Can't for the life of me Uninstall

[BruceND75]

I have Windows 7 and Flash Player 11.3.300.257 installed. I am trying to uninstall so I can install the Flex SDK. I have tried everything under the sun to uninstall, but for the life of me, everything fails.

I downloaded the unistall utlility from Adobe and ran it several times -- including in Safe Mode with no apps running. I followed all the steps from Adobe's uninstall-flash-player-windows page. Nothing works -- the player will not uninstall.

I'm told I can't install the Flex SDK debugger player (11.1) until I have successfully uninstalled the existing player. Help!

[pwillener]

Do you get any error messages during the uninstall?

Do you have all browsers closed during the uninstall?  (You also need to close messenger apps, chat clients, Skype, etc.)

Can you post the contents of the FlashInstll.log files in

• C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash
• C:\Windows\syswow64\Macromed\Flash

[pwillener]

P.S. what other files do you have left in the two abovementioned folders?

[BruceND75]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Log file below.

I just ran the uninstall program again. First time, there were some Internet Explorer processes running. Closed those and ran the uninstall program again with no error messages.

Don't use messenger. Closed and quit my Skype before running.

No other files in my system32/macromed/flash other than the log file. I had deleted all files there before as part of the instructions at uninstall-flash-player-windows.html.

Once again, Flash player stubbornly alive and well.  Here is the log file.

=O====== M/11.3.300.262 2012-06-27+08-44-45.187 ========

0000 00000010 "C:\Users\Bruce\Downloads\uninstall_flash_player.exe" -force 

0001 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0002 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0003 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0004 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0005 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0006 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0007 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0008 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0009 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0010 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0011 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0012 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0013 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0014 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0015 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0016 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0017 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0018 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0019 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0020 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0021 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0022 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0023 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0024 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

=X====== M/11.3.300.262 2012-06-27+08-44-57.532 ========

=O====== M/11.3.300.262 2012-06-27+08-45-51.252 ========

0000 00000010 "C:\Users\Bruce\Downloads\uninstall_flash_player.exe" -force 

0001 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0002 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0003 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0004 00001018

0005 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\SafeVersions/ 2

0006 00001037 SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Adobe Flash Player ActiveX/ 2

0007 00001019

0008 00001020

0009 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce/FlashPlayerUpdate 2

0010 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/ 2

0011 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/FlashPlayerVersion 2

0012 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/SwfInstall 2

0013 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Code Store Database\Distribution Units\{D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}/ 2

0014 00001021

0015 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0016 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0017 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Extended Properties\System.ControlPanel.Category/C:\windows\system32\FlashPlayerCPLApp.cpl 2

0018 00001048

0019 00000020 C:\windows\system32\FlashPlayerCPLApp.cpl

0020 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0021 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0022 00001037 SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\\FlashPlayerApp.exe/ 2

0023 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Extended Properties\System.ControlPanel.Category/C:\windows\system32\FlashPlayerCPLApp.cpl 2

0024 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0025 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0026 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0027 00001018

0028 00001036 SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins\@adobe.com/FlashPlayer/ 2

0029 00001037 SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins\@adobe.com/FlashPlayer/ 2

0030 00001037 SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Adobe Flash Player Plugin/ 2

0031 00001019

0032 00001020

0033 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce/FlashPlayerUpdate 2

0034 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/ 2

0035 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/FlashPlayerVersion 2

0036 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/SwfInstall 2

0037 00001021

0038 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0039 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0040 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Extended Properties\System.ControlPanel.Category/C:\windows\system32\FlashPlayerCPLApp.cpl 2

0041 00001048

0042 00000020 C:\windows\system32\FlashPlayerCPLApp.cpl

0043 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0044 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0045 00001037 SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\\FlashPlayerApp.exe/ 2

0046 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Extended Properties\System.ControlPanel.Category/C:\windows\system32\FlashPlayerCPLApp.cpl 2

0047 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2

0048 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2

0049 00001036 Software\Mozilla\Firefox\extensions/Plugins 2

0050 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Last CommandLine 2

0051 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Last CommandLine 2

0052 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Plugin Path 2

0053 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Plugin Path 2

0054 00001039

=X====== M/11.3.300.262 2012-06-27+08-45-59.399 ========

[pwillener]

BruceND75 wrote:

No other files in my system32/macromed/flash other than the log file. I had deleted all files there before as part of the instructions at uninstall-flash-player-windows.html.

Once again, Flash player stubbornly alive and well.

If there are no files on the Macromed\Flash folder, then there is no Flash Player.

Or do you have any registered Flash*.ocx file(s) elsewhere?  When you go to your browser(s) and check your add-ons, do you see Shockwave Flash in there.

How else do you see Flash Player "alive"?  What do you see at 2. on http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/find-version-flash-player.html ?

[BruceND75]

Pat,

Thanks for sticking with me on this.

Okay, I'm making a small amount of progress. Turns out that Internet Explorer shows that Flash Player is not installed (per the Find Version page).

As for being 'alive,' Flash Player still shows up as installed, and still operates perfectly, in my Google Chrome browser. On the Find Version page, it shows 11.3.300.257 as installed.

I checked under extensions in Chrome, and saw no Flash Player extension.

Does Chrome handle Flash Player differently?

[pwillener]

Google Chrome comes bundled with Flash Player; you cannot uninstall it.  You can deactivate it if you need, but I don't have the instructions at hand right now.

Can you install the Flex debug player now?

[BruceND75]

I'm not sure. Still some confusion on my part.

I ran the InstallPlugin.exe and InstallAX.exe. I checked in Internet Explorer, and the version now shows up there correctly (11.1).

In Chrome, the version still shows up as 11.3 (the non-debugger version).

Also, when I run the FlashPlayerDebugger.exe, instead of getting an install routine, I get what appears to be a standalone Flash Player 11, waiting for me to open and run a SWF. Am I missing something?

[pwillener]

BruceND75 wrote:

In Chrome, the version still shows up as 11.3 (the non-debugger version).

As I wrote earlier, FP is preinstalled in Chrome; you cannot uninstall it.  At least not the normal way; I'm sure there are ways to replace the standard FP with the debugger version.

BruceND75 wrote:

Also, when I run the FlashPlayerDebugger.exe, instead of getting an install routine, I get what appears to be a standalone Flash Player 11, waiting for me to open and run a SWF. Am I missing something?

I don't know; the downloads at http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html are clear; I don't know from where you are downloading these.