Need to disable update notifications for reader and flash player

[cshutts]

Hopefully I'm asking this question in the right place.   Please direct me if I'm not.

Due to some issues with alot of our applications that are web-enabled and rely in IE.  When are 1500+ users get prompted to up date reader or flash player they do not understand to turn off the 'optional' check mark to download and install chrome.

This cause multiple helpdesk calls as their web-enabled apps do not work correctly in chrome.

We had found documention: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/837/cpsid_83709/attachments/Acrobat_Reader_Updater.pdf

to disable the update notifications, however  checking both xp and win7 machines, the key mentioned on page 16  of the pdf mentioned above, did not exist in HKLM, but did find it in HKCU.   Tried to create the iCheck and iCheckReader in both places but not sure if they are actually working.

Here is our actual goal:  We just don't want users prompted to update reader or flash player because of the chrome install.   We don't want reader or flash to update 'automatically'; We still want the ability to update it manually.

How can we turn off any auto update functionality, and prompting of updates so users never see them in both apps?

We currently have users with reader, 8, 9 and 10.

if you can provide documentation, detailed steps, registry keys, etc.  I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,

Chad

[SubratoNamata · Accepted solution]

You need to use featurelock down key to disable updater for Acrobat and Reader. As per the documentation, http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/837/cpsid_83709/attachments/Acrobat_Reader_Updater.pdf

you have obtained, has all the information.

Refer the section 2.5.2

E.g. Use the following registry to turn off updater on Reader 10 on 32 bit OS.

Reader

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\10.0\FeatureLockDown]

"bUpdater"=dword:00000000

I have no idea on how to disable updates for Flash. You need to post in Flash Forum.

[cshutts]

What about for version 8 and 9?

[EnterpriseHelp]

bUpdater was implemented with 9.2 and 8.1.7.

Ben

[cshutts]

Thank you so much.

[Guest]

To disable Flash Updates, you need to have a file called mms.cfg in "c:\windows\system32\MacroMed\Flash"

The mms.cfg file contains the following:

AutoUpdateDisable = 1

[EnterpriseHelp]

It's also worth noting that Flash is no longer coupled with Acrobat. Acrobat uses the machine's Flash player, so Acrobat and Flash updates have nothing to do with each other.

Ben

[techOHPRS]

I am not asking a question, just registering a complaint similar to cshutts. I am the system administrator for a public retirement system in Ohio. We have Acrobat Reader standard installed on all user workstations. We have had Acrobat set to automatically download updates. Lately, users workstations have been automatically getting Chrome downloaded and installed as the default reader when their Acrobat or Flash is updated. Not only is this annoying, but it messes up the workstation settings. Even if one sets the default browser back to IE and uninstalls Chrome (which we shouldn't have to do!), the registery settings are left behind. Specifically:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.htm
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.shtml

are all set to ChromeHTML instead of htmlfile. Apparenty, setting IE back as the default does not reset these entries. As a consequence, users cannot open links in Excel or Word documents. When they try, the get the error "This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer.  Please contact your system administrator." The system administrator (me) has to go into the registry and set these values back to "htmlfile" in order for these links to work.

Our users are clerical, not technical, and they don't really notice that downloading of Chrome is checked by default on the Flash update, and I didn't really notice an opt-out on the Acrobat update (though it didn't occur to me to look for it at the time). I consider this auto-download installation of un-ask-for software extrordinarily intrusive and reckless behavoir for updating. To mitigate the problem, I will turn off Adobe product updating on all workstations and in the meantime I have instructed the users to NOT download Adobe updates.

Any software installation that is not asked for and, furthermore, messes with registry settings to the point that other software does not work properly, is absolutely irresponsible. I have seens dozens of similar complaints in the adobe and public forums about this practice. I strongly suggest that Adobe heed the complaints of its customers and desist with this practice. Currently, my choices are disabling updates to Adobe products or researching a replacement for Adobe for recommendation to the Board. What I'd prefer is to keep Adobe and have a kinder-gentler update utility that just updates what it is expected to.

Mark Foley

System Administrator, the Ohio Highway Patrol Retirement System

[vdobhal]

Try the Reader downloader from the following link. It should not include Chrome.

http://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/

Thanks,

Vinod

[techOHPRS]

Vinod - thanks for the reply. Our problem is not with the free Adobe Reader, which we don't use. We have Adobe Acrobat Standard X, and lately XI. I should have been more specific about the product in the earlier message. While I can sort-of see why this auto-Chrome thing might be part of the deal on beggars-can't-be-choosers free software, it is another matter for purchased software. Your suggestion is a pro-active update, which is what I will do with Acrobat via the Help > Check for Updates on individual workstations and discontinue using the automatic updates until, hopefully, Adobe discontinues defaulting to the automatic download and installation of Chrome. I can't rely on the users to sort that out properly on their own every time.

Thanks - Mark

[AbhigyanModi]

Mark - updates to Adobe Acrobat (or Adobe Reader for that matter) do not include installation of Google Chrome. This is true whether the updates are applied manually (as Vinod described above) or automatically (as your original post indicates).

I'll request you to run your tests again by updating Acrobat and let us know the sceanrio where you are actually able to see this.

[BeagleRR1958]

So I understand this solution the following new key has to  be add at the pc and not via the wizard for reader 11?

cshutt, so you had to add this key to 1500+pc's.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\10.0\FeatureLockDown]

"bUpdater"=dword:00000000

[EnterpriseHelp]

• What is the problem for which you need a solution? Disabling updates? If so, then you have the right pref (except change the path to 11).
• The preference can be set via the Wizard, script, manually, GPO, or any method you prefer.

hth,

Ben

[cshutts]

Yes, I had to run it on all workstations in our enterprise.

[BeagleRR1958]

I added the key in the wizard and the test pc and will test shortly. Thank you for your replies.

My test failed. The key is loaded on the pc manually and in the wizard. Both ways and the msi fails.

This is the screen that will not go away.

[SubratoNamata]

Use /qb or /qn switch instead along with your transform (wherein you have disabled updates) e.g.

msiexec /i AdbeRdr11000_en_US.msi TRANSFORMS=<some_name.mst> /qb

or

msiexec /i AdbeRdr11000_en_US.msi TRANSFORMS=<some_name.mst> /qn

It will not alter any settings for the updater preference (The one, which is seen in the Installer Setup dialog)

Alternatively,

If you still don't want to use /qb or /qn switch, you can continue with the installation,

FeatureLockDown key takes the precedence and it will override any updater preference.

And so you can continue Reader with disabled updates.

Tip:

If you are using Customization wizard to disbale update, there's a small check box under,

Online Services and Features > Disable product updates check box.

This does the same as manually adding the FeatureLockDown Registry Key.

Hope, it helps.