mebeliMicrosoft’s Vista has always had a problem with Adobe’s Flash Player (at least on my HP machine). I figured the problem was with an incompatibility that neither company cared to fix. However, when the same problem showed up on the Toshiba running XP after the latest Windows update, I decided to do more research into the problem.

I updated Flash as Windows had suggested. The problem still remained. However, as I researched, I discovered that the Flash update didn’t really update. The new version won’t overwrite the old version.

To solve this problem, you have to use Adobe’s Uninstall Program (found on the Adobe website). Before you uninstall, you need to close all applications that might possibly be using flash. This includes most of the instant messenger applications.

Also, you need to do an install for each browser you use. The Internet Explorer Flash version using ActiveX while Firefox uses a plug-in. Download and install the update for the browser(s) you use.

This should solve the problem until more updates cause different problems.

I still have to fix the problem on the HP, which came back from the shop on Friday. It still isn’t totally fixed, so it will have to go back again.

Remember to back up your work (and any files you download). You never know when you’ll have a problem. Most likely, the problem will occur at the most inconvenient time possible.

Write on,

Lynn Jordan