid$=":D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"],
object[codebase*="swflash.cab"]
{ -moz-binding: url("chrome://flashblock/content/flash.xml#obj"); }

Delay or hang waking from standby

A known problem with the Flash plugin in Firefox and Mozilla Suite may cause excessive delay waking the computer from hibernation or standby mode, such that the browser may appear to "hang" (bug 265172). High CPU usage may also be observed. As a workaround, close the browser before placing the computer in standby/hibernation. This problem is supposedly fixed in the latest Flash Player 9.

Memory Use

Version 8.0.24.0 of the Flash plugin has a bug that can cause it to continually consume memory while you sit on a page that has Flash content on it. [9] Until a new version of the plugin is available, workarounds are to remove the Flash plugin, block Flash content, or navigate away from pages with Flash manually. This problem is supposedly fixed in the latest Flash Player 9.

Crashes

Many crashes are caused by older versions of Flash. If the crash still occurs with the latest version, follow Adobe's troubleshooting advice. If this advice does not help, please report a bug to Adobe.

Flash files don’t play

Some users find that Flash files will not run automatically when opened directly in the browser, but instead will cause the File Download dialog box to be displayed, asking them to choose whether to save the file or open it in a suitable application. See the Opening files using plugins article.

External Links