Flash fails to load into Firefox. Why?

[zweibieren]

I have tried too many times to load the Flash player into firefox (3.6.6 on Windows NT (SP3), 32 bit).

Flash does work on IE, but never on Firefox.

I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling. No joy.

It does not matter if Firefox is running or not why I try to load Flash.

It may be a clue that the automatic download does not start.

Instead I have downloaded install_flash_player_ax.exe and run that program.

If goes to 100% and then says "DONE"

I downloaded the Adobe Reader and that works fine.

It is a bit frustrating that the help pages suggest in several places

that I upload Flash in order to get help uploading flash.

Among my attempts to get a clean Adobe environment on the machine,

I tried to remove the Adobe Download Manager. It failed with the message:

    Error loading C:\Program File\NOS\bin\getPlus_helper.dll

Is this a problem for loading Flash?

How can I get the named file? (There is no Program Files\NOS directory.)

[zweibieren]

My anti-virus is AVG free 9.0.839. It has a firewall.

There are four entries in C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash\

    File:FlashInstall.log     25 KB    7/18/2010     9:04:58 PM

    FlashPlayerTrust        7/14/2010     8:33:13 PM

    File:KB923789.inf    6 KB     8/24/2006     8:35:00 AM

    File:genuinst.exe     25 KB     1/21/2006     3:01:22 PM

(KB923798 is from 2006)

FlashPlayerTrust contains only:

    File:AcrobatConnect.cfg     7 KB     3/7/2007     10:41:36 AM

Here is the last log entry in C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash\FlashInstall.log

=O====== M/10.1.53.64 2010-07-19+01-04-54.921 ========
0000 00000010 "C:\downloads\uninstall_flash_player.exe" -force 
0001 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/PlayerPath 2
0002 00001018
0003 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\SafeVersions/ 2
0004 00001037 SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Adobe Flash Player ActiveX/ 2
0005 00001019
0006 00001020
0007 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce/FlashPlayerUpdate 2
0008 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerActiveX/ 2
0009 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/FlashPlayerVersion 2
0010 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/SwfInstall 2
0011 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Code Store Database\Distribution Units\{D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}/ 2
0012 00001021
0013 00001036 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/PlayerPath 2
0014 00001018
0015 00001036 SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins\@adobe.com/FlashPlayer/ 2
0016 00001037 SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins\@adobe.com/FlashPlayer/ 2
0017 00001037 SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Adobe Flash Player Plugin/ 2
0018 00001019
0019 00001020
0020 00001037 Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce/FlashPlayerUpdate 2
0021 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin/ 2
0022 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/FlashPlayerVersion 2
0023 00001037 Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer/SwfInstall 2
0024 00001021
0025 00001036 Software\Mozilla\Firefox\extensions/Plugins 2
0026 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Last CommandLine 2
0027 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Last CommandLine 2
0028 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Plugin Path 2
0029 00001036 Software\Opera Software/Plugin Path 2
=X====== M/10.1.53.64 2010-07-19+01-04-58.968 ========

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listings in add/remove programs:

    Adobe Download Manager  (no further info; this is the one that cannot be uninstalled)

    Adobe DreamWeaver CS3  (no further info, but it is working)

    Adobe Reader 9.3.3     Size 212.00 MB

    (no getPlus)

    Java(TM) 6 Update 21     Size 97.00 MB  

    Java(TM) 6 SE Developmernt Kit Update 21     Size 149.00 MB  

[pwillener · Accepted solution]

Let's clear up some confusion over terms first

• with "loading", do you mean installing? (running a downloaded installer)
  
• with "uploading", do you mean downloading? (downloading from a server to your computer)

Next, you mention 'install_flash_player_ax.exe' - this is the ActiveX installer for Internet Explorer.  For Firefox you need the plugin installer http://fpdownload.adobe.com/get/flashplayer/current/install_flash_player.exe

Make sure no browser is running while you run the downloaded installer.

Regarding the Download Manager (that cannot be uninstalled), let's look at that later.

[zweibieren]

Sorry about the language issues.

I did indeed mean that I downloaded an installer and ran it to install Flash.

Thank you for your instructions. They were exactly right.

Would that adobe.com had been so concise and accurate.

Two mysteries remain:

   Why does Flash not load when I click the link from a webpage to the automatic download/install?

   And how can I uninstall the broken Adobe Download Manager?

For now I am content to leave these unanswered pending future problems.