Flash Player 11.3 Installer Keeps Loading and Trying To Install Itself - Cannot Get It To Stop!!

[octechguy]

Because of all of the problems that I have been experiencing with the Flash Player 11.3, I uninstalled it and downgraded to 11.1, which seems to be a more stable version.  I used the uninstaller as recommended by Firefox and then grabbed the 11.1 version off of the Adobe website.

All went well until I started getting the 11.3 installer loading itself about every 3 minutes.  You can almost time it to the minute.  It really sucks.

I have gone in and tried turning off automatic updates in the global settings and the one that you can do online in the settings manager at: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager05.html

Despite my best efforts, it keeps coming up and loading the 9mb install and then goes to the 11.3 screen where you accept the terms and conditions.

This comes up...

Then it goes to this:

I would like this to stop.  Thus far, the only way to stop it is to upgrade to that version.  I have tried uninstalling everything and it still comes back.

I tried deleting the temp files it creates on my hard drive.  I found 622 instances of the files it keeps loading.

I am REALLY tired of this and would like to have it stop.

Any suggestions??????????????

[pwillener]

Try disabling auto update from Control Panel (Flash Player Settings Manager).

[octechguy]

Tried that already.  Unfortunately no success there either.  This is what the settings look like right now:

When you go online to change settings. This is what I see in relation to updates:

The Adobe updater came up a total of 146 times today alone.  Unfortunately I use my laptop for work, so it is on all day.  This morning when I woke up, it had already opened 92 windows on it's own.  I closed those before I went to work.  During the day I was subjected to 146 more for a total of 238 times. 

This hasn't been fun to say the least.

Any help is definitely appreciated.  Absent uninstalling the browswer and starting over, I have no clue what to do.  I have even went in and deleted any references to the installr program within the registry.  That didn't help.  Just while writing this response alone, it came up four additional times.

OCTechGuy

[pwillener]

I have never seen anything like this.

Can you launch Task Manager, and see what process is actually doing this?

[chris.campbell]

I suspect this is being caused by a third party process.  Can you post your flashinstall.log (or at least the last few entries in it)?

Where do I find the Flash Player installation log on Windows?

Thanks,

Chris

[octechguy]

Here is part of the log.  I deleted a bunch of the duplicate entries as they were basically the exact same with the only thing changing being the time stamps.  In answer to both Chris's question, here is the log.  In answer to Pat, the files that are running or that are attempting to run are the ones mentioned in this log, the installer (FP_AX_CAB_INSTALLER.exe) and InstallFlashPlayer.exe.  Those are the only two running that I can see.  I have been keeping a close eye on that, thinking that maybe something else is initiating it.  Nothing that I see anyhow.

I am almost to the point of uninstalling Firefox and starting over.  I'd hate to do it because of the pain that goes with starting it over again and getting the extensions and add-ons again... However, the flip side to that is dealing with this whole thing.

I have to say, the current version of Flash REALLY REALLY wants me to install it.

If you need the whole log, I put it up at: Install Log

Let me know your thoughts.  I am usually pretty good at solving things like this.  This one has me puzzled.

Thanks

OCTechGuy

=O====== M/11.3.300.271 2012-08-15+07-31-42.183 ========

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[chris.campbell]

Does this only occur when Firefox is running?  If so, could you try temporarily disabling all of the extensions to see if one of these could be to blame?

[octechguy]

Chris -

I disabled all of the extension in Firefox to see if something was causing it there.  Even with everything disabled, it still continued to present itself.  The Flash Player simply wants to be at the current version no matter what.  I also tried uninstalling the Flash Player all together and then started with a fresh install of the 11.1 player.  After about 15 minutes, the installer started doing the same thing all over again. 

Ultimately I sat there and wrote down all of the extensions that I had installed in Firefox and then uninstalled everything, including Firefox.  I then ran CCleaner and cleaned out anything from the registry that associated itself with Firefox or any extension.  Then I rebooted.  Just to make sure I didn't have anything else going on like a Trojan or any Malware, I ran Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Spybot Search & Destroy, ComboFix, TDSKiller, and HousecallLauncher64 on it.  It killed off a few useless toolbars, but found nothing of consequence.

Then after about 5 hours of scanning and manually searching through the registry for all things Adobe (with the exception of my CS5 install), I figured I had done everything in my power to get rid of the problem.  Then I reinstalled Firefox and the Adobe 11.1. 

The problem has not come back since.  I would be afraid of upgrading at this point until Adobe comes out with a stable version of this software.  Sadly, this is what started the problem in the first place.  The Firefox Forums are full of one problem after another with the 11.3 version of the software.  One would think that this would get the programmers attention at least enough to address some of these stability problems.  As a web developer, I stay away from programming in Flash anymore because of the obvious security issues that continue to come up time and time again.  People as a whole have become afraid of the software.  I wish it was different because I love the features when the problems are not present.  Maybe that will change over time.

Thank you for the help.

[JPS017]

I'm having same problem and am clueless on tech stuff!  Did you get anywhere in solving it?

It's also followed by a Host Process for Windows Services stopped working and was closed.

[chris.campbell]

@jps017 - can you explain what's going on a bit more?  Is this after a prompt to update or are you going to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer?  Can you try to do a clean install using the steps outlined in this FAQ?

How do I do a clean install of Flash Player?

[JPS017]

Thanks for quick reply.

Every few minutes Flash Player 11.4 (not 11.3, just checked) starts trying to install itself.  If I close it it gives me the Host Process for Windows Service notice.  If I leave it a few minutes later it opens another window and does it again.

I'm going to work through the above hopefully tonight/morning. But as the thread seemed unresolved I was hoping their had been a fix!

[robl15046934]

I am having the same problem, but with the 11.4 installer.

It happens all the time when I run IE 9 (32 bit) and navigate to a page with flash material - for example: http://www.zap2it.com/

It does not happen with Firefox, Chrome or IE 9 (64 bit).

Also if I go to http://duber.com/LetsTalk/playerCheck.html

it says the version of flash I have on ie 9 (32 bit) is WIN 11,4,402,265

If I go to IE 9's - Internet Options - Programs - Manage Add ons and disable Shockwave Flash Object (v 9.0.124.0) then I  no longer get the installer pop-up; but flash doesn't work either.

Rob