How to troubleshoot Adobe Flash Player installation for Windows

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Solution: SUMMARY

This article describes steps to troubleshoot Adobe Flash Player installation problem. If one step does not correct the problem, move on to the next step.

Step 1: Uninstall previous version of Flash Player

Download and run the uninstaller. http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe

Note: All applications must be closed before you run the Flash Player uninstaller. Quit all running applications, including all Internet Explorer or other browser windows, and all Instant Messenger clients. Check the Windows system tray carefully to make certain no applications which might possibly use Flash Player are still in memory
Reboot the computer.
Step 2: Download Adobe Flash Player

Download Adobe Flash Player from Adobe Download Center http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
If a browser Security Warning dialog box appears like the one below, you will need to click Yes to install the player.
Your computer may require a reboot after auto-installation of the Flash Player ActiveX control, if the Flash Player is already in use during the installation process.

If there is problem with Active X Control follow step 3.
Step 3: Troubleshoot Adobe Flash Player for Internet Explorer

Before installing Flash Player, please check the following browser settings:

Internet Explorer ActiveX settings
Browser security settings should be chosen by system administrator.For single users who do not have an administrator, the Medium:Default Level allows to view Flash content. For any Custom Level, ensure that both the 'Download Signed ActiveX controls' and 'Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins' options are set to 'Prompt'.
To change security level:

Open Internet Explorer
Choose Tools > Internet Options.
Select the Security tab.
Select Custom Level.
Find the section 'ActiveX controls and plug-ins'.
Set ' Download Signed ActiveX Controls' to Prompt.
Set 'Run ActiveX Controls And Plug-ins' to Prompt.
Note: If you are having trouble installing, make sure that your Internet Explorer security level is not set to High or to a custom level that does not allow viewing of ActiveX controls.

A damaged Windows system registry or incorrect permissions in the registry may prevent Flash Player from installing or registering correctly.

Administrator privileges is required to successfully complete the instruction below:

Follow the instructions to download the SubInACL tool from the Microsoft Download Center.
Install SubInACL.
Download the reset_fp10.zip file.
Extract the reset_fp10.cmd file to C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\.

Note: Be sure that both the subinacl.exe and reset_fp10.cmd files are in the same location here: C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\.
Double-click reset_fp10.cmd.
This will open a command window and execute the SubInACL tool.
Do not use the machine while SubInACL is running.
When it is finished you will see 'Press any key to continue'.
Install the Flash Player from www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer.
Windows Vista installation failure

On some Windows Vista systems Flash Player may be installed, but will not display Flash content. In some cases updating to the latest Flash Player using the included utility can correct the User Account Control settings that cause this problem.

To run the utility, find the installed Flash Folder :

Right-click C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\FlashUtil9d.exe
The letter changes with each Flash version, so may be 'FlashUtilb.exe' or 'FlashUtile.exe'
Select 'Run as Administrator'.
Follow the steps to complete the Flash Player installation.
Restart your computer.
Computer user permissions

User permissions determine whether or not you are allowed to install ActiveX controls or plug-ins. If you don't have Administrator access to Windows NT, 2000, XP, or Vista you may not be able to install Flash Player successfully. Administrative privileges are required for the Windows system registry and for the C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash folder.

If the ActiveX Control for Flash Player fails to install, download the executable installer

If the information above has not resolved the issue, download the executable Flash Player installer here:

Download and unzip Install_Flash_Player_10_ActiveX.zip.
Save this installer to your desktop, close out all applications, and run the installer. This may help if you are having trouble with the ActiveX installation from Adobe.com.

Step 4: Unable to view Flash content after installing Flash Player

The most common reasons that Flash content fails to display are:

3rd Party 'Flash Player' Cleaners

In some cases you may have run a non-Adobe 'fix' for Flash Player permission problems. In some cases these tools can actually cause further Flash Player problems. If you have run any type of registry cleaner or other fix tool Adobe suggests you run the uninstall_flash_player.exe /clean command from prompt and then reinstall Flash Player.

Note: The uninstall_flash_player.exe file must be saved to the same directory that the command window is in (for example C:\).

Pop-up Blockers

A common cause of Flash movies failing to display is the presence of pop-up/ad blocker software that specifically targets Flash content. For more information clikc on Flash movies foes not appear after installing the Flash Player.

Internet Utilities blocking Flash Player

Some Internet utilities, such as Norton Internet Utilities, perform functions similar to a firewall and may restrict viewing of ActiveX controls, and in some cases specifically blocking Flash content. You need to ensure that your firewall or utility settings are set to allow ActiveX controls and Flash (SWF) content.

The information in this article applies to:

Adobe Flash Player
Internet Explorer

Applies for:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional