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Adobe Flash Player 11.4 quits working, won't show videos even after reinstalling.

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  • Paskiausią atsakymą parašė AliceWyman

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Had Adobe Flash Player 11.3 r300 and it stopped showing videos, etc. in Firefox a few days ago. Now I've installed v 11.4 r402 and it still gives error message "Adobe Flash Player ... has stopped working." I uninstalled, downloaded again and reinstalled -- with the same result. No videos. Firefox Plugin check page shows it installed correctly. Any solutions?

Had Adobe Flash Player 11.3 r300 and it stopped showing videos, etc. in Firefox a few days ago. Now I've installed v 11.4 r402 and it still gives error message "Adobe Flash Player ... has stopped working." I uninstalled, downloaded again and reinstalled -- with the same result. No videos. Firefox Plugin check page shows it installed correctly. Any solutions?

Chosen solution

For 11.3, one of the workarounds was to disable protected mode. See this support article from Adobe under the heading "Last Resort": Adobe Forums: How do I troubleshoot Flash Player's protected mode for Firefox? This appears to still be applicable in Flash 11.4.

You also could consider rolling back to Flash 10.3. However, some content may require new features of Flash 11.x. This article has the steps: Adobe Flash plugin has crashed - Prevent it from happening again.

Skaityti atsakymą kartu su kontekstu 👍 23

All Replies (20)

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The problems I'm having are constant crashes and choppy or "stuttering" videos in Youtube and on a game site. In the few weeks prior to the latest updates by FF and Adobe the crashing lessened considerably and the choppiness resolved completely. Now both are back with a vengeance! There are no problems in IE.

Hope this is helpful.

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I found that switching to the default theme allowed Flash to run. I even switched back to my previous theme and Flash still works. I was expecting to see the crashes again, but am happy that it now works.

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Try to disable hardware acceleration in Firefox (Tools>Options>Advanced>General). In this way I worked around the problem.

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I went and installed an old version of FireFox (14.01). Since I installed this old version of FireFox, everything is working perfectly and I have quit getting the "Adobe Flash Player has Stopped Working" message. Thank God!!

Modified by dqk1tigger

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I have VISTA 32 bit and I was crashing my adobe flash player with new firefox upgrade. However, I did these two links and my problem was corrected.

Active X version For Internet Explorer http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/licensing/win/install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe

For Firefox http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/licensing/win/install_flash_player_10_plugin.exe

Modified by Rboisvert7

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Older versions of Trusteer Rapport (an application promoted by some banks for malware protection) may cause the Flash plugin to crash. If you have this software installed, either update Trusteer Rapport to the latest version (1205.8 or above), turn off the program ("Start menu -> All Programs -> Trusteer Rapport -> Stop Rapport" and restart the computer), uninstall the program if you don't need it, or contact Trusteer Support.

Ref:

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As Tameghe suggested, I disabled hardware acceleration and haven't had a crash in almost two days.

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@lucky97 And you assume that's a proper way to work around one problem, by causing another - the inability to use hardware acceleration? This defective 11.4 is causing multiple problems, just as the 11.3 did. I had an entirely different bug that caused a major malfunction of my touch pad after pausing a video on Youtube. HP engineers are looking into it at my request but clearly it was the 11.4 that caused it. Again, rolling back to 10.3, with a recent security update, fixes everything.

But if you're satisfied disabling hardware acceleration that's fine, I'm just letting you and others know there's another way which neither Adobe nor Firefox will ever admit to until they drive you crazy first with troubleshooting steps like this without reminding you there's a cleaner, more effective way of dealing with a defective update...... uninstall the defective update. That should be the first recommendation, not the last unless there is, in fact, a workaround that does not fix one problem by causing another.

But a simpler workaround is fine if you don't notice any practical difference and it works. My argument is not with you at all but with Firefox's inappropriate Support articles on this ongoing problem with Abobe Flash, everything from blaming RealPlayer for the not seeing videos issue to ignoring my warning that should have been included in the crashes article on the 11.3 that the Active X Flash for Internet Explorer must be installed because the Adobe Uninstaller removes all version of flash.

And Mozilla had no business allowing Adobe to release and install both the 11.3 series and the 11.4 without proper beta testing, assuming Adobe even allowed that.

Modified by CheckMate

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CheckMate, I haven't encountered any problems so far. Was just letting everyone know that it appears to be working out. What, if any, problems can I anticipate? I don't like jumping through hoops any more than you do. I'm not computer savvy to begin with, which makes it all the harder. It appears that the situation isn't going to be resolved any time soon, so this seemed like an easy "fix".

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@lucky97

Hi, sorry to have sounded a bit critical, it was really meant for Firefox's inappropriate handling of this whole mess with Adobe Flash from day one on June 8. Please read my modified reply. I deleted the sentence about making no sense and explained my frustration with Firefox and not with you at all, a lot better. You're right, of course, if you can find a simple workaround that works and you don't see any practical downside, that's fine, you should use it, because you still have the latest improvements, and a couple of sites don't work with the 10.3 (luckily they're totally unimportant).

To answer your question though, I didn't necessarily mean to imply that you should anticipate having any problems. Turning off hardware acceleration won't cause any problems, I just meant that you wouldn't be able to take advantage of whatever help it gives, but I'm not even clear myself whether that's significant, so don't worry about it unless you notice any changes. I myself tested that with the touchpad issue that I mentioned, but turning off hardware acceleration didn't fix it.

You're right, though, this isn't going to be fixed anytime soon - it's been going on since June 8, so a simple "fix" that works is fine, and what you should do. But if you do notice any difference in the speed of anything, you can always try uninstalling Adobe 11.4 and trying the 10.3 which causes no problems at all with crashes. I'm going to try and find out more about hardware acceleration and if I do, I'll let you know. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Modified by CheckMate

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I I don't speak English very well, CheckMate, but I said that mine was a workaround, not a real solution. In this way you can keep using pc as most of us do normally, without any problem. Ciao!

Modified by Tameghe

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@Tameghe,

I know you meant it was a workaround and not a real solution, Tameghe. And if you don't find it sacrifices anything then it's fine. But if you notice any differences, rolling back the defective 11.4, as with the 11.3, solves everything without having to disable anything, so it's just something to consider, either if disabling hardware acceleration doesn't "fix" the issue, or you find you're sacrificing something for it.

Your English is fine, by the way. Ciao!

Modified by CheckMate

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This is the solution: Firefox should immediately release a new version of its browser, punish the people responsible for this mess. Flash is working with safari and chrome. Fix it Firefox.

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@whyaskusername

Firefox did not cause these bugs, therefore putting out an updated version by itself,can't fix it. This is clearly a problem caused by Adobe but only with the Firefox Flash plugin which began with the defective Adobe Flash update to 11.3 on June 8, so the Developers need to coordinate this with Adobe, which they're doing, now. Firefox was updated on June 5 with no problems until all hell broke loose on June 8 and for me, when I did that update, on June 10. Now, with the new and improved 11.4, we have similar issues and for me, new issues with my touch pad which I never had with the 11.3 The 11.4 was released on Aug 21, Firefox 14.0 on July 17, then Firefox 15.0 and 15.0.1 on Aug 28 and Aug 30. So there's your new versions, which fixed nothing.

To date, the ONLY company that fixed all Flash issues with Adobe and Firefox was RealPlayer's engineers, even though the problem of not seeing videos was caused by Adobe, who tried to blame that on RealPlayer.

Mozilla is to blame for not insisting that on proper beta testing with Adobe, and coordinating that with them, or at least trying, and they never said they did. I said that in the beginning of this and was ignored. Now the FF engineers are coordinating, supposedly,according to staff,but this is what we get, more of the same. Garbage in, garbage out. But you'll notice that neither IE9 nor Chrome have these damn problems with Adobe Flash - only Firefox. This raises some questions about possible conflict of interest,since Adobe offers to install Chrome.

Modified by CheckMate

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Hi CheckMate, volunteers here on the support forum do not have direct access to discussions with Adobe. However, I can say that the protected mode feature is unique to Firefox on Windows Vista and Windows 7, so Firefox does face some issues that you cannot replicate in IE or Chrome.

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Hi, jscher2000

       Sorry for the long post here, just trying to clarify, that's all.


I know the volunteers don't have access to direct discussions with Adobe, but thanks for bringing that up about Protected Mode being unique to Firefox, presenting unique problems. I thought that was true but could you explain what you know about the difference, because Internet Explorer has a Protected Mode also and these problems aren't happening. I did notice that Protected Mode in IE is in Internet Options in IE, but in for FF it's in the Flash  cmm file. Is that what you mean about it being unique? I think you're right.  But even so, my point was that regardless of what the problems or the cause, this was terrible beta testing by both companies, mainly Adobe, of course, and even now, there's not one iota of feedback from Staff or the Developers like Symantec has on their forums. 

The volunteers always try to help and I'll try anybody's suggestion. The touch pad issue I'm having is weird, though. By the way , trying to change tabs and back again didn't work, I had already tested that, that's why I had to restart FF to get the scrolling working again so it seems like it's a different problem than the older one you told me about. But it's OK with the 10.3, except I have to click on the page again and you don't have to do that with IE or Chrome, to start scrolling again after pausing a video on YouTube.

By the way, I hope it was clear that my question about any conflict of interest was about Adobe, not Firefox, because they try to install Chrome. I'm not assuming that, just raising the suspicion, but maybe you're right about the unique problems with FF and Flash. But that still doesn't excuse Adobe's poor beta testing.

Also, Jeremy Clark, Adobe's engineer said the reason they had so much trouble fixing the various issues with the 11.3 series was because they couldn't reproduce the same problems on all computers. So they finally release the 11.4 and this is what we get? More bugs, more crashes, now it's affecting the touchpad so I had to roll it back. And remember, with that issue, disabling Protected Mode didn't work, so there's something else that's causing that bug.



.

Modified by CheckMate

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Hi CheckMate, Flash's protected mode involves numerous layers of restrictions on the player as you can see in this article: http://blogs.adobe.com/asset/2012/06/inside-flash-player-protected-mode-f.... These restrictions may conflict with some Flash development techniques or add-ons that interact with media plugins, but not others. I think that's why the problems have been hard to track down. I have turned off hardware acceleration in Firefox (display artifacts) and in Flash (as a precaution), but I haven't needed to disable protected mode. Some day I might need to, but not so far.

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Hi jscher2000,

Yes, that's true, it's a big part of it, I had read that. And Jeromie Clark, on that bug report was describing some of that. But it doesn't answer the question "Why"?. If that were the only problem then simply disabling Protected Mode should have immediately fixed ALL problems. His explanations were technically over my head and it was really irrelevant because he was basically still passing the buck. Norton Internet Security never has such problems because they have fantastic beta testing. PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Anti Virus, on the other hand, does have these problems because they have terrible beta testing. I know because I saw that for myself two years ago. All bugs aren't found in NIS, of course, but the remaining ones are usually minor. And now we have hundreds of users complaining about the new and improved 11.4.

Do you really think that despite the differences, that Adobe really cared about Firefox when they're offering Chrome? I think it's an important question that Adobe is long overdo in answering. And after two weeks of blaming RealPayer for the video viewing issue, they were forced to apologize. I blasted them for their lousy beta testing and my comments were remove two days later, even though I didn't curse at anybody and didn't even mention Chris Campbell who deals with the bug reports by users, by name, which I'm doing now. That told me all I need to know about Abobe's attitude about Firefox and the firestorm they ignited.

But I can only guess that it may have something to do with other changes that Adobe made, maybe having to do with Protected Mode, that screw things up even when Protected Mode is disabled. But even so, that's Adobe's responsibility to beta test it properly, and Mozilla should have insisted on that. Basically, we are now the beta testing guinea pigs for Firefox with Adobe Flash 11.3 and 11.4. I don't usually mess with beta versions of anything because I only have one laptop and sometimes have had problems with that, but it's one thing for us to voluntarily try a beta version where we're on our own - it's another to have it forced on us disguised as a final release. Any other thoughts on this?

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Hi CheckMate, I will speculate on the intrigues of software companies over beers, but not on a public forum. ;-)

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Hi jscher2000, I believe I said a lot more than that. I simply answered you to explain why I don't happen to agree with your overly simplistic explanations for Adobe and Firefox's mistakes, that's all.Let me remind you that I didn't bring this up, it was nofal, remember?

If I could correct a mistake in a Mozilla QA engineer's testing and get the expected result when she couldn't and post that on a bug report, to Dave Herrera, Managing QA engineer at RealPlayer, I guess I know a few facts others might want to know.

The reason I'm making these criticisms public, is that I want people to have the facts so they can complain because if they don't, this is the result - chaos since June 8. People thank me for that. You think it's inappropriate, fine - then let the big shot moderator lock the thread again, but I think we can have an honest difference of opinion. I have to say what I feel needs to be said, because it's important and I already had done that.

Modified by CheckMate

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