Macromedia Flash Player 7

[6785077276]

Ok, so I install Macromedia Flash Player 7, but does anyone know why it gets uninstalled when I clear IE's cache, etc... Then the next time I always have to keep reinstalling it!!! :angry:

[6785077276]

anyone please?

[6785077276]

bump

[6785077276]

Does anyone know why Macromedia Flash Player removes itself when I clear Internet Explorer's Cache etc?

Then each time I keep having to reinstall it!!!

[New display name REQUIRED]

I'm guessing no one knows... Sorry.

[streetw0lf]

  digitalnemesis said:

Ok, so I install Macromedia Flash Player 7, but does anyone know why it gets uninstalled when I clear IE's cache, etc... Then the next time I always have to keep reinstalling it!!!  :angry:

585817901[/snapback]

Are you using Disk Cleanup? I found that if I have 'Downloaded Program Files' ticked off this gets rid of Flash. Evidently the flash program lives here. I have it unticked as a result.

If you are using something else to do your cleaning it probably is also deleting flash from this same folder.

[6785077276]

I did this: Right click IE>properties>delete files and also clear cookie and clear cache. I noticed flash gets removed since I changed the cache size. This didn't happen before.

[lucianmarin]

Macromedia Flash is installed in:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash

I don't know how can be uninstalled when you clear the cache. Sorry.

See if after you clear the cache that location is empty then the flash is 100% uninstalled, else it isn't.

[6785077276]

Ok, but the problem is that it asks me to install flash each time I clear the cache.

[streetw0lf]

  digitalnemesis said:

Ok, but the problem is that it asks me to install flash each time I clear the cache.

585823590[/snapback]

I cleared my cache the way you do it and I also lost flash. Here's what I noticed.

In the folder Windows\Downloaded Program Files there is an activex entry for Flash called Shockwave Flash Object. My entry has a date of 6/9/04

When I clear the cache your way and with Clean Disk this entry gets deleted. This MIGHT be the cause of the problem. It is clear that at least this one Flash entry is being deleted. Maybe some more 'stuff' is being deleted too, I haven't looked into this.

When I use Clean Disk it has a specific option to clean this folder. Since I also lose Flash with Clean Disk when I check this folder to be cleaned this might point to this activex entry has being the reason we lose Flash.

Check this out if you want to.

******

Did some Googling and a few other folks reported the same thing on their systems. The Flash Activex entry was being deleted also and Flash stopped working. Seems to be a uncommon and no solution was offered other then reinstalling flash. Maybe this entry can be read protected or something. I'll check it out.

btw.. if you right click on this entry and do a 'Remove' you will lose Flash. This is another indication that this is the problem. Also keep in mind that this folder is a Special XP type of folder. What you see is not what you get. It seems the Flash Object is really an INF file probably the one in windows\inf. Maybe the PNF version.

Edited April 25, 2005 by streetwolf

[Makeshift Hammer]

Crap Cleaner does it too on my comp. Constantly having to reinstall flashplayer. It's not a problem as it installs more or less instantly, it's just that some pages with flash on them don't seem to put out a call to install it if it's not there and it simply doesn't work. i have to keep going to a page i know requests it, install it again then go back to the problematic page.

[streetw0lf]

I think I am on to something here.

I brought up a vanilla XP SP2 system I run under Virtual PC. I installed Flash and then used both methods mentioned to cleanup my system. Flash did NOT get removed.

So obviously there is a difference between the two systems. Looking at the Flash Object entry in the Download Program Files folder my eye was caught by the 'Last Access Date'. This jogged my memory that I have the Registry tweak applied that disables the Last Access Update date. Of course my vanilla system does NOT have this tweak since the default is to enable it. So I added the entry to the Registry on my vanilla system.

I rebooted and reinstalled Flash. After verifying Flash was working I then cleaned up my vanilla system. Guess what? Flash was now deleted!!! The various cleanup programs must use the last access date to do their thing and since I disabled it they deleted it. Why Flash and not lots of other things I do not know.

I also noticed that the last access date for the flash object changed with the tweak applied. Without the tweak it was more current then with the tweak. I guess the 'tweaked' date was considered 'old' so the cleanup programs deleted it.

So all of you that have this problem, do you have this Registry tweak applied to your system?? Here's a link that describes this tweak:

http://v2.tlab404.com/articles/detail.asp?iFaq=378&iType=15

[streetw0lf]

Sorry for posting so much but I just had to fix this problem. :D

I removed the Registry tweak I mentioned and rebooted. Flash does not get deleted anymore!!!! With the tweak on I had a last access date of a year ago for Flash. This is probably used by the cleanup programs to determine if some file is old enough to delete. Now that the tweak is off the date is today's date. Might have been updated the first time I got into a flash web site.

I originally put the tweak on because it is supposed to improves performance. I suppose I'll find this out soon enough now that it is off.

[6785077276]

Excellent work guys. It worked! For those using "cachemanxp" also make sure that option is NOT disabled!!! :D